The marina fell silent.
Even the sound of the ocean seemed to pause.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the man who had just stepped out of the final car.
He walked slowly across the pavement.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Like someone who already owned the ground beneath his feet.
Shemmy felt a chill crawl up her spine.
The man looked to be in his early fifties.
Grey at the temples. Expensive suit. The quiet confidence of someone who had spent decades controlling rooms like this.
But what unsettled her most was Daevyd.
Because Daevyd had gone completely still.
"Tunde," the man said smoothly, adjusting his cufflinks.
"I expected better from you."
Tunde frowned.
"Who invited you here?"
The man ignored the question.
His gaze shifted toward Daevyd.
"Well," he said with a faint smile.
"It's been a long time."
Daevyd's voice was tight.
"Not long enough."
Shemmy looked between them.
"You know him?"
Daevyd didn't answer.
The man stepped closer, hands casually in his pockets.
"You always had a talent for creating chaos," he said.
Tunde scoffed.
"You think you can walk in here and take control?"
The man finally looked at him.
"Control?"
He chuckled softly.
"My dear boy… I never lost it."
Tunde's expression hardened.
"This is my deal."
"No," the man corrected gently.
"This is my city."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Shemmy felt the tension tighten like a wire.
"Daevyd," she whispered.
"Who is he?"
Daevyd finally spoke.
"My father."
The words hit like thunder.
Shemmy blinked.
"What?"
Tunde stared.
"You're joking."
The man smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately for you… he's not."
The silence that followed felt enormous.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The confidence.
The power.
The way he had walked into the situation like it belonged to him.
Tunde recovered first.
"Well," he said slowly.
"This is interesting."
He folded his arms.
"I didn't realize TechWave had family backing."
Daevyd's voice turned sharp.
"It doesn't."
His father tilted his head slightly.
"Still stubborn."
"You disappeared fifteen years ago," Daevyd said coldly.
"And yet here I am."
Tunde's eyes lit up.
"Oh this is good."
He looked between them.
"So the prodigal son built an empire without daddy."
Daevyd ignored him.
"What do you want?"
His father shrugged lightly.
"I heard someone was trying to buy my son."
Tunde laughed.
"You're too late."
He pointed toward the contract.
"She was about to sign."
Shemmy stepped forward.
"I was not."
Tunde's smile thinned.
His father studied her carefully.
"So you're the woman causing all this noise."
Shemmy crossed her arms.
"I didn't start it."
He nodded slowly.
"Good answer."
Tunde was losing patience.
"This reunion is touching," he said.
"But it changes nothing."
He turned toward Shemmy.
"Sign the contract."
"No," Daevyd said immediately.
Tunde laughed.
"You don't have a choice."
He gestured toward the SUVs.
"Your company is bleeding money."
He tapped the contract.
"And she can stop it."
Daevyd stepped forward.
"You're not using her."
Tunde smiled.
"You're already losing."
Before Daevyd could respond, his father sighed.
"Honestly," the older man said.
"I'm disappointed."
Both men looked at him.
"Tunde," he continued.
"You're clever."
"But you made one mistake."
Tunde frowned.
"What mistake?"
"You assumed you were the biggest shark in the water."
The older man reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He pressed one button.
Across the marina, several phones buzzed at the same time.
Tunde checked his.
His expression changed instantly.
"What…"
He opened the message.
Stock alerts.
Market notifications.
Emergency reports.
One headline flashed across the screen.
"Major investors withdraw from Tunde Global Holdings."
Another followed.
"Financial investigation launched into Tunde Global."
Tunde's face darkened.
"You did this."
Daevyd's father smiled.
"No."
"I started it."
Then he glanced at Daevyd.
"But the rest…"
"…was already happening."
Shemmy looked at Daevyd.
"What does that mean?"
Daevyd slowly smiled.
Because he understood something Tunde hadn't yet realized.
TechWave's crash.
The hack.
The financial pressure.
It had forced the company into emergency protocols.
Protocols that exposed every hostile investor trying to manipulate the system.
Including Tunde.
Tunde's voice dropped dangerously.
"You think this ends here?"
The older man chuckled.
"Oh no."
"This is just the beginning."
Tunde turned toward Shemmy.
"This isn't over."
He got into his SUV.
The vehicles drove off into the night.
The marina slowly grew quiet again.
Shemmy finally exhaled.
But she noticed something strange.
Daevyd wasn't celebrating.
He was staring at his father.
Cold.
"You should leave," Daevyd said.
His father raised an eyebrow.
"No thank you?"
"For interfering in my life again?"
"You lost that right years ago."
The older man sighed.
"Still angry."
"You abandoned us."
The words cut through the air.
For a moment the older man looked genuinely tired.
"I left to protect you."
Daevyd laughed bitterly.
"From what?"
The older man's expression turned serious.
"From people far more dangerous than Tunde."
The wind picked up across the marina.
Shemmy felt her stomach twist.
Because something in the man's voice sounded real.
Very real.
Daevyd didn't look convinced.
But before he could respond, his father turned toward him again.
"You're playing a much bigger game than you realize."
"What are you talking about?"
The older man looked out toward the dark ocean.
Then he said quietly,
"The people who tried to destroy TechWave…"
"…weren't working for Tunde."
Shemmy felt her heart skip.
Daevyd's eyes narrowed.
"Then who were they working for?"
The older man looked back at him.
And for the first time that night…
He didn't smile.
"That," he said slowly,
"…is the real problem."