Chapter 708: Settled..

By the time Dayo completed his first week at the ranch, his mornings had become easier to manage, although his body still reminded him that he was not accustomed to the work. He had learned how the workers organized their days, which horses required more attention, and why Richard insisted on checking certain things himself rather than relying entirely on reports. White had also become more familiar with him, allowing Dayo to handle him under supervision without the repeated trouble of their first few attempts.

Richard had noticed the changes, even if he rarely praised Dayo directly. The man who had arrived at the ranch several days earlier, carrying the confidence of someone accustomed to running a successful business, had proved willing to learn from people who knew more than he did. He had made mistakes, accepted corrections, and returned the next morning without demanding that anyone make the work easier for him.

That morning, Richard found him near the paddock, helping Peter check the horses before the workers moved them into their usual areas. Dayo was listening to an explanation about a minor change in the feeding routine when Richard approached and asked whether he had time to accompany him around the property.

Peter glanced between them before returning to his work, while Dayo wiped his hands on a cloth and agreed to go. They walked past the stables toward a section of the ranch where several workers were repairing a fence, and Richard began explaining how the property had changed since he first took responsibility for it.

"When I started running things here, we didn’t have as many workers as we do now," Richard explained. "There were fewer horses, fewer visitors, and a lot of work that Faith and I had to handle ourselves. We couldn’t afford to hire someone every time something needed fixing, so we learned to do what we could."

Dayo looked toward the workers repairing the fence and asked whether Richard had always intended to expand the ranch. Richard shook his head, explaining that growth had happened gradually as they improved the property and learned which services people wanted. He had never been interested in making the ranch as large as possible if doing so meant losing control of its daily operations.

"Some people see a business doing well and immediately want to make it bigger," Richard said. "They don’t always ask whether the people running it can handle that growth. I’ve seen places take on more work than they can manage, then start cutting corners because they don’t want to admit they’ve made a mistake."

"I understand that," Dayo replied. "I’ve had to think about the same thing with JD Records. Having more money doesn’t automatically mean every expansion is a good decision."

Richard looked at him with more interest. "So you’re not planning to change everything now that you’ve taken over the label?"

"No. I want to understand what already works before I start changing things. There are artists who built their careers there, and there are employees who have spent years doing their jobs. I can’t walk in and decide that everything needs to be different just because I own the company now."

They continued toward the storage buildings, where Richard showed him how the ranch kept track of feed, equipment, and other supplies. Dayo asked a few questions about ordering schedules, then mentioned that a simpler record might help the workers identify shortages before they became urgent. Richard did not accept the suggestion immediately, but he asked him to explain how he would organize it without giving the staff unnecessary paperwork.

Dayo described a system that would record what had been used, what remained, and when another delivery was expected. He made it clear that the process should fit the workers’ existing routine rather than forcing them to interrupt their jobs. Richard listened, then admitted that the idea might be worth discussing with the person responsible for the supplies.

Their conversation continued until a worker called Richard over to inspect part of the fence. Dayo stayed nearby while Richard checked the repair, asking questions when he did not understand something and offering help when the worker needed an extra pair of hands. Richard noticed that he did not rush to return to his phone or look for an excuse to leave once the discussion turned to an ordinary maintenance problem.

By the time they finished, Richard was speaking to him with less suspicion than before. He had not forgotten why Dayo’s family had become part of his own household’s worries, and he still believed the kidnapping had changed things in ways that could not be ignored. However, he was beginning to separate his anger about the situation from his judgment of the man standing beside him.

At lunchtime, Faith invited Dayo to sit with her while Luna took Jennifer outside to play. She had heard Richard mention their conversation about the ranch and wanted to know more about Dayo’s plans for JD Records. She was less interested in the company’s size or the attention it received than in what the acquisition would mean for the people already working there.

"I keep hearing that you’ve bought one of the biggest labels in the world," Faith said as she served him more food. "Everyone talks about the money involved, but I wonder what happens to the people who were already there. Are they all going to keep their jobs?"

"That’s one of the things we’re reviewing carefully," Dayo answered. "There may be departments that need reorganizing, but I don’t want to start dismissing people simply because a new owner has arrived. Some of them have helped build the label into what it is. They understand the artists, the contracts, and the daily work better than someone who has only just walked in."

Faith seemed satisfied that he had considered the question, though she continued asking how he planned to handle the artists who were unhappy with the previous management. Dayo explained that the company needed to review those concerns properly, especially where contracts, financial arrangements, or treatment by management had become problems. He did not intend to promise everyone whatever they wanted, but he wanted artists to have a fair opportunity to discuss their situations.

"What about the people who made the label successful?" Faith asked. "Sometimes a new owner wants to put his own people everywhere, and the people who were there before end up feeling as if their work meant nothing."

"I’m aware of that risk," Dayo replied. "I have my own team, but that doesn’t mean everyone who worked under the previous management is suddenly useless. We need to know who does the work well, who understands the artists, and where changes are actually necessary. I want the label to remain successful without making people afraid that their positions depend on whether they agree with me about everything."

Faith listened while clearing a few dishes from the table. She had expected a discussion about expansion, revenue, and the advantage of owning such a large company, but Dayo kept returning to the people who worked there and the responsibilities that came with the acquisition. She could understand why Richard had started to look at him differently.

"That sounds like a lot to carry," she said. "You already have JD Records, and now you have another company to manage. Do you ever think about how much time all of this takes away from your family?"

The question caught Dayo off guard because it was close to something he had been trying not to examine too closely. He glanced toward the open doorway, where Luna’s voice could be heard as she encouraged Jennifer to leave a small plant alone.

"More than I used to," he admitted. "I always thought that if I worked hard enough, I could arrange things so my family would be safe and comfortable. I didn’t always think about how the way I worked affected them."

Faith put the dishes down and sat opposite him. "You can’t control everything that happens to the people you love. But you can make sure they aren’t always left waiting for you to finish dealing with something else before you give them your attention."

"I know," Dayo said quietly. "I’m trying to get better at that."

Before Faith could respond, Jennifer appeared at the doorway with Luna behind her. The little girl had apparently decided that her mother was no longer the person she wanted, because she walked directly toward Dayo with both arms raised. He stopped talking and leaned down to pick her up, settling her against his chest while she began pointing toward the garden.

"You’re looking for something again, aren’t you?" he asked, following her gaze toward the door.

Jennifer answered with a string of sounds that made little sense to anyone else, then caught the front of his shirt and tried to turn him toward the garden. Dayo excused himself from the conversation and carried her outside, leaving Faith to smile at Luna as they watched him go.

"She has been looking for him all morning," Luna said. "Whenever she sees him, she wants him to carry her. If he puts her down, she follows him until he picks her up again."

Faith gathered the remaining plates and looked toward the garden. "Let her have the time with him. She has missed him, and he has missed her. Those things matter more than whether he finishes every task on his schedule."

Outside, Dayo allowed Jennifer to direct their walk across the garden. She pointed toward the horses, then toward a patch of grass where she wanted to sit, and he followed her changing interests without trying to hurry her along. When she became restless, he carried her back toward the house, where Luna had prepared a few things for her to play with.

Later that afternoon, Dayo had planned to review several acquisition documents with Felix over the phone. Instead, he postponed the call after Jennifer climbed into his lap while he was looking through the papers. She wanted his attention, and whenever he tried to move the documents aside, she reached for them as though they were something he had brought for her.

Luna came over to rescue the papers before Jennifer could pull them onto the floor. "You can take your call while I keep her busy," she offered. "You don’t have to stop working every time she comes near you."

"I know, but I can move this meeting. Felix can send me the details, and I can review them after she goes to sleep."

"You’ve already changed your plans twice today because of her."

Dayo looked down at Jennifer, who was now trying to hold one of his fingers in both hands. "Then I suppose I’ll have to change them again."

Luna watched him for a moment, uncertain whether she should be pleased or concerned that he was putting so much work aside. He had spent years treating his schedule as something that could not be interrupted without a good reason. Seeing him willingly adjust it for their daughter made her realize that he was trying to change the habits that had once left her feeling as though she had to wait for him to finish everything else.

Richard noticed it too. He passed through the sitting room later and found Dayo sitting on the floor while Jennifer played beside him, occasionally handing him a toy and expecting him to participate. Dayo was not checking his phone or asking someone else to keep her occupied. When Jennifer wanted him to stand, he helped her up, and when she became tired, he carried her until she settled against his shoulder.

Richard did not interrupt them. He had worried that Dayo’s wealth and demanding career might leave Jennifer with a father who provided everything except his time. What he saw that afternoon was a man who had decided that being present mattered, even when he had work waiting elsewhere.

The following evening, the family gathered for dinner. Richard had returned from the ranch’s outer fields later than usual, and Faith had prepared a meal that everyone could share at the table. Jennifer sat in her chair for part of the meal before demanding to be lifted onto Dayo’s lap, where she promptly began reaching for whatever he was trying to eat.

Dayo adjusted his plate to keep it away from her hands while Luna tried to persuade their daughter to eat a few more spoonfuls of her own food. The conversation moved between the ranch, the weather expected over the next few days, and the work Dayo would have to resume once he returned home.

Faith listened as Luna mentioned that they had started discussing their plans for the coming weeks. She waited until everyone had begun eating before asking a question that had been on her mind for some time.

"So, when are the two of you planning to get married?"

Dayo was in the middle of drinking water and nearly choked. Luna, who had just taken a bite of food, began coughing as she tried to swallow. Faith reached for a glass while Richard looked from one of them to the other, apparently surprised that such a simple question had caused so much trouble.

"Faith, you could have waited until they finished eating," Richard said, passing Luna her water.

"I did wait until everyone was sitting down," Faith replied. "I didn’t know I needed to check whether they were ready for the question."

Luna finally managed to swallow and looked at her mother. "Mum, where did that come from?"

"From watching the two of you behave like a couple while leaving the rest of us to guess what is happening. You have a daughter together, you clearly care about each other, and Dayo is here trying to rebuild his relationship with you. I’m asking when you intend to make the decision official."

Dayo put his glass down carefully. He had expected questions about the ranch or his business, but he had not prepared himself for a conversation about marriage at the dinner table. He looked at Luna, hoping she might answer first, only to find her looking back at him with the same uncertainty.

"We haven’t settled on a date," he said at last.

"That wasn’t exactly what I asked," Faith replied.

Luna covered her mouth briefly as she tried to keep from laughing at his discomfort. "We have things to work through, Mum. We haven’t even finished talking about what happened between us."

"I know that, and I’m not telling you to get married tomorrow. I want to know whether you are both thinking about the future together or whether you’re avoiding the question because neither of you wants to bring it up."

The laughter faded from Luna’s face, and she looked down at her plate. Dayo understood why the question had made them uncomfortable. They loved each other, but their relationship had been strained by the danger surrounding his life and by the decisions he had made without properly considering how Luna would be affected. Marriage could not simply be used to declare those problems finished.

"We are thinking about the future," Dayo said. "But I don’t want to rush her into anything just because we’re spending time together again. We still have to make sure we understand each other."

Faith accepted the answer without pressing for a date. Richard returned to his meal, though he gave Dayo a brief look that suggested he was pleased the young man had not tried to make promises simply to end the discussion.

Luna was quieter for the rest of dinner. She was not upset that her mother had asked about marriage, but the question had forced her to consider what she and Dayo had been avoiding. She wanted a future with him, yet she also needed to know that their reconciliation would last beyond the relief of being together again.

After Jennifer had gone to bed that night, Luna found Dayo sitting on the veranda outside their room. The ranch had grown quieter, and the lights from the main house reached only part of the path leading toward the stables. She took the empty chair beside him and waited until he turned away from his phone.

"About what Mum asked at dinner," she began, "I don’t want you to think I’m avoiding marriage because I don’t want to be with you."

Dayo put his phone aside so he could give her his full attention. "I haven’t thought that."

"I want to be with you, Dayo. I want Jennifer to grow up with both of us around, and I want us to have a home together. But I need to know that things are going to be different this time. I can’t keep finding out about important decisions after you’ve already made them."

He listened without interrupting. Luna explained that she understood his desire to protect their family, and she knew he had done everything he could to bring Jennifer home safely. What frightened her was the possibility that he would return to his old habits once the immediate crisis had passed. She did not want to discover another serious problem after Dayo had already decided how to handle it alone.

"I don’t expect you to stop working," she continued. "I know who you are, and I know how much your music and your business mean to you. I don’t want you to become someone else. But when something affects Jennifer or me, I need you to talk to me before you decide what everyone else is supposed to do."

Dayo rested his hands on his knees while he considered her words. He could not promise that his life would become free of danger, and he would not insult her by pretending that his enemies had disappeared simply because Michael and Silas were behind bars. The work he did would continue to attract attention, and some problems would still require difficult decisions.

"I can’t promise that nothing dangerous will ever happen again," he said. "I can promise that I won’t keep treating every problem as something I have to handle alone. I should have included you in decisions that affected our family, and I should have understood that protecting you also means letting you know what’s happening."

Luna looked at him, waiting to see whether he would add an excuse or explain why he had done what he did. He did neither. He acknowledged that he had focused so heavily on fixing the immediate problems that he had failed to consider what she needed from him afterward.

"I need time to trust your judgment again," she said. "I’m not saying I don’t trust you at all, but things changed after Jennifer was taken. I need to know that if something happens, we can face it together instead of me waiting for you to tell me what you’ve decided."

"I understand," Dayo replied. "And if you think I’m making a decision that affects you without listening to you, tell me. I might not always agree immediately, but I need to hear what you have to say."

Luna reached for his hand and held it between hers. "I don’t want us to keep punishing each other for what has happened. I want to move forward, but I need us both to do the work."

"We will," Dayo said. "I’m not asking you to forget anything. I just want the chance to show you that I can do better."

They stayed together for some time, talking about the practical things that would have to change when they returned home. Luna wanted to be involved in the security arrangements, and Dayo agreed that she should understand who had access to their property, how visitors would be checked, and what procedures they would follow if a threat appeared. They also discussed how they would manage their schedules so that Jennifer would not be left with one parent always waiting for the other to finish work.

By the time they went inside, the decision had become clear. Luna was ready to return home with Jennifer, not because every problem had been resolved, but because she believed they could begin working through the remaining issues together. Dayo did not ask her to promise anything beyond that, and he did not treat her decision as proof that the past no longer mattered.

The next morning, Faith helped Luna organize Jennifer’s belongings while Dayo checked that their travel arrangements were ready. Richard accompanied him to the driveway after the bags had been loaded. The older man stood beside the vehicle for a moment, looking at Dayo with the same seriousness he had shown when Dayo first arrived.

"Take care of my daughter," Richard said. "And remember that Jennifer is depending on both of you. Whatever happens with your work, don’t let them become an afterthought."

Dayo took the warning seriously. "I will. I know I haven’t handled everything the way I should have, but I’m going to do better."

Richard studied him, then extended his hand. Dayo shook it, understanding that the gesture carried more meaning than a simple goodbye. Richard had not offered a grand speech or declared that he approved of every decision Dayo had made, but he was no longer treating him as a visitor who needed to prove himself at every opportunity.

Faith embraced Luna and reminded her to call when they arrived. She then bent down to kiss Jennifer, who was more interested in holding the soft toy Abisola had given her than in understanding why everyone was saying goodbye. Dayo thanked both of Luna’s parents for allowing him to stay, and Richard told him that the ranch would still be there if he wanted to visit again.

The journey home was quieter than the drive to the ranch had been. Jennifer fell asleep in her seat, and Luna rested her hand on Dayo’s arm while they travelled. Neither of them needed to fill the time with conversation. They had made a decision, and for the first time in a while, they were returning to their home because they both wanted to be there.

When they arrived, Dayo parked near the entrance while the security staff checked the surrounding area according to the updated procedures. The property had been secured more carefully since Jennifer’s kidnapping. Access controls had been updated, monitoring equipment covered the entrances and other important areas, and the protection arrangements had been reviewed to reduce the chances of anyone approaching the family without being noticed.

Luna saw some of the changes as they entered. A new access panel had been installed near the main entrance, and the security staff followed a clearer procedure for checking visitors. She looked around the hallway before turning toward Dayo.

"When did all this happen?"

"While you were staying at your parents’ place," he explained. "I had the access controls reviewed, added monitoring around the entrances, and adjusted the protection arrangements. I wanted to make sure we weren’t relying on the old setup after what happened."

"You made these changes without telling me?"

"I should have told you earlier," Dayo admitted. "At the time, I was focused on making the house safer, and I didn’t think enough about how it would feel to come home and find everything changed. I can show you how the system works, and we can go through the arrangements together. If there are things you want changed, we’ll discuss them."

Luna looked at the access panel again. She was relieved that Dayo had taken security seriously, but she did not want the house to become another place where decisions were made around her rather than with her. His willingness to explain the arrangements and let her take part in future decisions mattered more than the equipment itself.

"All right," she said. "Show me everything later, including who has access and what happens if we need to change the arrangements. I want to understand it, not just be told that everything is safe."

Dayo agreed, and they went inside to settle Jennifer into her familiar surroundings. Luna unpacked the bags while Dayo carried the smaller items into the bedroom and arranged Jennifer’s things where she could reach them. He helped prepare the room, checked that the toys were in place, and then returned to the sitting room when Jennifer began pulling items from a bag faster than Luna could put them away.

For the next hour, the house was occupied by ordinary tasks. Luna sorted through clothes, Dayo assembled a few things Jennifer wanted to play with, and they worked out where to keep the belongings they had brought from the ranch. Jennifer moved between them, sometimes demanding to be carried and sometimes sitting on the floor with her toys. Neither parent tried to rush her through the afternoon so that they could return to other responsibilities.

Dayo’s phone rang several times, and he checked the messages without answering every call immediately. Felix had sent an update about the acquisition, along with a note that there were matters requiring Dayo’s attention when he was available. Dayo replied that he would review the documents later that evening and arrange a meeting for the following day. The label still needed his attention, and he knew the work could not remain on hold indefinitely, but it did not need to take over the first afternoon his family had returned home.

Luna noticed that he had put his phone away. "You don’t have to ignore everything for our sake," she told him as she folded Jennifer’s clothes. "I know the company needs you."

"I’m not ignoring it. I’ve told Felix when I’ll be available, and I’ll review what he sent me later. There’s no reason I need to do it while we’re still getting settled."

She smiled faintly and returned to the clothes. It was a small decision, but it showed her that he was trying to put their agreement into practice rather than simply saying what she wanted to hear. Dayo continued helping around the house until Jennifer became tired and began asking to be carried more often. He picked her up, walked with her through the sitting room, and stayed beside Luna while they prepared her for bed.

Once Jennifer had fallen asleep, Luna returned to the living room and found Dayo sitting on the sofa. He had finally opened the documents Felix sent, but he closed them when she came in and made room for her beside him. She settled against him, and they sat quietly for a while, listening to the sounds of the house.

Dayo had spent months dealing with the men who had threatened his family. He had gathered evidence, watched their power collapse, and taken control of the company they had built. Michael and Silas were no longer free to reach into his life as they once had, and the legal battles that had consumed so much of his attention had moved into a different stage. He had believed that bringing those threats under control would allow him to put everything else back where it belonged.

Yet sitting beside Luna in the home they were sharing again, he understood that defeating his enemies had only been one part of what he needed to do. He had brought his family back under the same roof, but he could not assume that love alone would keep them there. That would depend on the decisions he made from this point forward, especially when work became demanding or danger returned and he felt the urge to take control of everything himself.

For once, Dayo let the documents remain closed. Luna rested beside him, Jennifer slept in the next room, and the work waiting for him could wait until morning. He had not yet learned how to balance every part of his life, but he was beginning to understand that keeping his family close would require more than solving problems after they appeared. It would require him to make room for them before anything went wrong.