The air inside Imperial Processing's warehouse carried the scent of fresh mango pulp and stewing tomato concentrate. The first batch of canned tomatoes rolled off the line with a metallic rattle, the labels still warm from the printer. Workers moved with urgency, packing cartons for trucks already waiting in the yard.
By midday, the inaugural shipment was on its way to supermarket chains in Enugu, Owerri, and Aba. Ireti's marketing had been clever—bright, clean packaging, a "Proudly Grown in Nigeria" stamp, and a short radio jingle that had already gone viral in local markets. By evening, photos began trickling in from shop shelves… and from kitchens where the cans were already open.
Demand spiked immediately. Before the week was out, distributors were asking if Imperial could triple its first month's output.
While the factory roared to life, Temilade arrived in Enugu for the weekend, dropping her bag in Chinedu's study before settling into the leather chair opposite him.
"I've been thinking," she began, "some of the senior lawyers at my firm—they specialize in corporate structuring and acquisitions. They're sharp, and they know how to move quietly."
Chinedu leaned forward. "Quiet is important."
"They asked about you," she continued. "Not nosy, just… curious. I told them you're expanding, and they said if you ever want to formalize everything—your farms, processing, transportation, retail—they could help you set up a proper group company structure. Imperial Holdings, maybe. They'd handle filings, governance documents, everything airtight."
He didn't commit aloud, but in his mind the seed was already taking root. Consolidation meant control, and control meant resilience.
"Have them prepare a draft structure," he said finally. "Even if we're not ready to sign tomorrow, I want to see how it would look on paper."
By Monday, the lawyers had begun discreet work on the framework—multiple subsidiaries under a holding company, each with clean books and clear lines of accountability. It was only a thought for now, but thoughts had a way of turning into reality with Chinedu.
Outside the boardroom, his world was still moving fast. Orders for Imperial Processing were outpacing production, and the airline opportunity hadn't vanished—it had simply gone quiet. Too quiet.
And somewhere between the clang of factory machinery and the rustle of legal paperwork, Chinedu realized something: the empire he was building was no longer just a collection of businesses. It was becoming a network, an ecosystem—one that would soon need the kind of legal armor Temilade's contacts could provide.