I looked down at my plate. “I’m terrified. Every time my phone rings, every time someone walks too close to me at work, I think it’s him. I know he’s in jail, but I keep waiting for something else to go wrong.”
“It won’t.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine. “I can.”
The way he said it—calm, absolute, final—made me believe him.
When we left the restaurant, Young Chul walked us to my car and handed Nikia a small gift bag. Inside was a stuffed animal and a children’s book about brave girls. Nikia hugged the stuffed animal immediately.
“Thank you, Mr. Yu.”
“You’re welcome.”
Before I could thank him too, he leaned in close and said something that made my breath catch.
“If you ever need me, Adrien, don’t call the assistant. Call me directly. And if you’re wondering what happens when a man like that decides you’re worth protecting, hit that subscribe button right now because what came next proved he meant every single word.”
I went back to work on Monday feeling lighter than I had in weeks. Rhonda noticed immediately.
“Okay, what happened?” she asked during our morning break. “You’re actually smiling.”
“I had dinner with someone,” I admitted. “Someone… the man who helped us at the mall.”
Her eyes went wide. “The one Janelle said was connected?”
“His name is Young Chul Yu. And yeah, he’s connected… but he’s also been kind to Nikia and me.”
Rhonda looked worried. “Just be careful, okay? Men like that—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” I cut in, “but honestly, I feel safer with him than I ever did with DeAndre.”
She didn’t argue, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced.
That evening, I was making dinner when someone started pounding on my apartment door—hard, aggressive.
“Adrien, open this door right now.”
I recognized that voice. DeAndre’s mother.
“I know you’re in there! You think you can just take my grandbaby away from her family? You think you can put my son in jail and get away with it?”
Nikia came running from her room, eyes wide with fear. “Mommy, who is that?”
“It’s okay, baby. Go to your room and close the door.”
“You ruined his life!” DeAndre’s mother screamed. “He’s a good man and you destroyed him! I want to see Nikia! She’s my granddaughter!”
My hands were shaking. I grabbed my phone, ready to call the police, but then I stopped. I called Young Chul instead. He answered on the second ring.
“Adrien.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but DeAndre’s mother is outside my apartment and she won’t leave. She’s screaming and threatening me, and Nikia is terrified.”
“Lock your door. Don’t open it for anyone. I’m handling it.”
He hung up before I could respond.
Twenty minutes later, the screaming stopped. I heard voices—low, calm, but firm. Then silence. My phone rang.
“It’s taken care of,” Young Chul said. “She won’t come back.”
“What did you do?”
“I had two of my men explain that harassment violates her son’s plea agreement. If she contacts you again, his sentence gets longer. She understood.”
I sat down on the couch, overwhelmed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “I did.”
That night, I realized something that scared me more than DeAndre ever had. I was starting to depend on Young Chul, and I didn’t know if that was dangerous… or the safest thing I’d ever done.
Sunday dinner at my mother’s house used to be peaceful. Not anymore. The moment I walked in with Nikia, I knew something was wrong. Janelle was already there along with my younger brother and my uncle Raymond. They were all sitting in the living room, waiting for me.
“Sit down, Adrien,” my mother said. Her voice had that tone—the one that meant I was about to get lectured.
“What’s going on?”
