Dayo woke up a little later than usual. His eyes felt heavy, his body still tired from everything that happened the day before, but he forced himself up. A new day was a new routine, and no matter how overwhelmed he felt on the inside, he still liked to follow his structure.

He stretched, washed his face, brushed, threw on his joggers, tied his sneakers, and stepped outside into the cool morning breeze. The estate was quiet, only soft winds and distant birds making noise. Dayo adjusted his headphones and started jogging.

After a few minutes, he tapped his screen and started a livestream. He always streamed sometimes during his morning jogs. It kept him connected to his fans, even when he wasn't releasing music.

The moment his camera turned on, the comments exploded.

"DAYOOO YOU'RE LIVE?? Finally!"

"Bro we thought you ghosted us again!"

"Who is the mysterious girl?? JD don't play with us!"

"Why did you drop that emotional bomb and disappear!?"

Dayo laughed as he jogged.

"You people won't kill me. Relax," he said. "I didn't ghost anybody. I just slept, abeg."

More comments flew in.

"So who's she?? Tell us!"

"JD please we need answers."

"Your song has been on repeat since yesterday!"

Dayo wiped sweat from his forehead and kept jogging.

"Look… you people know me. I'm not answering that question," he said lightly. "But yeah, the full version of the song is dropping today."

The chat went mad instantly.

"WHAT?? TODAY??"

"NO WARNING?"

"JD YOU ARE EVIL."

Dayo chuckled.

"Calm down, calm down. I liked the acoustic version too, but the full production version is something else. I think you'll love it."

"Drop it now!!"

"Don't tease us!"

He smiled.

"You'll get it today. That's all I'll say. I'm almost done here, let me finish my jog."

He ended the livestream and kept jogging peacefully, breathing slowly, taking in the fresh air. It felt good to move. It felt good to run. It helped him clear his mind, especially after everything with Luna.

When he returned home, he showered quickly and entered his car and zoomed to the office where some of the gang were moving around — Wayne, Ulrich, Valerie, Sharon, and even Rex passing by with a tablet in his hand.

The moment they saw him, the teasing started.

"Ahh superstar," Valerie said, smirking. "So you finally woke up?"

Sharon added, "Boss, who is the mystery girl? Because the internet is burning."

Wayne shook his head slowly, smiling. "Dayo, why did you break the world yesterday? Hmm?"

Even Ulrich joined, laughing. "Bro, you didn't even warn anyone. You just dropped heartbreak on everyone's chest."

Dayo just rolled his eyes and walked to the fridge.

"You people should get out jor," he said.

They laughed harder.

"Tell us na," Sharon teased. "Just whisper it to me. Who is she?"

"You already know the answer," Dayo said.

But he didn't meet anyone's eyes. Especially not Wayne's — because Wayne knew him the most. And they all knew the girl was Luna. But no one would dare mention her name out loud. They were just having fun teasing him.

When they arrived, everyone was in motion — the sound guys, the video guys, marketing team members, even interns moving cables around. Everywhere felt alive.

Dayo clapped his hands.

"Alright, update me."

Wayne stepped forward.

"So marketing already pushed the banners. The platforms are ready. The hype is crazy. Even though this release wasn't planned, the video yesterday ignited everything. People have been asking for the full version nonstop."

Dayo nodded.

"Good. Then let's not waste the moment. Release it today."

"Everything's ready," Sharon said from behind a laptop. "We can drop it in three… two… one…"

She clicked.

"It's out."

And just like that, the world caught fire again.

Within minutes, the team started shouting updates from their screens.

"Apple Music—number one in multiple categories!"

"Spotify — massive surge, servers lagged for two seconds!"

"Trending number one worldwide on every platform!"

"Billboard real-time… it just entered at number seven!"

The room erupted into noise.

Dayo stood still, stunned. He wasn't expecting this. Not after four years. Not after disappearing. Not after switching to athletics.

He thought people might move on.

But they didn't.

In fact, they seemed hungrier than ever.

His phone vibrated nonstop. He ignored most of the messages, but some caught his eye—concert promoters, festival organizers, old label connections, foreign producers, journalists begging for interviews.

"JD PLEASE COME ON TOUR."

"Perform this live!!"

"Headline our festival!!"

"Collab request!"

But Dayo couldn't commit to anything. He wasn't ready for a tour. He wasn't even ready for big shows. He still had the competition training ahead of him. And he didn't want to overwork himself.

He simply told Wayne, "Tell them I'm focused on something else right now. They should wait."

Wayne nodded.

"No problem."

They spent the entire day handling calls, answering emails, fixing small project details, monitoring charts, and checking comments. It was hectic. It was exciting. It was stressful.

Less than an hour after the release the song had more than fifty five millions streams across all platforms and was rising.

When everything finally calmed down, Dayo drove home.

The sun was already setting. The sky had a soft orange glow. He unlocked his door, went inside, dropped his bag, and took a slow shower. The warm water helped, but it didn't remove the heaviness in his chest.

After dressing, he sat on his chair — the same spot he always used when he needed to think.

The house was silent.

The air felt thick.

He reached for the envelope Max and Bella had given him. It sat on the desk untouched since they delivered it. He picked it up slowly and stared at it.

Inside that envelope was information he wasn't sure he was ready to face.

Information that could change things.

Information that Max and Bella risked a lot to bring him.

His fingers tapped the edge of the envelope gently.

He exhaled.

Then leaned back.

Thinking.

What should he do with it?

What was the right thing?

What would happen if he sent it ?

What would happen if he just leave the situation be ?

The room stayed quiet as Dayo stared at the evidence in his hand — lost in thought, unsure of his next move.

And that was how the day ended.

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