Yes!
The Benson mansion was unusually quiet that evening.
Dinner had been served late — no one was eating. The air was stiff with tension. Jimmy's condition remained uncertain, and now… there was new chaos.
The flat-screen TV in the living room was muted, but the headline running across the screen made everyone freeze.
> "BREAKING: Nelly Adaku bailed out from Sapphire Station – Witness claims she was wrongly accused."
Julie's fork hit the plate.
> "What?! They let her out?!"
Mr. Benson stood abruptly. His face twisted in disbelief as he picked up the remote and turned the volume up.
> "The bail was signed by the son of prominent businessman Alhaji Danladi – Omar Danladi, who also served as a witness, stating that Nelly Markcus could not have fired the gun."
Mrs. Benson's brows furrowed. "Wait... Omar? That quiet boy?"
Julie scoffed. "They're all falling under her spell. What is wrong with everyone?!"
Mr. Benson's voice rose.
> "Who the hell gave that boy permission to interfere in my case?! She was supposed to stay in jail!"
Mrs. Benson glanced at him. "Your case? Or your cover-up?"
He turned sharply toward her.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing," she muttered, sitting back with a nervous sigh.
But Edna, who had been watching silently from the stairs, stepped forward slowly.
> "Why are you so scared of her, Dad?"
Everyone turned.
> "You rushed to get her locked up before the investigation even started," Edna continued. "Now she's out, and you look like you've seen a ghost."
Julie hissed. "Don't start, Edna."
Edna shrugged. "I'm just wondering what everyone's so afraid of. If Nelly's truly guilty, why is Omar — someone inside the scene — saying she's innocent?"
Mr. Benson snapped. "Enough. That girl is dangerous. She doesn't belong in this house, and she never will."
Mrs. Benson whispered. "She was just a girl. A bright one."
Julie slammed her glass down. "She tried to steal Jimmy! She wanted to be one of us — acting innocent while turning everyone against me!"
Edna's eyes narrowed.
> "Or maybe... she just told the truth. And none of you could handle it."
A heavy silence fell.
Mr. Benson clenched his jaw, picked up his phone, and walked out.
> "If the police won't finish the job," he muttered, "I'll find someone who will."
>And Julie. How come she started having breakfast with us
Dinner with us and even lunch !
Miked asked.
Julie was dumbfounded.
Everyone was silent staring at each other without uttering a single word .
Julie stood up and left .
***********
---
The night air was cool.
Soft wind rustled the palm trees around the Danladi mansion. The moon hung quietly above, casting silver light across the polished balcony tiles.
Nelly stood alone, leaning against the rail, her hair slightly damp from the bath, dressed in Omar's oversized shirt and shorts. Her eyes stared into the distance… but her thoughts were a storm.
So much had changed in 48 hours.
Jimmy bleeding.
The police cell.
The girls' laughter.
The award — gone.
Her family — silent.
And yet, here she was.
Footsteps padded behind her.
She didn't need to turn.
"I knew you'd come," she said softly.
Omar joined her, holding two mugs of hot cocoa. He handed one to her.
> "Couldn't sleep either?"
She gave a faint smile. "How could I?"
They both sipped in silence for a moment, the sounds of crickets humming in the distance.
Then Omar spoke.
> "I keep thinking about it... how fast things turned. One second, we're holding a trophy… the next, blood everywhere."
Nelly nodded slowly, clutching the mug tighter.
> "And everyone pointing fingers at me. Like they were just… waiting for me to fall."
Omar glanced at her.
> "You didn't fall. You're still standing."
> "Barely," she whispered.
> "That's still standing," he replied gently.
She turned to look at him.
> "Why did you help me, Omar? Really."
He hesitated.
Then…
> "Because I saw you. Not just at the competition. Before that too."
Nelly blinked. "What do you mean?"
> "The way you carry pain like it's your backpack. The way you smile when you want to cry. I noticed it. Even before Jimmy."
He smiled faintly. "And also… because what they did to you was wrong. And I was done watching wrong things happen to good people."
She didn't know what to say.
Then he added:
> "Also, if it makes you feel any better… I've never seen Jimmy look at anyone the way he looks at you. And that scares the hell out of Julie."
Nelly laughed softly. A real laugh.
It felt foreign… but good.
> "I don't even know how to feel about Jimmy," she admitted. "He's kind. Brave. Loyal. But I'm just… me."
> "Exactly. You," Omar said, meeting her eyes. "And that's what makes people like us drawn to you."
Her smile faded.
> "But he's still in the hospital… because of me."
Omar looked up at the stars. "No. He's there because someone pulled a trigger. You were just the easy target."
They stood silently for a moment.
> "So what happens next?" Nelly asked.
Omar finished his drink, his voice steady.
> "Next… we find out who really pulled that trigger."
> "And if we do?" she whispered.
He looked at her again.
> "Then we clear your name… and Jimmy's heart gets to choose what it already knows."
Omar had just finished speaking when a thoughtful silence fell over them.
> "Also, if it makes you feel any better… I've never seen Jimmy look at anyone the way he looks at you," he said. "And that scares the hell out of Julie."
Nelly gave a quiet chuckle, but her smile faded almost immediately.
She looked away, eyes narrowing just slightly… like something had clicked in her mind.
> "Julie…"
Omar turned. "What about her?"
Nelly leaned her back against the railing, staring at the sky.
> "She was at the competition. I remember now. Standing in the crowd… glaring at me."
She swallowed hard.
> "She's hated me since the first day Jimmy and I became close. She always warned me — said I was too 'low-class' to be around him. She called him her lover, even though Jimmy never saw her that way."
Omar's eyes sharpened slightly. "Go on."
> "She didn't visit me. Not even once since the incident. And this is Julie — the same girl who never misses a chance to throw shade or start drama. Yet after I got arrested, after Jimmy was shot… she disappeared."
Omar stepped closer, processing every word.
> "You think she had something to do with the shooting?"
Nelly shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not pointing fingers. But something doesn't sit right."
> "She was obsessed with Jimmy. She told me once, 'if I can't have him, no one will.'"
Omar exhaled slowly. "That… sounds like motive."
> "But I can't prove anything," Nelly muttered. "And if I say her name without evidence, everyone will say I'm just jealous or bitter."
Omar's jaw tightened. "Then we find the evidence. Quietly. Carefully. Before someone else buries it."
They stood together in the quiet of the balcony, the weight of the moment settling between them.
Nelly whispered, almost to herself:
> "It wasn't just Luna's plan. Someone else had a deeper reason."
Omar nodded.
> "And I think we just found our next suspect."