Jade's POV
I shouldn't have come.
That's what I kept telling myself as I climbed the narrow staircase to Stephen's off-campus apartment. The concrete steps were cracked, half-painted, and smelled of stale water and sweat. I had second thoughts, but Stephen's voice echoed in my head: "Come on, Jade. I promise I won't bite."
He'd grinned when he said it, all charming teeth and confidence. The same grin he used when he'd leaned in close during Mass Comm, asking to borrow my notes while the lecturer droned on about agenda-setting theory. The same grin he used when he called me Arìké. That name that felt so intimate on his tongue.
I knocked on the door, and it creaked open almost immediately. Stephen stood there, barefoot, in a loose T-shirt and joggers. He looked so relaxed, so unbothered, like he wasn't the source of a persistent itch at the back of my mind.
"Hey, stranger." He leaned against the doorframe, smiling lazily.
I rolled my eyes. "Are you going to let me in, or should I just chill in the hallway?"
He laughed, stepping aside. The apartment was... neat. Too neat. Everything folded, arranged, deliberate. There were framed photos on the wall—one of him with a much older woman I guessed was his mom, another of a younger boy with Stephen's same angular jaw. There was a stack of books on the coffee table, all nonfiction. Biographies, philosophy, the kind of stuff that made you look smarter than you probably were.
"Wow. Didn't expect the whole 'organized gentleman' vibe from you," I teased, walking in slowly.
Stephen chuckled, shutting the door behind me. "What did you expect? A mess of dirty clothes and instant noodles?"
"Something like that," I muttered, though my gaze lingered on the photos.
"Thirsty?" Stephen asked. He moved into the kitchenette, opening a mini fridge. "I've got juice, water, beer..."
"Water's fine," I said, slipping my phone out of my pocket. A text from Miriam glowed on the screen.
Miriam: Baby girl, no do pass yourself o. Don't forget say even sugar dey disguise as salt.
I smiled, my fingers typing back quickly.
Me: Abeg chill. It's just chess, not a marriage proposal.
I slipped my phone back before Stephen noticed, accepting the cold glass of water he offered. He nodded to the small wooden table in the corner. The chessboard was already set.
"Thought we could have a quick game before you start beating me up for my poor taste in movies," Stephen teased.
"Who says I won't beat you at chess too?" I smirked, pulling out a chair.
Stephen laughed, settling into the seat opposite me. "We'll see about that."
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Zion's POV
He had no business being here.
That was what Dayo would say if he knew Zion was on the second floor of a shabby off-campus apartment, hiding in the narrow, dusty corridor outside Stephen's door. It was stupid, reckless — something Jade herself would do.
He wasn't stalking. He was... protecting. That was what he told himself as he leaned against the rough wall, hood pulled low, ears straining to catch any sound from inside. The door wasn't fully closed — just a crack, barely wide enough.
Their voices floated through. Light, playful, the clinking of glasses. He could almost see Stephen's cocky grin, Jade's slight smirk.
Then Stephen's phone rang, and his voice dropped, just low enough that Zion had to hold his breath to hear.
"Yeah, yeah... No, I haven't been back there since that night. Why would I? Extasy Drift isn't exactly my scene. Just chill. I've got this."
Zion frowned. The tightness in Stephen's voice, the way he glanced over his shoulder like he thought someone was watching... It didn't sit right.
He took a step back as the door creaked open wider. Jade's voice slipped out, sharp and curious. "Who was that?"
Stephen's laugh was easy, but something about it grated on Zion. "Just a friend. Always disturbing me."
"Uh-huh," Jade murmured, and he could almost see the suspicion flicker through her eyes.
Zion slipped further down the corridor, his heart pounding. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't care. Jade was... Jade. She did what she wanted. She wasn't his.
And yet, his fists clenched. He hated the way Stephen looked at her. He hated that she didn't see through it. He pulled out his phone, texting Dayo.
Dayo was a humble, accountancy student who was something much more than that. He was someone who knew how to ferret information from the most unlikely sources , sources that were always right. Plain put, Dayo was everywhere like MTN network .
Zion: Need a background check. Discreet. Got a pic.
He attached the unaware picture of Stephen he had taken a few days ago in class.
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Jade's POV
Stephen was good at chess. Too good. I should have been more focused, but my mind kept tugging back to his phone call.
Extasy Drift.
The name clung to me, sticky and uncomfortable. The club I'd tried so hard to forget. The night that had emptied me, stripped me of whatever dignity I had left. The place I met Uzor on that blind date. The blind date that turned into a nightmare.
Stephen's voice jolted me from my thoughts. "Funny thing, actually. A friend set me up on a blind date next week. At Extasy Drift, of all places. What do you think?"
I almost choked, my eyes snapping up to his. He looked genuinely curious, a playful smile at the corner of his lips.
"Blind date?" I forced a laugh, my throat tight. "You? Mr. Casanova?"
"Even Casanovas get bored," he teased, moving his knight. "But honestly, have you been there before? The club?"
A chill skated down my spine. I watched his fingers hover over the chess piece, waiting. There was no malice in his expression, nothing but that easy charm.
"Once," I managed, my voice light. "Ages ago. Wasn't my vibe."
Stephen chuckled. "Yeah, same. Honestly, I don't even know if I'll go. Probably just bail last minute."
I nodded absently, eyes on the board but not seeing it. My knight was exposed, vulnerable, and his queen hovered just a move away from checkmate.
"Your move, Arìké," he whispered.
I nudged a pawn forward, feeling his eyes on me. My mind spun. The club. The call. Stephen's smile. The night that fractured me.
I didn't realize he'd won until he tapped the table lightly. "Checkmate."
I blinked, staring at the board. "Damn. That was fast."
Stephen grinned, but there was a sharpness to it now, a glint that made me uneasy.
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Zion's POV
He saw her leave the apartment, her brows knit, her lips slightly parted as if still processing something. Stephen stood by the doorway, his gaze on her back — too focused, too intent.
Zion hated it. He hated how she didn't see it. How trusting she always was.
He pulled out his phone and Dayo's reply stared him straight in the face .
Dayo : "The Label doesn't match the bottle. Samuel Oyinde _ rare specimen. Look beneath the seal."
Zion's pulse quickened. The name gripped him. Samuel Oyinde. A sharp piece of a puzzle he didn't know he was solving. And Jade was too close to a game she didn't even know she was playing.
"The label doesn't match the bottle".
Zion tensed. He could perceive danger. And it smelt close, too close for comfort.