The sound of Valerie's high heels clicking against the rough, dusty planks of the Ebute-Metta sawmill sounded completely out of place. The smell of her premium French perfume struggled with the heavy stench of old sawdust, wet mud, and local gin."Hold on! Stop right there!" Sledge barked, stepping out from behind a stack of timber. He was holding his heavy iron rod, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the elegant woman in the sharp red blazer. Behind her, two massive foreign bodyguards stood like brick walls, their hands resting subtly inside their tailored coats. "Who be this luxury packaging? This place no be boutique o!"Valerie stopped, her face completely calm. She didn't look bothered by the rough environment or the armed street boys surrounding her. She slowly adjusted her designer sunglasses and looked at Sledge."Tell your master that Valerie is here," she said, her voice smooth but commanding. "The offshore syndicate does not like to be kept waiting in the mud.""Let her pass, Sledge," Adekunle's voice echoed from the dark corner of the warehouse.Adekunle stepped into the dim light. He had dropped his suit; he was wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans, but his posture was straight and full of that heavy barracks authority. His calloused hands were folded over his chest.Valerie walked up to him, her eyes scanning his hardened physique and steady gaze. "Adekunle. Your father told me you were clever, but I didn't expect you to completely erase his twenty-year network in a single morning. The Apapa Port move was beautiful. Brutal, but beautiful.""I don't do comedy anymore, Valerie," Adekunle said coldly, pointing to a rough wooden crate. "Sit down or talk. Why did your international bosses send a lawyer to my sawmill?"Valerie didn't sit. Instead, she placed her sleek titanium briefcase on the crate and popped the electronic locks. Inside sat a single, encrypted satellite drive and a legal document stamped with international seals from Switzerland and London."Chief Solomon was our manager for the West African corridor," Valerie explained, leaning closer. "He handled the local protection for our shipping lines and illegal oil bunkering. In return, we funded his political ambitions. Now that he is spending his retirement in a maximum-security cell, his seat is vacant."She tapped the satellite drive. "This contains the access keys to three offshore bank accounts holding two hundred million dollars. It also contains the routing logistics for every major cargo ship entering the Lagos waters. My bosses want to hand these keys to you, Adekunle. You will control the entire maritime economy of this region."Sledge's jaw dropped so hard he almost swallowed his bitter kola. "Two... two hundred million dollars?! Chief pikin, that money fit buy the whole of this mainland axis!"The street boys in the back started whispering in pure excitement, their eyes glowing with the sudden illusion of extreme wealth.But Adekunle didn't smile. He looked at the glowing drive, then looked straight into Valerie's sharp, predatory eyes. He had learned the hard way inside his father's bunker that anything that looks too sweet on the street is always a beautifully disguised trap."Two hundred million dollars is a lot of money, Valerie," Adekunle murmured, his voice dropping into a dangerously quiet tone. "But international syndicates don't give out crowns for free. What is the catch?"Valerie's lips curved into a cold, beautiful smile. "Smart boy. The catch is simple. To activate these accounts, you must eliminate the only liability left in the script. Your father still knows the identities of our global board members. By tomorrow morning, Chief Solomon must suffer a sudden, unexplainable 'heart attack' inside his prison cell. Kill your father, Adekunle, and the global empire belongs to you."
