Chapter 7 Shadows in the Dark

The boardroom at the Lekki site wasn't built for secrets, but it held them anyway. Long glass walls. A polished table that still smelled like fresh lacquer. The kind of room where big deals got inked and buried in the same breath.

Julian walked in at 5:58 p.m. Like he wanted to prove he wasn't desperate, but still couldn't help himself.

"Ken," he said with a smile that didn't touch his eyes. "Didn't expect you to be here personally."

Ken stood, jacket off, sleeves rolled up like he'd been working, or like he wanted Julian to think he had. He didn't smile back.

"Wanted to make sure we're aligned," Ken said.

I was already sitting at the far end of the table. He clocked me but didn't speak.

Julian pulled out a chair across from Ken, tossed his tablet on the table like he owned the room. "Angela said something about stepping back from the Lekki operations?"

Ken nodded. "There's been pressure. Internal and external. I need someone I trust handling the restructuring."

Julian leaned in. "And you trust me?"

There was a beat of silence. Then Ken said, "I used to."

The words were simple. But the weight behind them shifted the air.

Julian stilled. "This a test?"

Ken slid a folder across the table.

Julian opened it and froze.

It wasn't contracts.

It was a copy of the payment schedule. The offshore account routing. All linked back to a shell company used in the original land approvals for the Lekki site. The same shell company tied to the collapse that never happened... because the building never existed.

Ken's voice was flat. "You want to explain this?"

Julian didn't look up. "Where did you get this?"

"I should be asking you that."

Julian shut the folder slowly. "You don't understand what this is."

"I understand exactly what it is," Ken said. "You siphoned millions under the company's name. Framed Obinna. And you think no one noticed?"

Now Julian looked at me.

And I knew he saw it.

The piece he'd overlooked. The part that didn't add up.

"You fed him this," he said to me. "You're the reason he's playing detective now."

Ken didn't flinch. "She didn't need to. I had enough reason to start digging the second I realized my father's name was on that file."

Julian's face twitched. "This wasn't supposed to be yours to clean up."

"It's mine now," Ken said. "And if you don't start talking, I'll make sure the EFCC sees this folder before the hour is up."

Julian stood slowly. "You think you're the only one with cards?"

Ken rose too. Calm. Quiet.

"Try me."

Julian stared at him, then at me. There was something in his eyes rage, yes, but also something else. Panic. Like he'd just realized the walls were closer than he thought.

"This isn't over," Julian said. "You have no idea how deep this goes."

Then he left, the door slamming shut behind him.

The room fell into silence.

I looked at Ken. He hadn't moved.

"You think he'll run?" I asked.

He finally turned to me, something unreadable in his eyes.

"No," he said. "He's too arrogant to run."

He paused.

"But now I'm sure of it."

"Sure of what?"

He stared at me like the words hurt to say.

"That you're not just here for the truth."

And I didn't deny it.

Because we both knew by now this was never just about the truth.

Julian stormed out of the Lekki boardroom, the echo of the door slamming like a gunshot behind him. His mind was racing every step away from the building felt like sinking deeper into quicksand.

He barely noticed the figure leaning casually against the shadowed wall just past the parking lot entrance.

"Didn't expect you to be here," the voice said low, controlled.

Julian froze. It was Victoria.

Victoria Ibe Ken's aunt. Lawrence Ibe's younger sister. A woman the family never talked about much because she never stayed in her place. Where Lawrence built an empire in public, Victoria operated in the dark untraceable shell companies, international deals, and favors exchanged in backrooms. She never wanted the spotlight. She wanted the power behind it. Once, she and Lawrence were partners. But when he cut her out of the Lekki deal a decade ago, she never forgave him. Instead of fighting outright, she disappeared from the public eye, quietly funding opposition projects, placing loyal people in corporate and government positions, and slowly undermining everything her brother built. She doesn't care about Ken. Not really. She sees him as Lawrence's heir, which makes him a pawn or a threat nothing more. But she does care about keeping control of the Ibe legacy. And if Ken is about to blow it all up with this investigation, Victoria is willing to strike.

The last person he wanted to see.

She stepped forward, eyes sharp as a blade. "I heard about your little meeting."

Julian's jaw tightened. "What do you want, Victoria?"

She smiled a cold, calculated thing. "I want to remind you who's really pulling the strings."

He glared, but she didn't flinch. "You think Ken and Adanna have the upper hand? They're playing checkers while we're playing chess."

Julian clenched his fists. "If you're here to threaten me, don't bother. I'm already cornered."

Victoria's gaze softened, just for a moment. "No threats. Just an offer. You want to survive this? You'll need allies. And I'm the one who can give you that."

He looked away, struggling with the weight of that truth.

"Think about it," she said before slipping back into the shadows.

Julian stood alone, the night swallowing him whole.

The game wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

And she knows Julian is desperate enough to use.