Chapter 31 – An Invitation from the Elite
Naledi stared at her inbox.
It was an invitation—personal, direct, and dripping with prestige.
From Darius Mahlangu, a legendary businessman known for reshaping global markets and shaking hands with presidents.
Subject: "Private Investment Meeting – Urgent Opportunity"
Location: Grand Hightower Hotel, Presidential Lounge
Time: 7:00 PM
For a brief moment, she hesitated. Why would someone at Darius' level want a private meeting with her?
She had no idea that her name, her silence, and her proximity to unknown power had started attracting dangerous attention.
---
Chapter 32 – Champagne and Shadows
The Grand Hightower was a palace in glass and gold.
When Naledi arrived, a host led her straight to the top floor—a private lounge, candle-lit, filled with soft jazz.
Darius Mahlangu greeted her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You've been making waves," he said smoothly. "The world wants to know who's backing you."
"I came here for a discussion, not flattery," Naledi replied.
He poured her a glass of champagne.
"Just a toast. To rising stars."
She took it reluctantly.
Halfway through the conversation, her vision blurred. Her lips tingled. Her legs went numb.
Something was wrong.
Her phone slipped from her fingers. Her hand tapped the screen.
A voice.
"Elijah…"
Then darkness.
---
Chapter 33 – A Whisper Before the Storm
Elijah was already up, watering the plants when the call came in.
He didn't even hear her voice fully—just his name, whispered through static.
But that was enough.
He was gone within five seconds.
No security. No chauffeur.
Just the Ghost on a mission.
---
Chapter 34 – The Beast in the Suit
Darius sat comfortably on the edge of the couch, loosening his tie.
He didn't notice the figure that had entered the suite without a sound.
Until the door closed behind him.
Elijah didn't speak.
Didn't ask questions.
Didn't negotiate.
He moved like a shadow turned to rage.
Fists like steel.
Strikes like thunder.
The furniture shattered.
Blood smeared across the designer carpet.
By the time Darius realized who he had touched—who he had tried to violate—it was too late to apologize.
Elijah stood over him and whispered:
"You touched a woman who's loved by a man the world fears."
---
Chapter 35 – The Man Who Erases Problems
Later that night, a black SUV pulled up in a silent alley.
Out stepped Nyika, a man whispered about in crime circles but never photographed. Known only as The Fixer.
Elijah greeted him with a nod.
"No deaths. Just erasure."
Nyika grinned. "Of course. That's why you call me."
Darius was pulled out, bloodied, barely able to move.
By morning, there was no trace of him in the city.
No evidence. No headlines.
Just a quiet, collective fear that spread through the elite like fire under ice.
---
Chapter 36 – Awakening in Silk Sheets
Naledi blinked slowly.
Soft sheets. A gentle breeze.
She was in her bedroom.
"Elijah…?"
He stepped in with a cup of warm water.
"You're safe now."
She looked around. "What happened? I… I remember Darius… and then—"
"You called me," he said calmly. "I couldn't reach you, so I asked someone I trust to check in."
She sat up. "You called someone?"
He nodded. "An old friend who handles… sensitive things."
She stared at him.
There was something about the calm in his voice, the stillness of his presence. It felt like he wasn't telling the full story.
But she didn't push.
---
Chapter 37 – The Rumor of a Vanishing
The next morning, whispers spread across business channels.
"Darius Mahlangu Cancels All Public Appearances."
"Mahlangu Group Faces Sudden Leadership Reshuffle."
No one knew what had happened.
Some said he had a breakdown. Others claimed he was caught in a scandal.
But the one rumor that lingered... was far more chilling:
"He crossed someone who doesn't exist."
---
Chapter 38 – A Softening Storm
Naledi moved more cautiously now.
She smiled a little more at Elijah. Stood closer to him when they talked.
And sometimes—just sometimes—she looked at him like he was more than a burden.
He never pushed.
But he noticed.
Even the mother, though still cold, had stopped barking orders at Elijah.
Thapelo kept his distance entirely.
Something unspoken had shifted in the house.
The ghost was no longer being ignored.
He was being feared.
---
Chapter 39 – Protectors in the Dark
That night, Naledi walked onto the balcony and found Elijah staring at the moon.
She stood beside him, silent.
"Elijah," she whispered. "Thank you."
He didn't look at her. "For what?"
"For… for always showing up. Even when no one else does."
Still, he said nothing.
But she saw his hand twitch—like it wanted to hold hers but didn't know if it had the right.
She reached and placed her hand over his.
They stood like that in silence.
The city below buzzed.
But on that balcony, the world stood still.
---
Chapter 40 – The Price of Protection
In an underground room somewhere in Sandton, Nyika met with a syndicate boss.
The boss slammed a fist on the table. "You let Darius vanish?"
Nyika didn't blink. "He was warned."
"And who gave that order?"
Nyika leaned in.
"There's a man in this country," he said, "who could erase you by dinner and no one would even remember your name."
The room went cold.
"Who is he?"
Nyika smiled faintly. "Ask the wind. It knows more than you ever will."
Then he stood and walked away.
Because no one names The Ghost.
Not if they want to live.