Kenty burst through the compound gate, breathing heavily. "Dad!" she shouted.
Everyone rushed toward her.
Her hair was disheveled, and fear filled her eyes.
"What happened?" her father demanded.
She struggled to speak. "It's… Sonko."
David and Precious exchanged worried glances.
"What about him?" her father asked sternly.
Kenty swallowed hard.
"He's involved with dangerous people."
The words hung in the night air like thunder.
Her father's expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't know at first," she said, her voice trembling. "But tonight I overheard him talking on the phone."
She looked at the ground.
"He owes money to some men. Criminals."
Precious gasped softly.
Kenty continued.
"They want him to find a way to get money quickly… or they'll hurt him."
Her father crossed his arms.
"And what does that have to do with this family?"
Kenty hesitated.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"He told them… our family used to be rich."
The silence that followed felt heavier than the night itself.