---

Chapter Nineteen – Trouble in Paradise (and a Mother’s Unexpected Visit)

The first sign of trouble was the missing coffee.

Tina, who operated on a precise, almost militaristic caffeine schedule, walked into the kitchen at 6:45 AM sharp only to find Malik had already drunk the last of her rare Peruvian roast.

“Malik!” she shouted, half-asleep, robe barely tied.

From the living room, he popped his head up from under the throw blanket.

“You said I could help myself.”

“To the couch. Not to my $400-a-bag life fuel!”

“Okay, that’s on me,” he admitted, rubbing his eyes. “Didn’t know your coffee had its own portfolio.”

Tina blinked. Then she laughed. Which annoyed her more.

She hated how fast he could disarm her.

But she also hated being thrown off her routine.

That tiny moment of imbalance was just the first of many to come.

---

Adjusting to 'Us'

Dating was one thing.

Dating while practically living together? That was another beast entirely.

In the last two weeks, Malik had accidentally:

Left beard trimmings in her sink.

Blasted Burna Boy during one of her board meetings (from her Bluetooth speaker).

Used her 14-step luxury skincare products as… face wash.

“I thought the gold flakes were just for decoration!” he argued, holding up the empty $600 jar.

She stared at him like he’d murdered a kitten.

Despite all that, he made her laugh every single day.

Which annoyed her further.

Because she’d never been this happy and this irritated at the same time.

---

Trouble on the Horizon

Work wasn’t helping.

Investors were circling like sharks.

The mole scandal had created a quiet storm — whispers about Tina being “distracted” and “emotionally compromised.”

“I built this company,” she hissed to Dani. “And now they think I’m soft?”

Dani leaned against the doorframe. “You are soft. For Malik.”

Tina narrowed her eyes. “I will staple your mouth shut.”

“Just saying. Love is not the enemy. But public perception? That’s always out for blood.”

Tina sighed.

She’d survived worse.

She could survive love.

Right?

---

Surprise, It’s Mom

Malik was just about to head out for a walk when the elevator dinged.

He turned, expecting Dani or maybe Tina with sushi.

Instead, he found a tall woman in a blue gele, black sunglasses, and the kind of handbag that could buy a small country.

“Hello,” the woman said, scanning him like he was a mosquito on her crystal glass door.

“Uh. Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Tina Rowe.”

“She’s at work. Who are you?”

The woman took off her sunglasses with slow, deliberate disdain. “Her mother.”

Malik froze. “Oh.”

She walked past him into the penthouse without being invited.

“Oh no,” he muttered.

---

First Impressions Gone Wrong

When Tina got home and saw her mother sipping tea on her designer couch — next to Malik in joggers — she stopped dead.

“Mom?”

“Hello, darling. Your assistant let me up. You didn’t tell me you had a houseboy.”

Malik nearly choked.

“I’m not—”

Tina jumped in. “He’s not the help, Mom. He’s… he’s Malik. My boyfriend.”

Silence.

Then:

“I see,” her mother said coolly. “You’ve always had a thing for… strays.”

Tina’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“No offense,” she said to Malik, who had gone very, very still.

“Offense taken,” he said calmly.

Her mother turned to Tina. “We need to talk. Alone.”

---

The Ugly Truth

In the privacy of her bedroom, Tina tried to stay calm.

“You can’t just insult the man I’m dating like that,” she said.

“He’s not just a man. He’s beneath you.”

Tina clenched her fists. “Don’t say that.”

“You’re running a billion-dollar company. You need someone who understands that world. That pressure. Not some... wisecracking barista who stumbled into your life.”

“He’s a writer. And he’s smarter than most of the CEOs I’ve met.”

Her mother sighed. “Love makes you foolish, Tina.”

“No. It makes me human.”

“You used to be a killer. Now look at you. Soft. Emotional. Vulnerable.”

Tina’s voice dropped. “Maybe I’m tired of being a killer.”

Her mother said nothing.

Then: “You’ll thank me one day.”

“No, Mom. I really won’t.”

---

Malik Packs His Things

Later that night, Tina found Malik folding his few clothes into a duffel.

“Hey,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“Leaving before I ruin your empire,” he said with a crooked smile.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“Tina… your mom thinks I’m the problem. And now the board does too.”

“I don’t care what they think.”

“But I do.”

He stepped closer.

“I love you. But I won’t be the excuse they use to take you down.”

Tina looked like she’d been slapped.

“You’re leaving… because you love me?”

He nodded. “And because I believe you’ll still be there when I figure out how to be the man who deserves you.”

She bit her lip.

“I already think you are.”

He kissed her forehead.

“I need to believe it too.”

Then he walked out.

---

End of Chapter Nineteen.