4. Surprise Surprise

LEONA'S P.O.V



After a few good hours of sleep, Leona finally woke up feeling like herself again, her body having regained its strength, and the first thing on her agenda before the gala was the hotel spa.

The moment she stepped inside, she felt completely transported.

The beauty. The aesthetics.
The quiet luxury. Everything about the place felt intentional.

Soft lighting reflected off polished marble floors. Gentle music floated through the air, blending with the calming scent of oils and fresh flowers.

Leona walked slowly through the space, taking everything in.She was in awe.

People just live like this, she thought to herself.

Every detail left her breathless.She imagined bringing the girls here.

Mwenya would admire the architecture for hours. Tanya would take pictures of everything. Mwila would immediately ask how much it cost.

Leona smiled.

Then she suddenly realized something.
She hadn’t texted them since she landed.

They were probably already assuming something had happened to her.

She quickly pulled out her phone and sent a message to the group chat.

Lee:
I’m alive girls. Just landed in luxury heaven. I'll text you all back as soon as I can

Almost immediately the typing bubbles appeared.

She laughed softly and slipped the phone back into her bag knowing if she got into it, she would not gave her spa day and the treatment left her feeling renewed.

For a moment she even thought:
I should do this every day.

Later, back in her room, she prepared for the evening. The gala was a black-tie event and she chose the dress she had been most excited about bringing.

A black mermaid sequin gown that fitted her perfectly.

Elegant. Dramatic.

Since she hadn’t had time to stretch her afro-kinky hair before leaving Lusaka, she wore a sleek black wig that complemented the dress beautifully.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she smiled.

She looked confident, professional and very successful

Like the woman she had always imagined becoming.

The driver assigned to take her to the gala was waiting downstairs.

The moment she stepped outside, the car door was opened for her.

Leona slid into the back seat, feeling oddly royal. Before the evening had even begun, she already felt like a princess.

Is this the life I dreamed about?

Her mind drifted to her seventeen-year-old self.

The girl who stayed up late writing letters and dreaming about traveling the world.

Leona felt a quiet sense of pride.
She had done it.

As the car moved through the glowing city streets, her eyes—and her phone camera—never left the view outside.

Abu Dhabi at night was breathtaking.
Golden lights.

Towering skyscrapers.
Luxury everywhere.

“I need to come back here again,” she whispered to herself.

“But not for work.”

Next time, she promised herself, she would come simply to enjoy it.

The event had not fully begun when she arrived.

Her boss spotted her immediately.
“Leona!”

He introduced her to several delegates from within the region. They were from different countries across the southern region and the Middle East, and the conversation quickly turned to their work and how excited everyone was to be at the summit.

Leona even met people whose names she had only heard about before.

Investors, Executives and Industry leaders.

The night already felt unforgettable.

Eventually dinner was announced. An elaborate buffet stretched across the hall.

Leona stood up to get some food and then she froze in the middle of the crowd —There he was.

Her heart skipped.

No, she told herself. That can't be real.
But it was.

Zion Micah Lungu.

Standing a short distance away. Close enough for her to recognize him immediately.

He was deep in conversation with a woman, smiling as he spoke.

A wide smile that revealed the same dimples she remembered.

He looked different.The good kind of different. Dressed ressed in a perfectly fitted black tuxedo.His hair styled in soft waves,Older,Sharper, More commanding but unmistakably Zion.

It was like people naturally gravitated toward him. That had always been Zion.
He had always carried that quiet magnetism.

What is he doing here? she thought, suddenly wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

“Are you okay, Leona?”Tisa, one of the delegates she had met earlier that evening, looked at her with concern.
Leona blinked, snapping out of her trance.

“Yeah… yeah,” she said quickly, nodding.

“I’m fine.”

“Let’s go grab some food,” Tisa said, linking her arm with Leona’s as they walked toward the buffet.

Leona did everything in her power to avoid looking in his direction.

But like everyone else in the room, she felt pulled toward his orbit.

Her mind was racing.
The universe must be playing a sick joke on her.

She managed to get some food without being noticed and without staring too much.

When she returned to the table, the chatter around her served as a distraction.

Until the speakers were introduced.

And of course—
Zion was one of the key speakers.

One of the investors behind the forum.
Leona couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Of course he is.

Then she immediately corrected herself.

He didn't do it because of you.

The smile disappeared. The rest of the evening was a blur. She chatted.
Laughed.

Sipped more than two glasses of champagne.

By the time the event was ending, she was ready to call it a night.

Her driver hadn’t arrived yet.

So she wandered through the building until she eventually stepped outside.

The night air felt refreshing against her skin.

She looked up at the towering skyscrapers.

Finally allowing herself to breathe.

“I thought I saw you.”

The voice came from behind her.

Leona froze. Her heart stopped first.

Then it started beating so loudly she was certain he could hear it.

No no, no, no.

That voice.
She hadn’t heard it in eight years.

But her body recognized it instantly.

“I really hope I’m not seeing visions,” the voice added with a quiet chuckle.
Leona closed her eyes briefly.

There were thousands of people in Abu Dhabi.
Thousands.

And yet somehow the universe had placed him here.

Slowly, she turned around.

And there he was.

Zion Micah Lungu.

For a moment, the world around them disappeared.

It was just the two of them.

Standing there.

Seventeen-year-old Leona would have run into his arms.

But eight years had changed everything.
For all she knew, he could be married now.

“Leo,” he whispered.

The nickname hit her like a tidal wave, her chest tightening as memories came back rushing in.

He had been the only person who ever called her that.

It stirred something deep inside her.
Zee, she wanted to say.

But she knew the name would betray too much.

“Zion,” she replied quietly.

There was longing in the way she said his name, and she hated how easily it slipped out.

She quickly steadied herself.

“What a pleasant surprise.”

She walked toward him slowly, stopping a few feet away.

They were adults now.

Not teenagers hopelessly in love.

She studied him carefully.

He had a full beard now.

Still taller than her—even in heels.

His once lean frame had filled out with muscle.

He smelled expensive.

Powerful.

The little girl inside her wanted nothing more than to know if his arms were still as comforting as she remembered.

But she held herself back. They didn’t know each other like that anymore.

“It’s been a long time, Leona,” he said.

She allowed herself to admire him for a moment.

Zion had always been a beautiful boy.
Now he was refined.
Fair-skinned.
Warm brown eyes.
A strong jawline framed by a well-kept beard.

The definition of a manly man in her books.They stood there silently for a moment, assessing each other.

“It has,” she said finally.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been great,” he replied.

“And you?”

“I’ve been okay.”

The conversation felt awkward.

Too polite.

Too careful.

“Well,” she said, stepping past him.

“Great seeing you, Zion. I should go.”

“You really did come to Abu Dhabi.”

His words stopped her.

She turned slowly.

“You remember that?”

“Why’d you come though?” she asked. “Last I checked, traveling wasn’t your thing.”

He smiled faintly.
“Duty called… but honestly, I wanted to see it through your lens.”

Her smile appeared before she could stop it.

“It’s my first time here,” she replied.

“The irony,” he chuckled.

She studied him again.

“Why do you remember that?” she asked.

“Probably the same reason you never forgot.”

Their eyes locked for a moment.

It felt like high school all over again.
“I’ll see you around, Zion,” she said, turning away.

“Wait.”
She paused.

“It was really good seeing you, Lee,” he said.

“If you’d like… we could catch up over coffee sometime.”

For a moment she said nothing.
Her heart reacted before her mind did.

Coffee.
As if eight years could be summarized over coffee.

As if they were just two old classmates catching up after graduation.

Leona slowly turned back to face him.
His expression was calm.

Hopeful even.
And that annoyed her more than she expected.

“No,” she said simply.

The word landed between them.
Quiet.
But firm.

Zion blinked slightly, clearly not expecting that answer.

Leona held his gaze.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

There was no anger in her voice.
Just restraint.

Too much history sat between them for something as casual as coffee.

For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes.

Surprise.Maybe disappointment.
But he recovered quickly.

“I understand,” he said.

Leona nodded once.
“Goodnight, Zion.”

And this time she walked away without stopping.But when she finally got into the car minutes later, her heart was racing.

  ZION'S P.O.V



He could barely believe what had just happened.

After eight years—
She had been standing right in front of him.

And she looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

For years he had wondered what it would feel like if they ever met again.
He had convinced himself it had only been a childish crush.

That if he saw her again, the feeling would disappear.

But tonight proved something.
Leona had never been just a crush.

They had never even gotten the chance to date. Things ended before they ever reached that point.

At the time he believed it was necessary.
For their faith.
For growth.

At least that was how he saw it.
Later that night he drove home.

Not to a hotel to his house.
He owned a place in Abu Dhabi.

Out of all the places on her list—
This had always been his favorite.

And the irony that they met here was not lost on him.

Before the summit, he had made a dangerous prayer.

He had asked God for clarity about his future wife.
And now this.

Meeting Leona again after all these years.

It felt both clear and confusing, but he would still pray about it.
Still, he couldn’t stop smiling as he thought about her.

He had so many questions.
Was she happy?
Was she married?
Dating someone?

The thought unsettled him more than he expected.

So he called the one person who might know something.

His sister.They had been in the same class as Leona in high school.

She answered on the second ring.

“What do you want?”Zion laughed.
“How are you, sweet sister?”

“I’m great,” she said. “Now tell me what you need.”

“You were in the same class as Leona, right?”

There was a pause.

“Yes… why?”

“I just wanted to know what she’s like now.”

Her answer came immediately.

“Bad news.”
Before he could ask more, she added bluntly:

“Leona was never a girl you could be with. You two were always on opposite ends of life.”

Then she said the words that stayed with him long after the call ended.

“You can’t love a baddie into Christ.”
Later that night, lying in bed, Zion thought about her again.

Her smile hadn’t changed.
Her quiet confidence hadn’t changed.
But something else had.

Something deeper.

And seeing her again had stirred something in him that had never really die.

Yes we finally get to meet zion and get into the story. Very very excited. Just trust me okay

Did you see it coming though? I promise you won't see some other twists coming🤣🤭.

Share your thoughts with me in the comments.