Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
IMANIO “GATEZ”
T he next morning rolled in slow, warm, and heavy.
It was raining, and the only thing that felt right was doing absolutely nothing.
I had plans for that day… lazy ones—the kind where Naji and I stayed in bed all day, ate off trays on our laps, maybe found a new show to binge, or rewatched something old and good.
And from the way Naji was stretched out across my chest, arm draped around my waist, snoring, I knew she’d be down for that too.
I ran my fingers through her once curls. After the savage beating I put on her pussy the night before—and all that sweating and moaning she did—her curls were flattened, matted in spots like we’d been training in a damn sauna. She was still beautiful, though… and still mine.
I didn’t want to wake Naji, so I let her lay there and pulled my phone off the nightstand, checking emails and socials. Everything was looking good—until I opened Instagram. The calm in my body snapped like a rubber band stretched too far.
The sudden tension in my arm made Naji shift slightly, stirring.
“ This bitch won’t stop… ” I muttered under my breath; eyes narrowed at the screen. Then quieter, darker—" … not until I kill her. ”
Naji tensed, eyes fluttering open as her body jolted with alertness.
“W-what did you just say?” she asked, voice hushed and uncertain.
Her knee bucked up sharply, thudding against my thigh as she gasped.
Then it came—her outburst, loud and startled. “Don’t smother me with justice, you homicidal sexy villain!”
I looked down at her, then burst out laughing.
Naji covered her mouth; eyes round with horror. “I—I didn’t mean—was that about me?”
“Hell no, baby,” I chuckled, pulling her closer and kissing the side of her head. “You’re safe with me… always. That wasn’t meant for you. I promise.”
“Oh.”
Naji relaxed just a little, still side-eyeing me like she wasn’t totally convinced.
“Who… who was it for then?”
I exhaled, then reluctantly flipped the phone around so she could see.
“I need you to see this.”
Naji squinted, still half-cocooned in the sheets, her lashes heavy from sleep. But as her eyes scanned the screen, that comfort dropped away fast.
There it was.
Aaliyah’s post, bright and bold across the top of the gossip blog:
“ Imanio Kors Left Me Pregnant—Now He’s Pretending I Don’t Exist ”
Underneath it was a grainy, old photo of us together outside a studio, and a cropped ultrasound—no name, no date… just a blurry image of manipulation.
Naji blinked slowly. Her jaw clenched, then released in a controlled breath.
“W-wow,” she exclaimed, as she processed. “She really chose insanity today.” Then Naji leaned in slightly, reading the handle of the account that posted it.
Her brow lifted.
“But wait… that’s not her page,” she pointed out. “Look—it’s one of those fake gossip mashups. The kind that steal content, repost mess, and stir drama for clicks.”
I didn’t say anything at first—my silence spoke loud enough.
Naji turned to me, frowning. “Y-you still think it’s her behind it anyway, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Yeah. This got her fingerprints all over it.”
“Delusional dummy… D-list duck… drama-drenched discard…”
I let out a dry laugh, but it didn’t reach my chest. My grip on the phone tightened.
Naji scoffed. “So she’s not just d-delusional, she’s sneaky too. Using burner accounts now?”
“Ignore it,” I replied, clearly anything but calm. “I didn’t want you to see this shit… not before I handled it.”
Naji pulled the sheet up like modesty mattered now—like I hadn’t just had her screaming my name against the headboard.
“She’s desperate and banking on people believing it because y-you used to sleep with her.”
“ Used to,” I repeated bitterly. “Used to when I didn’t give a fuck about anybody but myself… before you. She wants attention, and she picked the loudest way to get it.”
“And the most pathetic,” Naji added, with a slight roll of her eyes. She studied me, then added, “Are you worried p-people will believe it?”
I hesitated.
“Not the people that matter,” I finally replied, “But I need this shut down… like ASAP.”
Right on cue, Saroya’s name flashed across my screen.
I answered the call with a low, almost dry, “Yeah,” ready to dive into the conversation that would hopefully put an end to the gossip swirling around me.
Her voice came through sharp and fast, layered with fury.
“Do you know this woman?! If so, who is she? What’s your past relationship with her?! I need full disclosure—I mean everything, Imanio!”
The headache was coming fast—one of those that started behind the eyes and ended with a fist to the jaw.
I exhaled through my teeth and broke it down—calm, direct, no fluff. Saroya listened in silence, but I knew her brain was already ten steps ahead.
“This is a direct hit,” Saroya said when I finished. Her tone had shifted—strictly business now. “You need to get in front of it. We craft your response tonight, press conference tomorrow! Let’s move!”
“Aight.”
I hung up before the back-and-forth could start. No use arguing with someone who had my reputation in her hands.
Naji chuckled, nudging my pride just a little.
“You’re gonna let her boss you around like that?”
I smirked. “She gets paid to stress; let her earn her money.”
Naji leaned forward, her fingers soft as they settled over my hand.
“She’s right though. Y-you should do the press conference.”
I looked at her. For a moment, the flicker of chaos behind my eyes dimmed—not gone, but quieter.
“I’m only doing it because I’m not letting some thirsty-ass clout chaser use my name to get her a few likes and followers.”
She gave a small smile, shaking her head.
I leaned in, lips brushing her shoulder, voice low as hell against her skin.
“Look, we’ll deal with all this shit another day. But today, let’s focus on us. Let’s go shower, get breakfast, come back to the room… and we can watch whatever you wanna watch.”
Naji turned to me with a mock gasp.
“ Whatever? Did I j-just hear ‘whatever’ come out your mouth?”
“Damn… did I say whatever ?” I teased, eyes narrowing in faux horror.
“Yes, you did!” she laughed, climbing off the bed.
I watched her with a small grin, but it faded as she walked toward the bathroom. My jaw flexed.
Whatever…
Yeah, I said it. Because for Naji, I’d do just about anything to keep her smiling, safe, and to show her how far I’ll really go to protect her peace—our peace. But that didn’t mean the other side of me was asleep.
Aaliyah thought dropping my name would get her some traction—a fake story, a little chaos, a scandal she could surf until her next fifteen minutes of fame. What she obviously failed to realize was that I wasn’t one to let shit slide when it came to trying to ruin my image or wife.
She wants attention? I’ll give her the kind she won’t survive.