QUIET PROMISE- Ep 11

Episode 11-You Are A Really Tough Woman, Tamilore.

Hello Everyone!!

Setto here 🌝🌝

Kaii!! 😩 Face me, face your work o! I just logged on and saw a whole mountain of comments, but honestly, these few caught my eye the most and I just had to ask Isabella for the chance to personally react.

_Loyce'sNotes🤍 , abeg don’t move me to the left just yet, give me a chance! Ifiokobong♥️ and @Nesi, I hear y’all loud and clear about the lack of hugs and pecks, but my head was spinning in that moment. It’s not like I deliberately want to tension Tammy!

Wait, Nesi, I even saw where you were asking if y’all should move to Femi. Ahah! Is that how you used to do? Just small beef like this, you’re already looking for top-tier man maturity elsewhere and trying to betray the love you have for Setto?

I see you! 😭😂

As for the rest of the comments, I see everyone praising Femi😒... but special shoutout to @Banke and @Dromostacia. Thank you for actually reading between the lines! You people are the only ones who get it. The companion situation is the real investigative gist here. 👀🤫

To everyone else I couldn’t reply to, I see you all!

Now you can read on🌝🌝

Ps: Thank you, Isabella. For the platform🤭.

Read Previous Episode Here.

Tammy lets out a sharp, bitter laugh, her tight lipped smile showing like a blade through her defenses.

“Of course she did. Did she also tell you she marched to my table uninvited? Did she tell you she looked at a man she doesn’t know and called him a ‘lower-tier option’ just to make me feel small?”

She was boiling now.

“Setto, if you came here to flex your surname and lecture me about how to handle a Bello…”

“Tammy, stop.”

His voice drops into a quiet, deeply gentle register, but the sheer weight of it cuts her off completely.

He places his large palms flat against the wooden surface of the table, leaning forward slightly, bringing his face closer to hers.

The fire in his eyes isn’t anger; it is something raw, intense, and heavily concentrated.

“I didn’t come here to defend Koda,” he says softly, his voice cutting straight through her defensive walls.

“The moment she hung up on me, I called the manager of The Orchid Bistro myself to get the actual story. I know exactly what she did. I know she was arrogant, I know she was intrusive, and I know she tried to use my name as a weapon against you.”

He heaves a sigh.

“I came here first and foremost to apologize to you. I am deeply sorry that my sister’s attitude encroached on your personal space today. You didn’t deserve that, and the man you were with didn’t deserve it either.”

Tammy’s arms slowly uncross.

Her fingers loosen against her olive green top.

She stares at him, the hot adrenaline of her anger suddenly evaporating, leaving behind a raw, breathless vulnerability.

“You... you’re apologizing to me?”

“Yes,” Setto whispers, his eyes locking onto hers with a magnetic warmth that makes her heart do a violent flip.

“I know my sister, Tammy. She thinks the world bends to her will. Hearing that you stood up to her and told her to go home didn’t make me angry; it made me respect you more. You protect your peace with a fierce standard. I love that about you.”

He stops, and the silence in the studio changes entirely.

The scent of steam and lavender disappears, replaced completely by the heavy, electric pull between them.

It is thick, sizzling, and completely unbothered by the space between them.

Setto looks around the room, and then his eyes drop back down to her face.

A sudden, sharp breath escapes him.

He looks completely undone by the woman standing on the other side of the wood.

The composure he usually carries like armor has completely cracked.

“Come outside with me,” he says suddenly, his voice thick, a restless edge taking over his tone.

Tammy blinks, her chest rising and falling rapidly under his gaze.

“Outside? Why?”

“Because if I stay inside this studio, looking at you across this table, I won’t say what I came here to say properly,” he chuckles softly, a rough, self-deprecating sound as he rubs the back of his neck.

His eyes burn into hers with a heavy, unspoken heat.

“Just step outside with me for a minute. Please.”

Tammy doesn’t say no. Her body moves on pure instinct.

She walks around the long table, the cream linen of her trousers brushing against his jeans as she passes him, and the brief, near-miss of their skin sends a jolt of pure electricity through her spine.

She opens the door, and they step out.

The late afternoon sun is a heavy, melting gold, casting long, dramatic shadows across the pavement.

The breeze from the lagoon rustles the leaves of the neem tree near his parked Venza, but the heat between them doesn’t cool.

Setto turns to face her, closing the distance between them.

He reaches out, his large, warm hands finding her smaller ones, wrapping around them completely.

The heat radiating from his frame is immense, and the sensation of his palms against hers makes Tammy’s heart pound a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

He looks down at their joined hands, his thumbs tracing the back of her knuckles, before raising his eyes to look deep into her soul.

There is a raw, undisguised vulnerability in his expression now.

“Tammy... what were you doing with that man today?” he asks softly, his voice dropping into a low, vibrating murmur that makes her skin tingle.

His eyes search hers, filled with an intense, quiet hunger.

He isn’t angry, but he is a man who needs to know where he stands.

“Koda said you were sitting together, having lunch. I’ve respected your boundaries, I’ve stayed away so you could hear from God, but seeing her description of you with him... I need to know. What is happening between you two?”

Tammy’s eyes prick with a sudden, overwhelming emotion.

Hearing the slight crack of insecurity in a man as powerful as Setto, seeing how much her answer mattered to him, completely shatters the last of her fears.

She squeezes his hands back, her grip firm and unyielding.

“I ended things with him, Setto,” she whispers, her voice steady but thick with a heavy conviction.

“That’s what I was doing at the restaurant. Today was our final, clean goodbye. I spent my weeks of silence seeking God, just like you knew I was, and I found my peace. Femi is my friend. There is nothing left between us but a great, mutual respect.”

A deep, shaky exhale escapes Setto’s chest, as if a mountain had just been lifted off his shoulders.

He doesn’t let go of her hands; instead, he pulls her forward, wrapping his massive arms completely around her frame.

The hug is intense, possessive, and full of a lingering relief.

He holds her so close she can hear the rapid, heavy thudding of his heart against his chest.

She buries her face into his t-shirt, inhaling the intoxicating scent of oud and warm skin, her arms wrapping securely around his waist.

The chemistry between them under the golden sun is blistering, a silent, crackling fire that speaks louder than any words.

After a long moment, Setto slowly pulls back just enough to look down at her face, his hands resting securely on her waist, his eyes burning with an unwavering, masculine certainty.

“In that case,” he whispers, his voice dropping into a low, possessive register that makes her stomach spin in beautiful circles.

“Now that the past is fully dead, and now that you have your peace... I want to do this the right way, Tamilore.”

Tammy’s breath hitches at the sound of her name on his tongue.

“The right way?”

“Yes,” Setto says, a breathtaking smile finally breaking across his sharp features, highlighting the absolute brilliance in his eyes.

“I am officially asking you out on a date. A real, proper date. No talk about work, no family interference, no deadlines, and no distractions. Just me and you, sitting down properly so I can court you the way a woman like you deserves to be courted. What is your answer, Beautiful?”

Tammy looks up into his eyes, seeing the future, the complexity, and the beautiful, godly certainty of the man holding her.

She lets out a soft, breathless laugh, her smile breaking through the golden afternoon light like a revelation.

“This weekend,” she says softly, her eyes locked with his. “I am free this weekend, Setto.”

“Weekend it is,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing the linen at her waist, the sizzling intensity between them settling into a beautiful, unshakeable promise as they stood under the shade of the tree.

---

It was Saturday. The day of the date.

Inside her apartment, the air was heavy with the rich, comforting scent of vanilla room spray and the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock.

Tammy stood in front of her full-length mirror, her heart hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against her ribs.

On the glass vanity table, her phone lay on speaker.

“Tammy, if you touch that hair one more time, I will drive from my house and bind your hands!” Valerie’s voice boomed through the speaker, competing with the faint background hum of her television.

“It is perfect! Leave it alone!”

“Valerie, shut up jare,” Tammy muttered, though a nervous smile broke across her radiant face.

She leaned closer to the glass, checking the immaculate perimeter of her hair.

For tonight, she had bypassed her usual creative, slightly messy buns.

Installed on her head was a flawless, premium bone-straight 360 frontal wig that fell in a dark, glossy sheet down past her shoulder blades.

“Don’t mind sis Valerie, joor,” Shindara’s voice chimed in, sweet and bubbling with youthful excitement from her own room across town.

“You look beautiful. Well, I can’t see you, but based on the picture you gave us of the outfit, you are giving wealthy and classy. Setto will not know what hit him.”

Tammy stepped back, looking down at her reflection.

She had chosen a rich, chocolate-brown satin cowl-neck slip dress that draped beautifully over her petite frame, grazing her ankles.

Over it, she wore an oversized, tailored blazer in a deep cream tone, draped effortlessly over her shoulders to keep the look sophisticated yet modern.

On her feet were minimal, strappy gold heels that elongated her legs, matched only by her signature thick gold hoops and a dainty gold chain resting against her collarbone.

Her skin had a natural, warm glow that no luxury makeup highlighter could ever replicate.

“I am just... I don’t even know, girls,” Tammy breathed, her hands dropping to her sides as a sudden wave of vulnerability hit her.

“My stomach has been doing absolute gymnastics since morning. I’m a hard girl, I’m supposed to be tough, but this man just completely scrambles my brain. The intentionality is what is scaring me. He doesn’t play the usual Lagos games.”

“Because he’s a grown man who knows what he wants, Tammy,” Valerie said, her tone softening into genuine support.

“A whole Setto Bello. When you told me how he walked into your studio on Monday just to apologize for his sister’s madness, I knew this one was different. He respects you.”

“My darling, enjoy the date, protect your heart, but let yourself be loved.”

“Exactly!” Shindara squealed.

“Please give us live updates if you can drop a text from under the table…”

A sharp knock vibrated through the front door of her apartment.

Tammy’s breath caught instantly in her throat. The entire room seemed to lose its air.

“He’s here,” Tammy whispered to the phone, her voice suddenly small, her eyes darting toward the hallway.

“Go! Don’t keep that fine man waiting!” Shindara shouted.

“We are praying for you, babe. Have fun,” Valerie added quickly.

Tammy cut the call, her fingers trembling slightly as she dropped the phone into her small gold clutch bag.

She took one deep, stabilizing breath, smoothing down the satin of her dress, and walked out of her bedroom.

The door felt farther than usual. With every step, the magnetic pull drawing her toward the door grew heavier, thicker, until she could feel the heat of his presence right through the wood.

She unlocked the deadbolt, turned the handle, and pulled the door open.

Setto stood in the corridor.

He looked absolutely breathtaking.

He had completely traded the intimidating, heavy outfits of their previous encounters for a sharp, tailored casual look that made him look younger, broader, and entirely dangerous to Tammy’s peace of mind.

He wore a crisp, dark navy-blue linen button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up precisely to his forearms, exposing the thick muscle, dark hair, and smooth skin of his arms.

It was paired with perfectly fitted charcoal-grey trousers and immaculate black leather loafers.

His dark, well-maintained locs were tied back securely at the nape of his neck, a few stray strands framing his strong, chiseled jawline.

He was massive, his broad shoulders practically filling the entire doorway, completely absorbing the available oxygen in her space.

Setto stopped, his dark eyes locking onto Tammy.

For a long, agonizingly intense moment, he didn’t say a single word. He just looked at her.

His gaze traveled slowly, deliberately, from the glossy sheet of her dark wig down to the cowl neck of her chocolate satin dress, tracking the curve of her waist before rising back to lock onto her face.

There was a raw, undisguised admiration and a deep, emotional weight in his eyes that made Tammy’s heart do a violent flip.

The sizzling pull between them was instantaneous. A thick, electric current that made the rest of the world fade into absolute static.

He looked completely, utterly undone by the gorgeous woman standing before him.

“Wow,” Setto murmured.

His voice was a low, heavy bass that vibrated straight through the floorboards and into Tammy’s chest.

A slow, deeply appreciative smile broke across his face, his eyes shining with a warmth that felt like a physical touch.

“Good evening, Tammy. You look... absolutely incredible. Beautiful doesn’t even cover it.”

Tammy felt the heat rising rapidly to her cheeks, a beautiful contrast against her deep skin, but she held his gaze, her chin tilting upward with that stubborn, fierce pride he loved so much.

“Good evening, Setto,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the hammer of her pulse.

“You don’t look too bad yourself. You actually cleaned up well.”

Setto let out a rich, rough chuckle that did dangerous things to her nerves.

He stepped across the threshold, entering her apartment just enough to close the distance between them.

The scent of his expensive oud cologne, mixed with the crisp scent of fresh linen and warm skin, washed over her entirely, erasing her vanilla room spray.

He extended his large, warm hand, palm up, waiting for her.

“Are you ready to escape with me for a few hours?” he asked, his voice dropping into a low, husky register that made her skin tingle.

Tammy looked at his large hand, then slowly placed her smaller, dark-skinned hand inside his.

The moment their skin met, a violent jolt of pure electricity shot up her arm.

Setto’s long fingers closed around hers, firm, protective, and entirely reassuring.

“I’m ready,” she whispered.

Setto didn’t take her to any of the loud, flashy high-society spots in Victoria Island or Ikoyi where the Lagos elite went to be seen.

He knew her boundaries, and more importantly, he wanted her all to himself.

He drove her to a hidden, premium garden restaurant tucked away in a quiet, high-walled close in Ikoyi.

The space was beautiful. Surrounded by lush canopy trees, blooming white orchids, and string lights that were just beginning to flicker to life as the late afternoon sun began to dip into a heavy, melting gold.

They were seated at a private table in a secluded corner of the garden, completely shielded from the rest of the world.

The atmosphere was charged with a heavy, sweet intensity.

Every time the waiter came to drop a menu or pour water, the spell between them would briefly pause, only to snap back into place the moment they were left alone.

Setto sat across from her, his large frame relaxed against the leather chair, but his eyes never left her face.

He watched the way her small hands moved as she spoke, entirely captivated.

“I have to say it again,” Setto said, leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table.

The proximity brought him closer, and the sheer force of his presence made Tammy’s heart race.

“I am deeply sorry about Koda’s behavior. I’ve dealt with it, but it still sits wrong with me that she brought that negativity to your space.”

Tammy looked at him, her expression softening.

She reached out, idly tracing the rim of her water glass.

“Setto, it’s fine. Truly. Your apology in the studio meant a lot to me. The fact that you took the time to find out the truth instead of just blind-siding me to defend your sister... it told me a lot about your character.”

“I will always seek the truth where you are concerned, Tammy,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, husky register that made her skin tingle.

“I am a man of truth. I don’t do hearsays. And from the moment I met you, I knew you weren’t a woman to play games with.”

As they ate, the conversation flowed effortlessly. They laughed about Lagos traffic, discussed her creative process for styling, and talked about his family business developments.

But beneath the easy chatter, the undercurrent of pure, unadulterated passion was pulling tighter and tighter.

As the table was cleared, Setto’s expression shifted, turning deeply serious and intensely focused.

He held her gaze, the fire in his eyes burning with an absolute, masculine certainty.

“Tammy,” he began, his voice steady but thick with a heavy weight.

“I told you that I want to do this the right way. And I mean it. I’m not a boy looking for a temporary distraction. I am a man who has prayed, a man who has waited, and a man who knows exactly what he is looking at. I am officially asking you to be my woman. I want to date you, Tammy. Intentionally and toward a future.”

The words hung in the warm evening air, heavy and profound.

Tammy’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.

She looked at him. At his strong, honorable face, the depth of sincerity in his eyes, the sheer gravity of his proposal.

Everything inside her spirit vibrated with a loud, resounding yes.

But the protective walls she had built over years of navigating Lagos, made her pause.

She needed to breathe. She needed to step back and process the sheer scale of what this man was offering.

She looked down at her hands, then back up at him, her chin tilting up with that stubborn resilience.

“Setto,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the chaos in her chest.

“I hear you. And God knows I feel everything that is happening between us. But I can’t give you an answer today. I need a few days.”

Setto stared at her, completely stunned for a brief second.

In his world, women usually scrambled to say yes to him. He was a Bello, he was successful, he was a catch by every definition of the word.

But here was this petite, dark-skinned stylist, looking him dead in the eye and putting a brake on his speed.

A low, deep groan escaped his chest, a mix of pure frustration and intense admiration.

He threw his head back against the chair, a rough chuckle breaking from his lips.

“God help me,” Setto groaned, rubbing his face with his large hands before looking back at her, his eyes blazing with a dangerous, amplified heat.

“You are a really tough woman, Tamilore. Do you know that? You are incredibly tough.”

Tammy didn’t back down.

A beautiful, proud, smile broke across her face, her eyes sparkling with amusement and confidence.

“Yes. I am, Setto. I am also a serious person. If you want a woman you can just whistle at and she drops at your feet, you’re in the wrong garden.”

Setto’s heart did a violent, permanent thud.

The fact that she didn’t just throw herself at him didn’t push him away; it drew him in with the force of a tidal wave.

He felt completely, entirely undone by her. He leaned across the table, his eyes locked onto hers with a possessive, blistering intensity.

“I don’t want a woman who drops at my feet,” he whispered, his voice vibrating with pure passion.

“I want you. Toughness and all. Take your days, beautiful. Pray your prayers. But know this. I am not going anywhere.”

---

The next three days were a beautiful, torturous agony for Tammy. She kept her word.

She didn’t want to make a mistake. She didn’t want to step into the Bello family firestorm if it wasn’t God’s design. But every time she fell to her knees, a deep, beautiful, unshakeable peace washed over her spirit.

The image of Setto. Not his money, not his status, but his honorable, God-fearing heart, remained steady in her mind.

On Tuesday afternoon, three days exactly from their date, Tammy sat behind her table in the studio.

She picked up her phone. Her hands were shaking slightly.

She dialed his number. He picked up on the very first ring, as if he had been sitting with the phone glued to his palm for seventy-two hours.

“Tammy,” his voice came through the line, a low, tense rumble.

He didn’t even say hello. He was waiting.

Tammy let out a soft breath, her heart fluttering.

“Setto. I’ve prayed. And my answer is yes. I will date you.”

The line went completely dead for three seconds.

Then, a sharp, triumphant laugh broke from him.

“Where are you?”

“I’m at the studio” she said.

“I’m on my way,” he said, and hung up.

Exactly twelve minutes later.

A time that proved he must have been driving like a maniac through the streets of Lekki.

The glass bell above the studio door didn’t just chime; it practically rang off its hinges.

The door slammed inward, and Setto stormed into the studio.

He didn’t look like the composed, cool real estate mogul today. He looked completely, ecstatically unhinged by love.

His breath was coming in short bursts, his eyes blazing with a fierce, blinding joy.

Tammy stood up from behind her table, her mouth opening to speak, but before a single syllable could form, Setto crossed the room in three massive strides.

He reached across, his massive, powerful arms wrapping around her petite frame, and lifted her completely off her feet.

He pulled her over the edge of the wide wood, crushing her against his broad chest in a deep, desperate, and fiercely loving hug.

“Setto!” Tammy gasped, but she laughed, her arms flying around his neck, holding onto him just as tightly.

He held her so close it felt as if he were trying to press her directly into his ribs.

He buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, his chest heaving with a deep, emotional relief.

Tammy could hear the frantic, thunderous beating of his heart against her ear, matching the wild rhythm of her own.

The sheer, sizzling chemistry between them exploded into a beautiful, long-awaited surrender.

He was so in love with her, so completely consumed by this woman, and he didn’t care who saw it.

He slowly set her feet back on the floor, but he didn’t let her go.

His large hands remained firmly on her waist, his thumbs tracing the fabric of her top, his face just inches from hers.

His eyes were wide, bright, and completely captivated.

“You have no idea what you’ve done to me these past three days, Tammy,” Setto whispered, his breath warm against her lips, his voice thick with emotion.

“I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t focus on a single board meeting. I was just waiting for you. Thank God. Thank God you said yes.”

Tammy looked up at him, her smile breaking beautifully through her radiant face.

Her hands rested flat against his solid chest, feeling the heat radiating from him.

“I told you I’m a serious woman, Setto. I had to be sure.”

“And are you sure now?” he asked, his grip on her waist tightening just a fraction, pulling her closer until their breath mingled.

“I am completely sure,” she breathed.

Later that evening, after the adrenaline of the afternoon had settled, Setto drove Tammy back to her apartment.

He parked his car under the shade of the building’s security lights, turning off the engine.

The car fell into a quiet, intimate silence, the dashboard lights casting a soft glow over them.

Setto turned in his seat, shifting his weight to face her completely.

The playful excitement from earlier had shifted into something deeply grounded, serious, and intentional.

He reached out, his large, warm hand finding hers, folding her small fingers securely into his palm.

“Now that you’ve said yes, Tammy,” Setto began, his bass voice filling the quiet cabin of the car.

“We need to talk. We need to set the foundation. I don’t believe in entering a relationship blind, especially not with a woman like you. We need to discuss boundaries.”

Tammy looked at their joined hands, feeling the solid reassurance of his grip. She nodded, her expression becoming attentive.

She appreciated this about him more than anything else. His lack of pretense.

“I agree. Let’s talk about boundaries. Especially physical ones, Setto. I am a woman of standards, and I want to keep our focus on God throughout this journey. No compromises.”

Setto looked at her, his eyes shining with a deep, profound reverence. He squeezed her hand firmly.

“Tammy, your boundaries are my command. I love God, and I respect your temple. We will protect each other. No late nights alone in closed apartments, no compromising situations. We hold each other accountable to the standard of Christ. If I ever cross a line, you check me immediately. Deal?”

“Deal,” Tammy smiled, a massive weight lifting from her shoulders.

Setto’s gaze grew even more concentrated, his thumbs tracing the back of her knuckles.

“And we need to talk about the practical things too. I don’t believe in waiting until deep emotional attachments are formed to ask the hard questions. What is your genotype, Tammy? I am AA.”

Tammy blinked, surprised but deeply impressed by his directness.

“I am AA as well, Setto.”

Setto let out a visible breath, his shoulders relaxing.

“Thank God. These are the things that cause unnecessary heartbreaks down the line if people don’t check. And we need to discuss family.”

“My family is complicated. My mother, Dr. Amina, is a wonderful woman and you know she already loves you. But Koda... Koda is going to be difficult. I need you to know that I will protect you from any disrespect, even if it comes from my own blood. My space with you is sacred.”

Tammy looked at him, her throat tightening with emotion.

“And my family is traditional, Setto. They don’t know about you yet. They can be very protective, and sometimes stubborn about certain traditions.”

“I am ready for them,” Setto said without a single second of hesitation, his voice full of an unyielding, masculine certainty.

“I am not here to play with your time, Tammy. I am a man of timelines. I am thirty-four years old. I have built my businesses, I have built my relationship with God, and I know exactly what I am looking at. I am not dating you for three or four years. If everything aligns as God has promised, I want us to be married in few months. I am courting you to marry you.”

The sheer weight of his intentionality hit Tammy like a wave of pure, beautiful light.

She stared at him, her heart overflowing. He wasn’t trying to hide his intentions or keep his options open.

He was drawing a straight line from tonight to the altar.

Setto slowly leaned in, breaking the distance between them.

He pressed a soft, lingering, and deeply affectionate peck onto her cheek.

His warm skin lingered against hers for a second, his breath ghosting over her ear.

“I’m going to let you go inside now,” he whispered, his voice thick with a sweet intensity.

“Before I find an excuse to stay here all night just looking at you.”

Tammy let out a soft, breathless laugh, her face flushing with pure happiness.

“Goodnight, Setto.”

“Goodnight, my Queen.”

The very next morning, Tammy woke up with a strange, fluttery lightness in her chest.

She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, a permanent smile etched onto her face. Before she could even roll out of bed, her phone vibrated on the nightstand.

It was a FaceTime call from Setto.

She picked up, propping the phone against her pillow. Setto’s face appeared on the screen.

He was sitting in his home study, wearing a simple white t-shirt, his locs completely free and cascading down his shoulders.

He looked incredibly handsome, his eyes warm and bright as he looked at her through the screen.

“Good morning, my Queen,” he said, the rough, early-morning rasp in his voice making Tammy’s stomach do a violent flip.

“Good morning, Setto,” she whispered, pulling the duvet tighter around her shoulders.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I did. Better than I have in weeks, actually.”

Setto smiled, a beautiful, genuine expression.

He reached down and lifted a black leather Bible into the camera frame.

“ Are you ready for our first devotion?”

Tammy’s heart completely melted.

She sat up in bed, grabbing her own Bible from her nightstand.

“I am completely ready.”

What was supposed to be a twenty-minute morning devotion quickly turned into something else entirely.

They read through a chapter in Ephesians, discussing the nature of love and covenant, but once the study ended, neither of them wanted to hang up.

They stayed on the live call, the phones propped up as they went about their mornings.

Tammy carried her phone into the kitchen to make tea; Setto watched her, laughing at her energetic commentary on Nigerian news.

Setto walked around his study, organizing documents for an upcoming project, while Tammy watched the focused, sharp intelligence of her man at work.

By 11:00 AM, Tammy was still sitting on her living room rug, her sketchbook open in her lap, completely engrossed in a conversation with Setto about their favorite childhood memories.

“Tammy,” Setto chuckled, looking at his watch on screen.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t your studio supposed to be open by 9:00 AM? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

Tammy blinked, snapping out of the beautiful trance she had been in for hours.

She looked at the clock on her wall and gasped. It was almost midday.

She hadn’t even showered.

For the first time in her entire career, the stubborn, workaholic, fiercely independent stylist had completely abandoned her job because she was too busy being in love with her man.

“Oh my God,” Tammy laughed, hiding her face in her hands, her smile visible between her fingers.

“Setto, look at what you’ve done to me! I have totally abandoned my business because of you. Chioma is probably sitting on the steps outside the studio, wondering if I’ve been kidnapped!”

Setto let out a rich, triumphant laugh that filled her living room through the speakers.

He looked at her through the screen, his eyes burning with an intense, deeply protective sweetness.

“Stay at home today, Tammy,” he said softly, his voice full of an unyielding tenderness.

“Call Chioma and tell her to handle the consultations. Just rest. Let me take care of you today.”

“Setto, I can’t just stay home…”

“You can,” he interrupted gently.

“For today, just sit down, sketch, and let yourself be loved. I’ve got you.”

They finally hung up the call at noon, only because Setto had an absolute emergency site visit to attend.

Tammy walked to the bathroom on a cloud of pure bliss, her heart full to the brim.

Exactly one hour later, as she was sitting on her sofa in a comfortable pair of sweatpants, her doorbell rang.

She opened the door to find a premium dispatch rider holding a large, insulated thermal delivery bag from one of the most exclusive gourmet restaurants in Victoria Island.

“Inquiry for Miss Tammy?” the rider asked politely.

“Yes, that’s me.”

The rider handed over a massive, beautifully packaged multi-course meal of grilled seafood, creamy pasta, fresh gourmet salads, and a bottle of chilled sparkling juice.

Attached to the handle of the bag was a small, elegant white card with Setto’s neat, bold handwriting.

Tammy untied the card, her fingers trembling slightly with pure joy.

“To my tough woman. Eat well, rest your brain, and remember that you are fiercely loved. See you tonight. — Setto.”

Tammy pressed the note against her chest, a soft, emotional tear slipping down her cheek as she closed her front door.

She walked back into her kitchen, looking at the lavish feast he had sent.

For years, she had been the one taking care of everyone– her business, her siblings, her own life.

She had never known what it felt like to have a massive, powerful man wrap his arms around her life and say, I’ve got you.

She was so deeply in love, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely, entirely safe.

Hi babiessssssss

Our ship has sailed💃💃💃. I’m excited….

Ps: Who enjoyed Setto’s reply??😂😂