CHAPTER 1: FORBIDDEN SPARKS

The closing bell rang, and students poured out of the classrooms, cheering with wild excitement. The long holiday had finally arrived. Parents and guardians crowded the school gate, waiting for their children, while laughter and chatter filled the air.

Jim walked slowly across the compound toward the parking lot where his driver, Fred, was waiting. Unlike the other students, his face carried no joy. His steps were heavy, his expression downcast.

Jim Lawson was the only child of George and Loveth Lawson, a wealthy couple known for their devout Christian values. Raised in a disciplined home, Jim had grown into a reserved young man, far from the reckless lifestyle common among his peers.

Fred noticed the look on his face as he approached.

“Hey, bud,” he called, “you don’t look yourself. How was school today?”

Jim shrugged. “Same old thing—boring lectures and a pile of projects. Final year is always stressful.”

“Aww, don’t worry. You’ll get through it,” Fred said with a grin.

As the car sped away, Jim stared out of the window, lost in thought. His mind drifted to Angelle, the new girl in school. Her beauty had captured the entire campus—her face was printed on the school’s exercise books and even displayed on the huge billboard outside the gate. Every boy longed to be near her, but Jim found the obsession irritating.

Even more shocking was the day Angelle herself approached him, whispering a proposal for something intimate. Jim’s rejection had spread like wildfire. Some mocked him as a fool, others called him arrogant. But he didn’t care. He despised teenage flings and had no interest in meaningless relationships.

The electric buzz of the gate jolted him from his thoughts as Fred drove into the compound. After dropping him off, the driver left quietly.

Jim showered, microwaved his lunch, and took a brief siesta. Hours later, the sound of his parents’ car woke him. One glance at their faces told him they carried a surprise—Jim could always sense things before they were spoken.

“Good afternoon, Dad. Good afternoon, Mom,” he greeted casually.

“Afternoon, son. How was your day?” his father asked.

“Uneventful,” Jim replied, pulling a playful face.

His mother smiled knowingly. “Well, your uncle is throwing a party this evening in honor of your late grandfather. Perhaps that will brighten your day.”

Jim’s eyes lit up. He quickly dressed and joined his parents. The party turned out larger than anyone expected. Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces—almost the entire Lawson family had gathered under one roof. Music floated in the air, mixing with laughter and clinking glasses.

Jim was about to drift toward the refreshment table when his eyes caught a figure across the hall.

Max.

She had grown taller since the last time he saw her, and there was a calm elegance in the way she carried herself. For reasons he could not explain, his heart skipped. He quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in the decorations, but his mind was already restless.

Something about that evening told him it would be different.