A taxi rolled to a stop along the paved stretch of Banex Plaza, its engine rattling once before dying into silence.
The rear door opened as a lady stepped out, her brown eyes nestling quietly on her soft face, her raven hair just above her shoulders. She gave a vibe of someone delicate.
Nelly closed the door gently, as she was greeted by the fresh wave of morning sun, heat struck her instantly, pressing against her caramel skin. Adjusting the hem of her skirt, she took one step, then stopped.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Wuse had changed.
She couldn't have imagined the amount of change in just 10 years.
Glass towers rose where the low concrete buildings once stood. Billboards gleamed overhead, flashing promises of wealth, innovation, and expansion. The streets were wider. Cleaner. Quite a traffic jam on the road. People moved briskly, wearing a DND sign on their faces.
As if jinxed by the worst possible luck.
The phone screen blinked weakly in her hand before fading to black.
"No...please," she muttered, pressing the power button.
Nothing.
She checked her watch.
9:18 AM.
The interview was at nine-thirty.
There was supposed to be still time; according to Google Maps, it was around here.
Akor Corp.
Her stomach tightened.
She approached a passing man in a navy suit. "Excuse me, please – do you know where Akor Corp is?"
He didn't slow down.
Another attempt. "Sorry-Akor Corp?"
A woman hissed under her breath and stepped around as if she were an obstacle on the pavement.
Heat rose to Nelly's cheeks.
Fine.
She shrugged.
Choosing a direction, she merged into the flow of bodies, quickening her pace. Trusting her previous memory.
Yet the further she walked, the more unfamiliar everything became. The building only grew taller.
"Lost?"
She stopped.
A man leaned against a storefront behind her, cigarette balanced loosely between his fingers. He smiled, revealing teeth too deliberate to be friendly.
'I'm looking for Akor Corp," she said carefully.
His eyes moved over her slowly.
"I sabi shortcut," he replied, gesturing toward a narrow passage between two towering buildings.
"You go past there."
She hesitated.
9:32 AM. Damn.
It looked darker than the main road; she didn't have much of a choice left.
"Thank you," she said.
The alley swallowed the noise of the street almost instantly. The air shifted—cooler, heavier. Her footsteps echoed against concrete and glass.
She'd been walking for about a minute or two when an unease crept up her spine.
She slowed.
Something was wrong.
She turned.
Four men blocked the entrance she had just walked through.
She quickly notices the smoker among them.
Her breath stalled.
They spread out slowly, casually, unhurried.
"Fine girl, come here," one said, lips curling to reveal stained teeth. "Shey you don loss."
"I'm not," she replied, gripping the strap of her handbag.
Another stepped closer. "Make we help."
Their laughter bounced off the walls, thin and sharp.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
She stepped back.
They moved forward.
The alley felt smaller. The buildings taller. The sky reduced to a thin line overhead.
No one would see.
No one would hear.
"Please," she began, forcing steadiness into her voice. "I don't want any trouble."
"Trouble?" one mocked softly. "Na who won give us trouble?"
A shadow shifted at the mouth of the alley.
Then—the air shifted subtly.
They froze.
Nelly could've sworn she heard another voice.
She wasn't sure why, but the confidence in their faces drained instantly, replaced by something she hadn't expected. Panic.
"Hey, what do we have here?"
The voice was smooth, rich, with an undercurrent of something almost...playful.
Nelly turned slowly, expecting to see a menacing man whose presence was enough to frighten these rough-looking bastards.
Instead, he looked simple. Handsome even.
Hair neatly groomed, coal eyes brimming with mischief, a smirk curling his lips in a warm reception. His shirt, buttoned halfway down, gave an intentional glimpse of his chest. He stood taller than all four men, probably over six feet.
Something within her stirred deep down; it felt like she knew who he was; she struggled to place his face, but couldn't.
But they did. One of them stood in defiance, in an attempt to challenge him; the others held him back.
Whispering among themselves, a name reached her ears.
Lucky Dante.
She turned back to him. "Who are you?"
His smirk deepened. "Oh, you're new. This is not my ideal place for first meetings, though." He chuckled, voice still calm.
He turned now towards the men, one lunged for him...
Nelly's eyes could barely register what was going on.
Less than a second.
One second, the men were standing, and one was attacking the smug stranger, then the next four of them lay on the floor, groaning.
Just like that.
The alley felt larger again.
Air returned to her lungs.
She turned to him. "You're supposed to give your name first."
One corner of his mouth lifted. "Are you?"
She frowned despite herself.
He stepped closer, not invading, just enough to occupy space. "You shouldn't follow strangers into dark alleys."
"You were a stranger too," she replied.
"True." His gaze lingered on her face. Observing. Measuring. "But I'm the kind you hope to meet."
Something about him felt dangerous—not in the crude way the others had felt—but in a subtler way. Controlled. Intentional.
"Who are you?" she asked again.
He studied her as though weighing how much she deserved to know.
"Lucky Dante."
The name stirred faint recognition. A face she might have seen somewhere.
"Oh," she said, though she wasn't sure what that meant.
"And you are?" he prompted.
"I don't give my name to strangers."
His smile widened slightly. "Smart."
She checked her watch.
9:40.
"I need to find Akor Corp."
His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly.
"Of course you do," he murmured.
She stiffened. "What does that mean?"
"It means," he said lightly, stepping beside her, "you're lucky I'm heading that way."
She hesitated.
He began walking anyway.
After a second, she followed.
They moved in silence, weaving through pedestrians. She was aware of him beside her—his unhurried stride, the faint scent of cologne, the ease with which people seemed to part without realizing they were doing it.
"Interview?" he asked casually.
"Yes."
"For?"
"Data analysis."
"Ambitious."
She glanced at him. "It's a job."
He chuckled softly. "Nothing at Akor Corp is just a job."
Five minutes later, the building rose before them.
Akor Corp towered over the district—glass and steel climbing arrogantly into the sky. Its name gleamed in silver letters above the entrance.
Her throat tightened.
This was it.
She turned to thank him.
He was already stepping away.
"Wait—"
"Try not to get lost again," he called over his shoulder. "Princess."
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
She stood there for a moment longer before squaring her shoulders and walking inside.