Chapter 3 The price of soul

Chapter 3: The Price of a Soul

​The "secondary residence" was not a house; it was a fortress of glass and white stone hidden behind the high walls of Old Ikoyi. As the Maybach glided through the gates, the sensors hissed, and the massive steel doors swung open like the jaws of a silent beast. Amaka stared out the window, her heart doing a frantic dance in her chest. Everything here was too clean, too quiet, and far too expensive.

​"Step out," Marcus commanded as the car came to a smooth halt. "We are already forty minutes behind schedule. The stylists have been waiting since noon, and their hourly rate is more than you used to make in a month."

​Amaka stepped out, her worn-out flats touching the pristine driveway. She felt like a stain on a white silk sheet. Marcus led her inside, through a foyer that smelled of lilies and expensive floor wax, and into a massive dressing suite.

​Waiting for them were three people who looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine. They didn't say hello. They didn't smile. They simply circled Amaka like vultures circling a fresh kill.

​"Look at the skin," a man with bright silver hair whispered, poking Amaka's shoulder. "Sun-damaged. Dehydrated. And the hair... it's a disaster. It's been braided too tight for years. The hairline is crying for help."

​"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Amaka snapped, pulling away from his touch. Her Nigerian blood was boiling. In Mushin, you didn't touch a woman without her permission unless you were looking for a fight.

​The man looked shocked, but Marcus stepped forward, her face a mask of iron. "Amaka, remember the five million Naira. For that price, you are a mannequin. You are a project. Sit down and let them work, or I call the bank and freeze the transfer before your mother even sees a doctor."

​Amaka felt the air leave her lungs. The reminder was a slap. She sat in the velvet chair, gripping the armrests until her knuckles turned white.

​The next six hours were a blur of pain and chemical smells. They stripped her of her yellow blouse-her "good" blouse-and threw it into a trash bin without a second thought. They scrubbed her skin until it was raw, applied masks that stung, and spent hours untangling, treating, and styling her hair into a sophisticated, flowing mane that felt heavy and foreign on her head.

​But the worst part was the silence. No one asked her what she liked. No one asked her name. They just changed her.

​"Better," Marcus said, standing at the door as the sun began to set, casting long, golden shadows across the room. "Now, the clothes."

​They brought out a gown the color of midnight. It was silk, so thin it felt like water. When Amaka put it on, she barely recognized herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Gone was the girl with the tired eyes and the market-stained hands. In her place stood a woman who looked like she belonged on the arm of a king. But when Amaka looked into the mirror's eyes, she saw a stranger.

​"Mr. Sterling is downstairs," Marcus said, checking her tablet. "He is hosting a dinner for a potential investor. This is your first test. You will sit by his side. You will smile. You will speak only when spoken to. And you will not-under any circumstances-mention Mushin, your mother, or your real life. Do you understand?"

​Amaka nodded slowly. "I understand. I'm a ghost."

​"Exactly," Marcus replied.

​Walking down the grand staircase was a lesson in terror. The silk gown trailed behind her, whispering against the marble. At the bottom of the stairs, Alexander was waiting. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, looking so handsome it was almost painful to look at him. He was nursing a glass of amber liquid, his eyes fixed on the door-until he heard her footsteps.

​He turned, and for a split second, his stoic expression cracked. His glass paused halfway to his lips. His dark eyes traveled from her heels to her styled hair, then settled on her face.

​"Remarkable," he murmured. It wasn't a compliment; it was an observation, like a scientist seeing a successful experiment. "Marcus did a better job than I expected."

​"I'm still me inside, Alexander," Amaka said, her voice trembling slightly.

​"That is the one thing you must hide," he said, stepping closer. He reached out, his long fingers grazing her jawline. His touch was electric, sending a shiver through her that she hated. "Tonight, you aren't a girl with a dying mother. You are the daughter of a wealthy businessman from the East. You are refined. You are elegant. You are the woman I chose because no other woman was good enough."

​"Is that why you chose me?" she asked, her voice a whisper. "Because I was 'good enough' to play a role?"

​Alexander's eyes darkened. "I chose you because you were the only one who looked like she had something to lose. People with nothing to lose are dangerous. People with everything to lose... they are obedient."

​Before she could respond, the doorbell rang. The investors had arrived.

​The dinner was an exercise in torture. Amaka sat at a table that could have seated twenty people, surrounded by gold-plated cutlery and crystal glasses. Across from her sat a man named Chief Okeke and his wife, both dripping in diamonds and arrogance.

​"So, Amaka," Chief Okeke said, leaning forward, his eyes narrowed. "Alexander tells us your father is quite the recluse in Enugu. I don't believe we've done business with the Okoro family before. Which sector do you specialize in?"

​Amaka felt the sweat start to gather at the base of her neck. Alexander's hand found hers under the table. He didn't squeeze it for comfort; he gripped it as a warning. His nails dug slightly into her palm.

​"My father... he prefers the agricultural sector," Amaka said, her voice steadying as she thought of her grandmother's small farm in the village. "He believes that the land is the only thing that never lies to you. He keeps his business private because he values peace over publicity."

​Alexander's grip relaxed. A small smirk touched his lips.

​"Agriculture! Very noble," the Chief's wife chirped. "And how did a traditional girl like you capture the heart of the most eligible bachelor in Lagos?"

​Amaka looked at Alexander. For a moment, she forgot the contract. She forgot the money. She saw the way the candlelight hit the sharp angles of his face, making him look like a statue of a god.

​"He didn't capture my heart," Amaka said, the truth slipping out before she could stop it. "He offered me a deal I couldn't refuse."

​The table went silent. Chief Okeke froze with a piece of lobster halfway to his mouth. Alexander's body went rigid beside her.

​Amaka realized her mistake instantly. "A deal of a lifetime," she added quickly, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow in her ears. "He promised to show me a world I only dreamed of. And as you can see, Mr. Sterling always keeps his promises."

​The tension broke. The Chief laughed, and the conversation moved on to oil prices and offshore accounts. But under the table, Alexander didn't let go of her hand. His grip was tighter now, almost bruising.

​When the guests finally left hours later, Alexander slammed his glass down on the sideboard. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the empty foyer.

​"What was that?" he hissed, turning on her. The mask of the charming host was gone. "A 'deal you couldn't refuse'? Are you trying to ruin me before the wedding even happens?"

​"I told the truth!" Amaka shouted back, her own temper flaring. "This is a deal. I am wearing a dress that costs more than my life, eating food I can't pronounce, while my brother is probably eating bread and salt. Don't expect me to be happy about it!"

​Alexander stepped into her space, his height towering over her. "I don't pay you to be happy, Amaka. I pay you to be perfect. If you ever-ever-slip up like that again, I will send you back to Mushin so fast you won't even have time to take off that dress. And the medical bills? They will stop. Do you understand me?"

​Amaka looked up at him, her eyes burning with tears she refused to shed. "I understand. You're not a husband. You're a boss."

​"I'm the man who owns your time," Alexander corrected coldly. "Go to bed. Tomorrow, the dance lessons begin. Try not to trip over your own mouth."

​He walked away, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the white marble hall. Amaka looked at her reflection in the glass windows. She looked like a princess. But as she touched her bruised hand where he had gripped her, she knew the truth.

​The five million Naira was in her bank, but the chains were already around her wrists. And they were made of the finest gold.