The next evening, Madam Bisi forced Amara to bring Kene to dinner, claiming it was a family celebration. The dining room glittered with gold plates, crystal cups, and fake smiles. Amara had wiped Kene’s face with a damp cloth and tried to smooth his hair with her plastic comb, but his kaftan was still faded and his slippers still looked poor. Her stepsister, Tola, entered late with her fiancé, Dele Banjo, a loud young man in a shining agbada and a gold watch too heavy for his wrist. Tola waved her diamond ring in Amara’s face and laughed about marrying into “real money.” Dele looked at Kene and asked if Madam Bisi had hired a beggar to entertain the guests. Amara held her spoon until her fingers hurt. She answered calmly that a good man was not measured by his shoes. Dele laughed harder and bragged that he handled private accounts for Okafor Global Group and that soon he would be moving enough money to buy half of Lagos. Kene did not move, but his eyes fixed on Dele’s watch. He recognized him immediately: a junior accounts officer already marked in a secret investigation for stealing from the Okafor Children’s Fund. The next day, at the Ikoyi registry, Tola recorded the marriage ceremony on her phone, mocking Kene’s torn clothes for her followers. Amara blocked the camera, and Madam Bisi threatened to cancel Mama Ngozi’s hospital support if she caused trouble. The wedding took less than 3 minutes. No flowers. No rings. Just signatures and shame. That night, in Amara’s tiny room near Yaba railway line, she gave Kene the only bed, repaired the torn shoulder of his kaftan with black thread, and warmed leftover yam porridge in her only bowl. Kene watched her quietly. He had lived among billionaires, ministers, and women who smiled at his money, but this poor woman was sewing for a man she believed had nothing. By dawn, while Amara left for her supermarket job, Kene entered a dusty delivery van parked behind a warehouse. Inside were screens, lawyers, and his loyal assistant, Chidi. Chidi confirmed Dele had been stealing weekly from the children’s fund and had used the money to buy Tola’s ring, cars, and wedding luxuries. He asked if they should arrest him immediately. Kene refused. Dele was planning a ₦80 billion transfer during the grand wedding reception. If the money landed in his hidden account, no lawyer could save him. Days later, Tola and Madam Bisi attacked Amara at her supermarket, accusing her of breaking expensive goods. Her manager, eager to please rich customers, tried to fire her. By morning, a regional director arrived, dismissed the manager, promoted Amara, and gave her a ₦50 million signing bonus after a secret review of her work. Amara used it to pay Madam Bisi’s fake family debt and secure Mama Ngozi’s hospital care. Tola exploded with jealousy and demanded Dele prove his wealth by paying for the most expensive ballroom in Lagos. Panicking, Dele opened his laptop inside Madam Bisi’s mansion and triggered the ₦80 billion transfer from the charity fund. Two streets away, in the surveillance van, a red alarm flashed. Chidi looked at Kene. The trap had finally swallowed its prey.
Part 3
