Chapter 30: The Ghost in the Eyes
Liam slammed the door of his Mercedes-Maybach, the sound echoing in the underground parking garage like a gunshot. He didn't tell David to drive immediately. Instead, he sat in the plush leather seat, his breath coming in shallow hitches. He pulled at his silk tie, suddenly feeling as though the car's climate control had failed. He was a man of logic, a man who dealt in tangible assets and verifiable data, yet he was currently being haunted by a pair of eyes.
"Sir? Are you alright?" David asked, glancing at the rearview mirror with genuine concern. He had seen Liam angry, and he had seen him cold, but he had never seen him look... unsettled.
"I'm fine, David. Just drive," Liam snapped, though his voice lacked its usual bite. As the car pulled out into the chaotic Lagos traffic, Liam leaned his head against the window. He kept replaying the moment he had grabbed Otunba's wrist. But it wasn't the confrontation that stuck in his mind—it was the girl. When she had looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror and then a sudden, piercing clarity, he had felt a jolt of electricity that nearly knocked him off his feet. There was something about the shape of them, the deep, soulful amber flecked with gold, that felt like a memory he couldn't quite grasp. He had seen those eyes before. He was certain of it. But where? Was it in a dream? A past life? Or was it behind a mask of crimson lace? He shook his head, dismissing the thought as absurd. The "Girl in Red" was a siren, a performer of the night. This girl was a tired waitress in a bistro. They were worlds apart. And yet, the feeling of familiarity clung to him like a second skin, making the billionaire feel, for the first time in his life, completely out of control.