Twenty-five kilometers later, he veered off at exit 189�Umhlanga, Phoenix Highway. A sharp left onto the M41, and the rhythm of the city began to shift. The sounds softened. The buildings grew sleeker. He followed the route until it spilled into Umhlanga Rocks Drive, the spine of the suburb, where palm trees swayed and security gates whispered of quiet wealth.
Home was close now. Just minutes away.
In ten minutes, he�d be on Lagoon Drive�his street. And then, the festivities would begin.
Lagoon Drive was waterfront opulence carved into a crescent along the Ohlanga Lagoon. It offered the kind of luxury few ever experienced firsthand: private docks shaded by wild fig trees, sleek jetty access for boats and kayaks, and the soft rustle of reedbirds that whispered stories of old Durban. It lay just north of Umhlanga Rocks�only a five- to ten-minute drive from the iconic lighthouse, the Oyster Box Hotel, and a constellation of elite restaurants glittering along the shoreline.
It was quieter here, secluded. A pocket of calm removed from the buzz of beachfront crowds, but closes enough to sip champagne within earshot of crashing waves. Lagoon Drive was a sanctuary�lined with palatial estates, sprawling modern mansions boasting waterfront access, disappearing-edge pools, and voice-activated smart-home systems that obeyed like servants.
The De Lange mansion was no exception. It was a masterpiece of design�bold and contemporary, with cavernous open-plan interiors and floor-to-ceiling glass that surrendered every room to the lagoon. The architecture didn�t just invite nature in; it framed it. Every sunrise, every ripple on the water, was curetted like art.
And like every fortress on Lagoon Drive, it was locked down tight; Electric fencing, Infrared cameras and private security patrols on rotation. The place looked peaceful�but it was built like it expected war.
Quinton didn�t know it yet, but this year, war was exactly what he�d brought home.
Now he was on Lagoon Drive, and for the first time in days, Quinton felt like himself again.