Morning light filters through the blinds as I wait in the quiet café Gloria chose for my meeting with Nse. The air smells faintly of fresh coffee and old books, comforting in a way the last few days have not been.
I'm early, nerves twisting low in my stomach, but I tell myself to stay calm. This is a conversation I need no, it's a must have.
The door opens, and there she is.
Nse Ikpe. The woman I fired years ago. The one who says she helped plan this whole con.
She's changed. Not just in the way time softens features, but in something sharper like a blade hidden beneath silk.
She slides into the seat opposite me, eyes steady.
"Rita," she says quietly. "Thank you for coming."
Let's not waste time," I say. "Tell me everything.
She nods, takes a deep breath.
"I was angry when you let me go. I won't lie. But it wasn't just that. I wanted to prove something. To you. To myself."
Her voice cracks just a little, raw underneath the calm.
"So I found Kolade. He had his own reasons to hate you because I found out he held a grudge. Together, we made a plan. A way to hurt you where it would hurt the most your empire. Your trust."
I blink, stunned. "You used me. And you used him."
"Yes."
She meets my eyes. "And it worked. But it's not what I expected."
"What do you mean?"
Nse's gaze falters.
"I thought I'd feel satisfaction. Revenge tastes sweeter than pain, they say. But all I feel is an emptiness I can not describe. And something else. Fear. She says"
Fear? I begin to wonder why she is afraid but her next words made me understand why she is...
"Because I don't know if Kola... Kolade, is who he says he is either. Or if he's playing us both."
I lean in, heart pounding.
"So what now?"
"We find out. Together."
It's the first time since this nightmare began that I feel a flicker of hope.
Maybe, just maybe, this mess can be untangled.
We sit in silence for a moment, the weight of what's to come settling between us.
"Thank you for telling me the truth," I say finally.
She nods. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."
Outside, the city carries on, unaware of the fragile alliances forming in its shadows.
And I realize: this war is far from over.