Ogechi returned to the office the next morning with fear in her chest and Pepper’s hair still on her sleeve, but she refused to run. She showed Damilola the anonymous message, and his face hardened in a way that made the air in the room cold. — Only 4 people had access to that office yesterday. — Then 1 of them has long fingers, she said. — And a longer mouth. Vanessa floated past the glass door in red heels, smiling as if she had swallowed somebody’s secret. For 3 days, Ogechi learned faster than anybody expected. She fixed a projector before a board meeting, discovered missing files in the server logs, and caught an accounts officer trying to forward confidential reports to Damilola’s rival. Staff began to whisper her name differently. Not as the poor girl. Not as the fake fiancée. As the woman who saw what others missed. That made Vanessa dangerous. On the 4th day, Damilola’s mother, Chief Mrs. Adeniran, arrived without warning, wrapped in lace and diamonds, with the pride of a woman who believed money was a bloodline. She looked at Ogechi from head to toe. — So this is the girl my son wants to carry to Dubai? Ogechi bowed slightly. — Good afternoon, ma. — Don’t ma me. Which family are you from? Which estate? Which board does your father sit on? Ogechi swallowed. — My father was a school clerk before he died. My mother sells dried fish in Onitsha market. The older woman laughed like a slap. — Damilola, you will not embarrass this family with a hungry woman you found by mistake. Damilola stood. — Mother, enough. — No. Your father built this name. You will marry Senator Balogun’s daughter, not this rent-begging girl. The words hit Ogechi harder than Vanessa’s insults because they were spoken in front of staff, security, and visitors. Still, she did not cry. — Ma, poverty is not a disease. And hunger is not a crime. Chief Mrs. Adeniran turned slowly. — But shame is contagious. Damilola ordered everyone out, but the damage had already gone viral inside the building. By evening, blogs carried the headline: Billionaire Hires Broke Girl As Fake Fiancée For Dubai Deal. Someone had leaked the contract. Damilola’s investors began calling. His family accused Ogechi of trapping him. Vanessa entered his office pretending to help. — Sir, maybe she sold it. Poor people panic when they see money. Ogechi heard from the doorway. She walked in quietly. — Madam, poor people may lack money, but wicked people lack fear of God. Vanessa’s face changed. Damilola looked between them, unsure for 1 painful second. That 1 second broke Ogechi’s heart more than the insult. — You think I leaked it? — Ogechi— — No, sir. Answer like CEO. Damilola did not speak fast enough. She stepped back, nodded, and placed her ID card on his desk. — Then find another fake fiancée. I have been poor before. I can survive it again. She walked out while staff watched in silence. That night, rain beat against her window in Surulere as Pepper curled beside her. Then her phone rang. It was Damilola, but she did not pick. A second later, Vanessa sent a video. In it, Damilola’s mother was saying, — Once the Dubai investors see the senator’s daughter beside him, this nonsense girl will disappear. Vanessa’s voice followed, laughing softly. — And the leak? — Already done. By tomorrow, he will blame her completely. Ogechi sat up slowly, the rain suddenly sounding like drums before war.
Part 3
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