Reckless Marriage Unyielding Love

 Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

Mikayla's fingers danced off the keyboard, a sly grin ghosting her lips. She ridiculed inwardly, 'If he could funnel that swagger into grinding, he might actually impress. But what good's swagger if it's all talk, no walk? He is all bark, living in his folks' shadow, and coasting at the gig.' Mikayla shook her head, tapping away on her keys. She had her fill of Logan's family, ready to drop the hammer if they stirred more chaos. Some vibes were better left unspoken; the other side needed to learn when to back off.

The workday hummed along smoothly, and Mikayla rushed to wrap up the reports before jetting. She aimed to hammer out the rest at home after hours. The morning buzz lingered in her mind.

Salvatore Group staggered departmental clocks, avoiding crushes at shift swaps. Mikayla exited with her squad, cramming into the elevator. Patricia's zest lit up the vibe. Josiah waited by the entrance, and Mikayla reached him.

"Ms. Salvatore, catch you later!" Patricia bid farewell to Mikayla with enthusiasm.

"Ms. Salvatore, till tomorrow!" another girl echoed Patricia.

"Yep. See you around." Mikayla dished out her goodbyes and hopped into Josiah's ride. Settled in the backseat, she piped up, "Police station." Josiah was a man of few words, a simple "Cool" slipping out.

Cruising down the streets, Mikayla gazed out the window, taking in the Xosa bustle. She'd asked Josiah to slide her home today to keep Carlos out of the loop. Better she handled this on the down-low. Despite the cozy vibe with Carlos, when things turned hefty, she preferred to take charge solo and close the deal herself.

The black sedan soon parked at the police station. Exiting the ride, Mikayla rapped on the window, and Josiah rolled it down pronto. "I figure I'll be out in 30. If it stretches, I'll buzz you. Or hit up one of those joints around here." Mikayla scoped a few cozy diners in the area. With dinner looming, she didn't want Josiah on standby. Xosa nightlife thrived, but flagging a cab could be a chore later, leaving her no choice but to let Josiah swing her home. "Got it!" Josiah nodded. Truth be told, Mikayla had never known Josiah to turn down anything.

Chatting it up with Josiah, Mikayla spun around and clocked Lucas posted up at the entrance, like he was there for her on purpose.

When Mikayla pivoted, Lucas quick-snuffed the cig jammed between his fingers. "Hey Mikayla!" Since their last meet, she struck Lucas as different. Back in her wedding zone, where he was present too, she was a show-stopper, the belle of the ball; now, aside from her looks, she had a savvy air about her. Living in the same burg as Mikayla, Lucas had heard buzz about her digging in at the family's gig. Hard to picture the quiet, brainy school standout opting to punch the clock at the business world and kick up a stir.

"My bad for making you wait!" Mikayla's peepers shimmered a bit, and a sunny grin lit up her face.

"Just wrapped my gig and figured you'd show up any minute. Total coincidence catching you as I headed down." Lucas tossed a smile with arched brows. Chirping away, he angled his head, wary the cig stench might be too much.

Mikayla inquired, "Off to your spot?"

"Yep! Got something to show you there." Lucas gestured.

Trotting alongside Lucas, peeps in the mix greeted him and shot him winks. Mikayla clocked the vibes but brushed it off. Probably pegging her as his squeeze, she guessed.

"Captain Grayston, your lady's a looker!" A bold soul let it out. This prompted a fist bump from Lucas.

Strolling down a quieter hall, Mikayla slid in a casual query. "Brung your lady here before?" Recalling his chatter about a blind date.

Lucas scratched his dome. "Nah, didn't rock out, so we split!" Then, he swung his office door open.

Mikayla tossed the question,

easy-breezy, no lingering on it.

Stepping inside, she clocked a whole new scene in the office. If not for the general area, she'd swear Lucas had switched spots. This time, it was way tidier and neater than before. Looked like someone put in work to spruce it up.

"Yo, Captain Grayston, Ms. Salvatore, what's your poison?" The young lad who caught Lucas's boot earlier, pretty fresh-faced, flashed a grin by the door, tossing them the query.

"Just water's cool," Mikayla shot back.

"Just water! Chop-chop!" Lucas, clearly not in his happy place, barked shortly at his underling before shifting tones a bit gentler for Mikayla. "Mikayla, slide over here. Got some pictures to show you."

Hearing this, Mikayla sidled up to Lucas's desk, where he yanked a yellow envelope from a drawer. Popping it open, he plucked two photos, setting them on the desk.

"This is..." Mikayla felt a ping of familiarity with the figure on the photo but couldn't quite place it. "Looks like Mildred's bro, who I met once, but I am not entirely sure." She and Logan's squad weren't tight. They bounced from the Salvatore manor before she hit the scene. Unless business was afoot, their visits were rare. She barely crossed paths with the Whitaker family. A faint recollection of the man in the snap tickled her memory.

"Yep, that's Mildred's bro, Keh Whitaker," Lucas confirmed.

"Linked to the car crash?" Mikayla blurted out, her mental gears whirring. 'Aunt Mildred's kin? Maybe a connection...

"I deduced this bad boy! No proof, just doing my Sherlock things." Lucas rambled on.

Mikayla soaked in Lucas's breakdown silently.

"Going off the information you

handed, and you being a school kid who hadn't sniffed society yet, ain't no external foes in the mix, or

anyone wishing you harm. Onko

family could be in the mix. So, ruled out the family squad, and past surveillance tapes were a no-go for a match."

Sounds simple enough, but the Salvatore family had a mob of kin. Wrangling all that data and squaring up comparisons must've been a massive grind. Mikayla glanced at Lucas, feeling the grateful vibes.