Semua Bab Beneath Lagos Rain: Bab 151 - Bab 160

The drive from Marina was unusually quiet.Rainwater streamed across the windscreen as the convoy headed towards Ikoyi.No one spoke for several minutes.Every person was lost in thought.The number 0419 had transformed from a childhood memory into a destination.Joseph's voice continued through the hands-free system."I've confirmed the address."A map appeared on the tablet mounted in Samuel's vehicle.No. 419, Kingsley Crescent, Old Ikoyi.Damian stared at the screen."I know that place."Samuel glanced at him."I thought you said it was abandoned.""It is.""Or..."He corrected himself."It was supposed to be."Justice Sani leaned forward from the back seat."Tell us everything."Damian took a deep breath."My grandfather bought the estate before I was born.""It was never part of our public assets.""My father always referred to it as 'the old house.'"Nathan frowned."Did you ever visit?""Once.""I was about ten."He looked out of the window, trying to piece together a fragment

The room fell into complete silence.Damian continued staring at the damaged photograph.His fingers traced the deep scratches that had erased the young man's face.He looked up at Michael."You said...""...he looks exactly like me."Michael nodded slowly."I only caught a glimpse before the face was destroyed.""But the height.""The build.""The jawline.""I'd recognise them anywhere."Justice Sani stepped forward."Let's not jump to conclusions."Nathan agreed."A resemblance isn't proof."Michael looked at the photograph again."I know.""But something else is bothering me.""What?"Samuel asked."The ring."Everyone looked at the platinum ring visible on the young man's left hand.Michael pointed towards it."The Horizon ring.""I've seen it before."Damian frowned."At the gala?"Michael shook his head."No.""Long before that."He closed his eyes, forcing himself to remember.Then suddenly...His eyes opened."The night Chinelo disappeared."The words hit Amara like a physical

The shattered windows rained glass across the wooden floor.The explosion echoed through the old mansion, followed by the screech of twisting metal as the front gates collapsed completely.Justice Sani reacted instantly."Take cover!"His officers moved with practiced precision, pulling furniture into defensive positions and ushering Amara and Evelyn away from the windows.Outside, engines fell silent.Then came the sound of car doors opening.One after another.Samuel counted quietly."One...""Three...""Seven...""...fifteen."He stopped."There are more than twenty."Nathan peered through a narrow gap in the curtains."They're spreading out.""They're surrounding the house."Damian's jaw tightened."They don't want us escaping."Michael looked at Evelyn."They came because of you."She shook her head."No.""They came because of what I know."A loudspeaker crackled outside.A calm, cultured voice filled the estate."Good evening.""I apologise for the dramatic entrance.""We've be

The pocket watch passed silently from one hand to another.No one questioned the handwriting.It was Chinelo's.The words inside the lid were clear.You were never the one they wanted.Amara read them again.Then a third time."They weren't after me..."Her voice was barely audible."...then who?"No one answered.Because no one knew.Michael sat heavily on an old wooden chair.His eyes remained fixed on the photograph inside the watch."I've been remembering things."Samuel looked at him."What kind of things?""The night Chinelo disappeared."He rubbed his forehead."For years, I believed I remembered everything.""I was wrong."Evelyn turned towards him."What did you forget?"Michael took a slow breath."There wasn't one child in that safe house."The chamber fell silent.Amara frowned."What do you mean?""There were two."Nathan looked at him in disbelief."Two children?"Michael nodded."They were both infants.""They were sleeping in separate baskets."Justice Sani immediately

The oil lamps flickered softly, casting long shadows across the portrait gallery.Amara could not take her eyes off the painting.Elias Afolayan.The name echoed through her mind.Slowly, she turned towards Damian.His face had become expressionless.Almost as if his mind had shut down.Samuel stepped beside him."Damian."No response."Damian."At last, he blinked."My father told me Elias died before I was born."His voice was flat."He said my uncle drowned during a family trip."Evelyn closed her eyes."That was the official story."Justice Sani looked from the portrait to Evelyn."And the truth?"She answered without hesitation."He refused the Circle."Nathan frowned."I thought you said they wanted him to lead.""They did.""They had prepared him since childhood."She looked at the portrait with quiet sadness."But Elias believed influence without accountability would eventually become tyranny."Michael nodded slowly."Magnus would have admired him.""He did."Evelyn replied."