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หน้าหลัก / Romance / The Marriage Clause / Chapter Twenty-One: The Escaped Shadow

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Chapter Twenty-One: The Escaped Shadow

ผู้เขียน: Patrick Chukwu
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-09-03 06:04:11

The message from Chioma burned in Amara's pocket like a live ember, its words a venomous whisper that refused to fade. Meet me at the waterfront. Midnight. Come alone—or the secret dies with me. She stared at the screen, her heart a war drum in her chest. Chioma, arrested just hours ago, now free? Escaped? Or released on some twisted bail orchestrated by remnants of the conspiracy? Amara's fingers trembled as she deleted the message, but the threat lingered, coiling around her thoughts like smoke.

Ezekiel slept beside her, his arm draped protectively over her waist, his breathing steady in the dim light of the mansion's master bedroom. The events of the past days had forged something unbreakable between them—a bond tempered in fire, betrayal, and blood. But even now, with his warmth against her, Amara couldn't shake the doubt Vincent had planted. Another player. Someone closer than you think. Was Chioma the final piece, or a distraction from something worse?

She slipped from the bed,
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  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Thirty-one: The Clone’s Awakening

    The chopper ride back to Lagos was a blur of wind and whispers, the island receding like a bad dream. Amara leaned against Ezekiel, her body aching from bruises and her mind from revelations. The failsafe was stopped, Adebayo in cuffs, Ngozi’s body left for the authorities. But the alert on Ezekiel’s tablet—Secondary Failsafe Activated: 24 Hours Until Cascade—mocked their victory. And the message: You stopped nothing. The real legacy begins. - N“Ngozi,” Amara muttered, her voice lost in the rotor noise. “She’s dead. I saw her die.”Ifeanyi, bandaged leg propped up, shook his head. “If she’s a clone, there could be more. Adebayo was playing God—DNA labs, hidden facilities. Nkechi’s essence, replicated.”Chioma, pale from her wound but alert, nodded. “The files mentioned a network of labs. One in Lagos, under the old KaluTech headquarters. If there’s a backup clone, that’s where she’d be.”Ezekiel’s grip tightened on the controls. “We end this. Tonight.”They landed at a private helipa

  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Thirty: The Twin’s Deception

    The bunker’s air was thick with tension, the hum of servers a constant underscore to the pounding of Amara’s heart. The failsafe countdown blinked on the console—9:58, 9:57—the seconds ticking away like a death knell for the world above. Ngozi stood before her, a mirror image of Nkechi from the old photographs, but twisted, her features sharpened by years of secrets and ambition. Adebayo watched from beside her, his silver beard catching the fluorescent light, his expression one of paternal pride mixed with predatory hunger.Amara’s gun wavered in her hand, her finger hovering over the trigger. The revelation had cracked something inside her—the possibility that her mother had a twin, that Nkechi’s death had been a ruse, a swap to allow Ngozi to continue their dark work. But the coldness in Ngozi’s eyes, the lack of warmth in her voice—it didn’t match the woman Amara remembered, the one who’d painted with her, who’d whispered stories of hope and resilience.“You’re lying,” Amara said,

  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Island of Lies

    The private island was a speck in the Atlantic, a lush prison of palm trees and jagged cliffs, reachable only by helicopter. Amara sat beside Ezekiel in the chopper, the roar of the blades drowning out her racing thoughts. Ifeanyi was in the back, checking his weapon, his face a mask of guilt and determination. Chioma, released from witness protection to join them, sat silently, her eyes fixed on the horizon. Tari had stayed behind, coordinating with the EFCC to track Adebayo’s international allies. The team was fractured, bound by necessity, but Amara felt the weight of every betrayal pressing down on her.The coordinates from Adebayo’s broadcast led here—a fortress disguised as paradise. Satellite imagery showed a sprawling compound, heavily guarded, with servers humming beneath the surface, controlling the AI network Adebayo had weaponized. The cascade protocol was stopped, but he’d hinted at a backup—a failsafe that could still plunge the world into chaos.“He wants us here,” Amar

  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mole’s Confession

    The warehouse was a chaos of gunfire and smoke, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood and the sharp sting of gunpowder. Amara crouched behind a stack of crates, her arm burning where the bullet had grazed her, the locket from Victor clutched in her hand. His crumpled form lay a few feet away, blood pooling beneath him, his eyes flickering but defiant. Ifeanyi stood at the edge of the fray, his gun blazing as he took down one of Adebayo’s men, but the gleam in his eyes—sharp, calculating—sent a shiver through Amara. Was he her savior, or the final twist in this labyrinth of betrayal?“Amara, move!” Ifeanyi shouted, his voice cutting through the din. He gestured toward the computer terminal in the corner, its screen glowing with the shutdown protocol for Adebayo’s cascade hack. “You can stop this!”She hesitated, her gaze darting between Ifeanyi and Victor. The man she’d called her father for years, who’d raised her, loved her, was now a question mark. His sudden appearance, his

  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Twenty-Seven: Allies in the Abyss

    Flames roared through the Kalu mansion like a vengeful spirit, the heat searing Amara's skin as she was dragged through a side door into the garden. Victor Adeyemi's grip was iron, his face half-hidden by a mask, but his eyes—wild, desperate—betrayed him. Shouts echoed behind them: Ezekiel calling her name, Ifeanyi barking orders, sirens wailing in the distance. The explosion had been precise, targeting the power grid, plunging the estate into chaos while sparing lives—for now."Let go!" Amara snarled, twisting in his hold. But Victor was stronger than his age suggested, pulling her toward a waiting black SUV hidden in the shadows."Quiet, girl," he hissed, shoving her inside and slamming the door. The driver— a burly man with a scar across his cheek—peeled out, tires screeching as they sped through the gates. Amara lunged for the handle, but it was locked. Victor removed his mask, his face gaunt from prison and evasion, but his smile was triumphant."You," Amara spat, her heart pound

  • The Marriage Clause    Chapter Twenty-Six: The Puppet Master's Strings

    The engagement party was a whirlwind of champagne flutes and forced smiles, the Kalu mansion transformed into a glittering showcase of Lagos elite. Amara stood beside Ezekiel, her hand in his, the ring on her finger a symbol of their hard-won future. But the anonymous package had shattered the illusion of peace. The USB drive, now plugged into Ezekiel's secure laptop in a private study upstairs, played Victor's posthumous message on loop in her mind: "If you're hearing this, I've failed. But the real player awakens."The screen flickered to Mr. Adebayo's face, the silver-bearded board elder who'd always seemed a benign fixture—wise, steady, the voice of reason amid chaos. His cold smile in the video sent chills down Amara's spine. "Congratulations on unraveling the threads," he said in the recording, his voice smooth as aged palm wine. "But you've only cut the visible ones. The web spans continents. KaluTech's true value isn't in Nigeria—it's global. And now, it's mine."Ezekiel pause

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