Love Found Me When I Wasn’t Looking (Episode 17)

Daniel’s POV

My father called me into his office on a Thursday evening.

That alone was unusual.

I walked in with my usual guarded confidence, not sure if this was another test or another correction. He sat behind his desk, glasses low on his nose, studying a report. When he looked up, his expression wasn’t hard.

It was thoughtful.

“Sit down, Daniel,” he said.

I did.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he nodded slowly. “The company is doing well. Better than I expected.”

I kept quiet.

“You’ve brought structure,” he continued. “Focus. You ask questions. You listen before you act. I like that.”

I felt something loosen in my chest.

“I’m glad you came back,” he added. “I truly am.”

Those words landed heavier than any praise I’d ever received.

“For a long time,” he said, leaning back, “I thought you were running away. Now I see you were only refusing to live a life that wasn’t yours.”

I swallowed.

“You’ve proven yourself,” my father said. “Not because of who you are to me… but because of the results.”

I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

He studied me again. “You seem distracted lately. Work is fine but your mind travels.”

I smiled faintly. “There’s someone important to me.”

He didn’t ask questions. Just nodded once. “Don’t lose that. Men who build empires and lose their hearts end up empty.”

That surprised me.

As I left his office, something settled inside me.

I had his respect.

But as satisfying as that felt… it wasn’t enough to quiet the ache in my chest.

Because respect didn’t laugh like Victoria.
It didn’t smell like her perfume.
It didn’t look at me like I mattered beyond money and numbers.

That night, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, phone resting on my chest.

I missed her painfully.

I missed the way she’d wrinkle her nose when she was teasing me. The way she listened really listened. The way she made even silence feel full.

I picked up my phone and called her.

She answered on the second ring.

“Daniel,” she said, smiling through the screen. “You look tired.”

“I am,” I admitted. “But in a good way.”

“Work?” she asked.

“And you,” I replied honestly.

Her smile softened.

“My father praised me today,” I said. “Said he’s happy I came back. Said the company is doing well.”

“I knew it,” she said proudly. “I told you you’re capable.”

I laughed quietly. “You always do.”

There was a pause.

Then I said the truth. “But none of it feels complete without you.”

Her eyes glistened slightly. “I miss you too.”

I sat up. “Not the polite kind of missing. The kind that hurts. The kind that makes success feel quiet.”

She nodded slowly. “I understand. Sometimes I walk past the staff room and expect to see you. Then I remember.”

That hurt more than I expected.

“I don’t want distance to become normal,” I said. “I don’t want us to get used to being apart.”

“We won’t,” she said firmly. “This is temporary.”

I watched her face closely. “Are you holding up okay?”

She exhaled. “Some days are harder. My mum still talks about the Abuja man. But I stand my ground.”

Pride swelled in my chest. “Thank you for choosing me even when it’s uncomfortable.”

She smiled gently. “I’m not choosing comfort. I’m choosing love.”

That almost broke me.

“I’m counting down,” I told her. “Every meeting. Every deal. Until I can come back not as a struggling teacher, not as a boy proving himself but as a man ready.”

Her voice softened. “I’ll be here.”

After we ended the call, I stared at my phone for a long time.

I had money now.
Direction.
Approval.

But love… love was still waiting.

And for the first time, I understood something clearly:

Success felt good.
Respect felt earned.

But Victoria

Victoria felt like home.

And no matter how well Abuja treated me, my heart was already packing its bags to return to her.

continue reading Episode 18