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EPISODE 46 – The Quiet Shift.


After the recording, I went around the house looking for Toyosi.

It felt like the girl had evaporated like hot water on a very dry harmattan morning.

Her bedroom door was locked.
Kitchen? Only pot, plate, and stove staring back at me.
Tiffany's room was empty as well.

I even stepped outside to look around for any clue as to where she might be but still got nothing.

I dialed her number — Unreachable.
Checked her WhatsApp — last seen was the previous day.

I felt that uncomfortable twist in my stomach. Because Toyosi is many things, but disappearing like rapture lite is not one of them.



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EPISODE 45 - The Recording.


The sun hammered my back like punishment as I crawled through the busy Ikotun road on a power bike. The heat was wicked, the kind that made the air shimmer like boiling water. Everywhere was noise — okada horns, people arguing, hawkers screaming prices like they were fighting for their lives. My heartbeat matched the chaos. In that heated environment ,I wasn’t searching for trouble… I was calculating it.

My eyes scanned every corner, every person crossing the road, every bag swinging carelessly from someone’s arm. I needed the perfect one — the kind of crime that was loud enough for people to chase me, but simple enough to earn me three years and nothing more. That was the plan. Get arrested. Enter Kirikiri. Find Black Mamba. Deliver Aristotle’s message. End him. Walk out alive. Easy peasy.. Atleast in theory.

Then I saw her.

A pregnant woman stood by the side of the road, her shadow practically melting into the hot ground. She held a black leather bag under her arm, big and full, the kind of bag someone wouldn’t drop without a fight. Sweat ran down her face, exhaustion written all over her. She looked like someone who needed mercy.

But today, mercy didn’t fit into my assignment. Not at all.

I slowed down, plastered on a harmless smile, and pulled up beside her.

“Aunty, this sun is too much for you o. Let me help you,” I said softly.

She turned, relief flickering across her eyes.

Then, with a well calculated move, I snatched the bag.

Her gasp cut through my chest sharper than any wound. I revved the bike and shot forward quickly.

“Thief! Thief!!” she screamed behind me, her voice slicing through the street.

People turned immediately, because as you well know, Lagos hates thieves more than they hate bad government.

But my mind screamed "Good— that was the point."
I needed attention. I needed to be chased.

But I didn’t expect an entire army of okada riders to come after me like I stole the money meant for the construction of their local government's borehole.

The roar behind me grew louder.
I glanced back — four… no, six bikes. All speeding. All angry. All determined.
My heart slammed against my ribs. I leaned forward, twisted the throttle, and the bike screamed under me. I darted between cars, flew past pedestrians, narrowly missed a danfo that swerved like it had a personal vendetta against me. The driver cursed at me but I didn't mind.

All I needed to do was just to lose them a little. Just enough for a dramatic arrest later.

But street chaos doesn’t care about your plans.

A sharp bend ahead. I took it too fast. My back tire skidded on gravel — my whole body lurched.
Before I know it! I rammed straight into an oncoming bike that was carrying two secondary school girls.

The world exploded.

Metal tore against metal. Screams filled the air. The bike spun and crashed to the ground. The two schoolgirls flew off — their uniforms fluttering like broken kites — and hit the concrete with sickening thuds.

They didn’t move. They died instantly.



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Episode 44 - The Debt Of LM.


Aristotle walked toward me slowly, hands behind his back like a patient executioner taking a stroll before the head hits the ground.

“Darous,” he said, voice calm like a chilled poison.
“So… I was told you’ve decided your punishment.”

I swallowed hard.

“Yes sir.”

He tilted his head the way a hawk studies a wounded chicken.

“You know…” he began, tone dropping into something almost proverb-like,
“A man who destroys a house with fire should not return with a bucket of water and call it compensation.”

Then he continued, voice flat and bruised with ego:

“You’re only still breathing… and being offered this second meeting… because of that sex game you won against me.”
He said it like the memory alone stabbed his pride.
“But that doesn’t mean you should insult my intelligence by telling me this nonsense.”

I kept quiet.
I’ve already learned the hard way that: interrupting Aristotle is like interrupting a firing squad.

“You believe…” he said slowly,
“…that after everything you caused…
your punishment…
is fixing walls?”

He didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t shout.

Which somehow made the fear settle even deeper.

I nodded carefully.

“Talk.”
The command came out low — like thunder rolling under the earth.

“I-I thought… as an engineer, I should fix the walls and… and—”

He lifted one gloved finger.

I shut up so fast my breath jammed.

Then he laughed.

Just a short, sharp tsk-hah behind the mask.

“Oh, Darous…” he said, head leaning slightly to the side.
“You really don’t understand the weight of what you did.”

He stepped closer — one slow, heavy step.

“You think plaster can cover the lives we lost?
You think cement can bring back L.M?”
His voice was a whispered accusation made of knives.
“He was one of my most valuable agents… and your stupidity erased him totally.”

He moved even closer.

“You think a bag of cement can return him to me?
You think a drum of paint can wipe away the other bodies buried because of your actions?”

He paused — letting each sentence enter me one by one like injections.

Then he straightened… brushed imaginary dust from his coat… and nodded to himself.

“You want punishment?”
Another quiet nod.
“Fine. I’ll give you one that fits perfectly.”




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drewbar:
I am paying payment now and will reach out on whatsapp bro

aiit boss

EPISODE 43 — The Ledger's Weight.


Detective Kalu remained by the window blinds long after Darous walked out of his office.

He watched the young man cross the station compound, enter that black GLE, and sped off.

When the car finally disappeared through the gate, Kalu let the blinds fall shut.

He exhaled deeply and said quietly:

“You can come out now.”

The restroom door at the corner of his office opened slowly.

Tiffany stepped out.


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Episode 42 is now available on my Telegram channel. As he dey hot

juninhouj:
I don't understand, how can I get the Whatsapp number?

Check below my name. Or my profile for details

Episode 43 – The Ledger’s Weight

SUMMARY.


In a room heavy with secrets and shadows, two unlikely allies confront the emotional wreckage left behind by betrayal, loss, and a system designed to break them. As tears fall and truths surface, a quiet war begins — one that demands loyalty, strategy, and the courage to carry what others died protecting.

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FRIENDS, FRENEMIES & FOES
EPISODE 42 – What Follows Us Home.

THE SUMMARY....

He left the office feeling tired, his mind already on food and sleep. The drive was normal at first — same road, same traffic, same routine.
But some minutes later, as he approached the turn leading into his street… he noticed it.

Something off.
Something out of place.
Something that shouldn’t be there — quietly waiting, like it had followed him all the way from the office.

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Hello everyone, good day to you all ❤️

I want to share something important with you about Friends, Frenemies & Foes.

I’ve been writing this story with my whole heart — late nights, long hours, constant planning, and deep emotional work. But along the line, I noticed something:

As you all know, there are so many ghost readers… very few reactions… and almost no engagement back.
And as much as I love writing and giving you the best story possible, the truth is that good work needs support.

So after thinking deeply, I’ve decided to move the full story to a private Telegram channel where only active supporters can access the episodes.

This is not to punish anyone.
It’s simply to make sure my hard work is respected, valued, and able to continue.

And before anything else…
I truly want to appreciate the few of you who always showed love.

Those of you who liked, commented, reacted, encouraged, and made me feel like someone was actually reading…
You’re the real MVPs.

Your small support meant a lot to me — more than you even know.
You’re the reason I kept writing on days when my brain was tired and my hands were shaking.
Thank you for standing by the story.
Thank you for showing up every time.

I see you.
I appreciate you.
And this new phase is also for you — so I can keep giving you the best.


Here’s how it will work:

🔹 Subscription fee: 1,000 naira for 10 episodes.
(You get access instantly, and new episodes will drop consistently — at least one every day.)

🔹 If you join when the episodes have passed 10,
you’ll pay ₦100 for each extra episode added after the initial 10.
Example: If there are 15 episodes when you join → 1,000 + (5 × 100) = 1,500.

This way, it’s fair for everyone — both early readers and those joining later.

I’m doing this so I can keep giving you high-quality writing, tension, humour, emotions, and the kind of storytelling you’ve been enjoying.

If you’ve truly loved this story so far…
If you want to keep following Darous, Tiffany, Kalu, Kenny, and The Circle mystery…
Then I believe this support won’t be too much.

Thank you for understanding.
Thank you for reading.
And thank you for supporting my craft.

Check my signature for the payment details and WhatsApp number to send the screenshot of the payment to. After which you get the telegram link.

Let’s continue this journey together. ❤️

EPISODE 41 – Shadows In The Store.



The next morning walked in casually, like, “Hope you’re ready?” And honestly, I wasn’t.

I woke up to kreeeen-kreeeen — Kenny’s call.
I hissed so loud the devil probably looked out the window.

This boy must have fried plantain oil inside his brain.
After everything I found out at midnight about the whole Circle matter, Toyosi’s confession, the setup, the profiling, all the unexpected twists…
Kenny still wants to join them by force like it’s NYSC recruitment program?

His call came in again.
And again.
And again.

At that point I knew if I didn’t pick, he would never stop.

I let out a low groan and picked.

“Hello Kenny, what is your problem?”
Straight to the point.

“Guy, why you dey do me like this na?”
His voice was calm.
Calm.
Kenny and Calm.
That alone was suspicious.

“Like… like how?” I asked, because I wasn’t prepared for this new gentle Kenny package.

“You know say promise na debt. You promise to help me out na… this suffer-suffer don tire me. Since Baba T don kpai, I just dey live to stay alive. Guy abeg… before they sign me as brand ambassador for Sapa group of companies...”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or hiss.

“Okay. Let’s meet later today at our joint. We’ll talk when we see.”

He agreed. I ended the call and dropped back on the bed. I turned my head to one side and saw Toyosi was still sleeping.

Wait — wait — before you start having funny ideas inside your brain:
Nothing happened. I mean nothing at all happened...I'm repeating myself again now that nothing happened oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

She just insisted on sleeping beside me like I was her emotional power bank.

And when I asked why, she said she doesn't know, only that she does “crazy things” when she’s scared.

You remember she told me that same statement the other night, abi? Fine.

I just need to clear myself before
you carry phone and call Tiffany that “Darous didn’t even wait for her to leave the house before he started knacking Toyosi her best friend.

Wait first... did I just call Toyosi her “best friend”?
Is that still her title after last night’s confession?

Well,.let me allow you to be the judge of that.

So like I was saying, I lay right there on the bed for like twenty minutes replaying everything she told me at midnight.

The setup.
The profiling.
The manipulation.
The therapist.
Bola.
And The Circle.

While I was deep in thoughts, my phone rang again.

The time was quarter past eight.
It was an unsaved number.

Normally I would ignore, but it could be Aristotle or somebody important. So I picked.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Darous…”

I recognised the voice instantly.

“Detective…” I said, getting up immediately and tiptoeing out of the room before Toyosi’s FBI ears would start listening to my conversation.

I got to the door and looked back at her.
She turned her head slightly on the pillow, adjusting herself, still sleeping.

Good.
I escaped quietly into the sitting room.

“So, when should I be expecting my phone today?” Kalu said.

My chest jumped small.
I completely forgot I promised him to get him his phone today.

“Errm… I’m on it sir. Give me till afternoon or evening. I'll definitely get it to you boss.”

“Good. I’ll be expecting your call.”

He hung up.

The rest of the morning played itself.
I called Tiffany like a madman — more than twenty times.
Her phone was off.
WhatsApp one-tick.
TikTok dry like Sahara.

Toyosi said we should give her two days. That she’ll calm down. I had no other choice than to trust and hope on that.

Moreover, If I give detective Kalu his phone, he already promised to help convince Tiffany that everything was just a ruse.
I pray it works because that might be my only chance to enter her emotional house again.
Every time my phone vibrated, a small part of me wished it was Tiffany. The annoying part? I don’t even know what I’ll say if she eventually picks my call or calls me.

Later in the afternoon, I dressed up for my meeting with Kalu and my other meeting with Kenny at our old spot — the place where Baba T was stabbed.

Ah, that place holds a lot of memories.
We used to laugh, gist, whyne each other till we nearly ran mad.

But now?
Baba T is gone.
Jude is invisible.
And Kenny has transformed into “Circle Lite — No Joy Edition.”

This outing will give me th chance to kill two stones with one bird— or kill one bird with two stones — or…
Look, you already know what I’m trying to say. Let's move to more important details.

So I went to the back store to pick detective Kalu’s phone and the flash drive.
I wrapped them in tissue the other day and kept them well-hidden.

But when I got there…

My whole body paused.

I stared at the tissue wrapper for almost five seconds. It had moved. I know how I keep my things—exactly where I drop them. So if it shifted, even by one inch… then someone entered this store.

Or maybe it was breeze. Or maybe some over–curious rat decided to do investigation on them. Anything is possible in this life. I just told myself to relax, tucked the phone and flash drive into my pocket and pretended nothing happened. At least I still found them there. That one alone was enough reason for me to be happy.

I already told Toyosi I’d be using the remaining car in the house. She said she wasn’t going anywhere that day, so I picked the car keys and drove out of the premises.

*******


Thirty minutes later, I got to Ikeja police station and walked straight into Detective Kalu’s office.

The man smiled like someone that just won a tax refund.

I didn’t even waste time. I brought out the phone and handed it to him.

“Ah, good boy! You did it,” he said, standing up.

The way this man grabbed it ehn… you’d think I returned his missing child. He inspected it like a mechanic checking engine oil — turning it around, pressing buttons, checking the screen.

When he confirmed everything was intact, he let out one long relieved sigh.

“Good. Very good,” he said. “You kept your word.”

“Abi na...,” I said.

“I don't even want to know how you did it but I will keep mine too,” he added. “I’ll talk to your girlfriend.”

Once he mentioned Tiffany, a sad feeling overtook my mind.

“Detective… she broke up with me last night,” I confessed slowly. “I didn’t tell her the truth. And she caught me. Everything have scattered.”

He paused. The man actually paused, looked at me, and shook his head like a disappointed uncle.

“Hmmm. Women…” he said like someone talking from experience. “Darous, listen. They react strongly to what they don’t understand. It’s for their protection. Nobody can blame them. But trust me she’ll be fine once you take care of that useless group.”

I nodded slowly even though the way he said those words, I couldn't tell if he was referring to Tiffany or another woman.

“She’s not even picking my calls,” I said. “Her friend said I should give her time to cook off.”

He waved his hand.

“Leave that one to me,” he said confidently. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll make sure she understands everything was just… what do you young people call it… a ruse.”

I almost smiled. The way he pronounced ruse like rooz.

He leaned back in his chair and switched the topic.

“So… anything new about the Circle? Any new development since we last spoke?”

I shook my head. “Nothing yet, sir. I’m still trying to connect the dots.”

He narrowed his eyes a bit like he didn't believe me.

“Hmm. Are you sure?”

“Yes sir. Nothing.”

He let out a breath and nodded like someone that didn’t fully believe me but decided to let it go.

“Alright,” he said finally. “Lets hope for the best.”

Before I stood up to leave, he added:

“And remember — your three months starts now. You must finish them. Completely. No excuses.”

“I know,” I said, standing. “I’m ready.”

We exchanged one warm handshake.

Then I turned and walked out of the office.



To be continued

Damilgodwin:
To be honest ehn. I am starting to doubt life itself 😁😁

Shey na human being nai dae creative like this ni 😁😁😁

Twale sir ooo💯💯🙌🙌

you welcome my boss

hatchetman:
I will stop coming here until next year.
I can’t keep reading these short updates, before suspense kee me

you mustn't my bro

yungbanks:
Omo seems we’re getting to the finish line already

finish what? Dey play... The ride is still long my bro

Episode 40 – Blueprint of a Trap

Tiffany was her mission?

For a few seconds I didn’t even know the correct reaction to pick.
Sadness?
Shock?
Anger?
Or that confused “God abeg, wetin be all this?” face you make when life is just dealing with you left, right, centre?

Toyosi looked away like even her own words were slapping her.

“But before you start throwing stones,” she said quietly, “you know how these people work. They don’t give you choices. And… on… on the bright side… everything I have today — the money I used to set myself up, the one I used to help Tiffany, even this house— all came from them. They just needed her to trust me. They wanted her close enough so I could finally find where the ledger was.”

My heart tightened the way you do when you realize life is about to collect its balance from you.

This world is truly… very… very… I don’t even have the vocabulary again. Let’s just leave it like that.

Tiffany trusted this girl with her full chest.
Loved her like sister, friend, adviser— all in one.
They laughed, shared secrets, did all the girly things girls like to do.

Meanwhile… Toyosi was on assignment.
A full mission.
With mission directive and mission benefits.

The memories rushed back — the first day I saw her. How she and Tiffany entered Mrs Adeoye’s party like they owned the place. Collecting attention from everyone fortunate to see them like free souvenirs.

And as I stood there, my brain finally clocked in to work and started connecting dots it should’ve connected since. Every unanswered question suddenly had one destination.

Since the day I met Toyosi, nothing about me was hidden from the Circle.

They knew the exact minute I was discharged.
They knew I met the detective that morning.
They even somehow knew I wanted to tell Tiffany everything that night.

So… it’s Toyosi.
She’s the one feeding them.
Wow.
No need to ask her. The evidence was dancing in front of me.

No wonder she said she was scared last night.

How do I even remove myself from this nonsense?

That question was still hanging in my head when her voice cut in again.

“I’ve tried to get the ledger from her more than a hundred times,” she muttered. “Every trick failed. Even her uncle that I tried to use couldn’t convince her. Tiffany is too stubborn. Anything concerning that ledger — she just doesn't want to hear it at all.”

Her face softened, something close to guilt. My mind flashed back to that night at their dining table — my first night in their house after leaving the hospital. The way Tiffany flared up when Toyosi told her to give her Uncle the ledger. That reaction felt strange back then… but now it makes sense.

“Chuka told me the Circle is getting impatient,” she continued. “They gave me just one more month — only one. But time is running. If I fail… I’m going back to prison. And this time the sentence will be doubled.”

As she said that, something told me my connection to the Circle might not be the simple thing I’ve been assuming. Something told me I was deeper in this than I even know.

I opened my mouth to ask her, but she beat me to it — like she was reading my mind.

“You must be… erm… wondering how it links back to you.” Her voice cracked. “None of this is supposed to leave my mouth. But what else do I do? You’re the only person I have left.”

Then she shifted closer, eyes red, shoulders tired.

“But before I tell you anything,” she said, “you must promise me something.”

I folded my arms.
“What’s that?”

“Promise me you’ll help me get the ledger from Tiffany.”

I almost laughed like a madman.

“Toyosi, how? Somebody that hates me with passion right now —”

“Use your sweet mouth,” she cut in. “I know Tiffany still loves you. She might be angry but she loves you more than you think. The things she’s done for you should tell you that. Just find one sharp way to win her back. You can do it.”

I stared at her like: is this girl okay at all?

She moved closer again, voice shaking.
“Please, Darous. I can’t go back to prison. I won’t survive it. You must help me. I’m finished if you don’t.”

I dragged a long breath, looked at the wall, ceiling… then after long, painful thinking, I nodded.

“Fine. I’ll help you. But tell me first — what’s in the ledger?”

“I don’t know,” she answered fast.

“What of Tiffany? Does she know?”

“She doesn’t. I guess that’s why the Circle wants it away from her before she figures out whatever is inside it.”

“But how is she keeping something she doesn’t even understand?” I asked.

Toyosi squinted. “All she told me is that her father warned her never to open it until the time is right.”

“Time is right? Which time?”

She lifted her hands. “I don’t know. Look, that’s not the point. The point is to get it from her… please.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll help you — but I’ll do it my own way.”

Even though the whole thing smelled like trouble mixed with conspiracy stew.
But if I want to take these demons down in the three months detective Kalu gave me, I need every information. I might even use the ledger for myself in this pursuit of bringing them down.

The moment I agreed, she didn’t waste a second.
She walked to the sitting room, grabbed a glass, poured cold water, took one long, stressful sip.

We sat on the cushions opposite each other and then she started talking.

“They warned us — no touching Tiffany, no rough play, nothing. Handle her gently like an egg. The instructions were simple.”

She paused to confirm I was still with her. I gave her a small nod.

“They didn’t want a repeat of what happened with her father. They believe Tiffany is even more stubborn.”

She shifted again.

“The moment they noticed I might fail, they brought someone else in. A therapist. Someone that will study Tiffany from inside without giving room for any suspicion.”

I just watched her as more continue to unfold.

“I was asked to convince Tiffany to see the therapist by any means. So when she broke up with her ex, I used it. She was weak that period, so I pushed it. That’s how she finally agreed to visit the therapist.”

I sighed deeply. This people and tactics.

She continued:
“The therapist reported back. She told the Circle the exact type of man Tiffany could ever trust and love. That’s when they brought in a profiler. Her name is Bola.”

The moment she said that name, my spirit sat up.

“Bola?” I whispered. “You know Bola too?”

She nodded.

"Eeeweeeeee. See my life for outside..." That was all I could mutter as shock spread across my mind.

“She’s the profiler hired to find the perfect guy for Tiffany. Someone that matched the therapist’s report.”

She wasn’t done.

“Initially, they didn’t need you because of your gift — seeing things, hearing things — whatever.”
She waved her hand like my ability was pure nonsense.

"Then what do they need me for?"

“Like I said earlier, everything I’m saying now is against the rules, but you’re the only one that can help me."

" And?"

" No. They don't need your abilities at first. They got more people for that already, they only needed you as a pawn. Someone they could slide into Tiffany’s life and use later incase I failed."

“No,” I cut in quietly. “ I've been swallowing everything you've been saying since morning but this is where I'll draw the line. I know what I'm saying. I approached Tiffany myself. We met on our own. No one introduced us to eachother at all." I said, nearly shouting as memories of how I met Tiffany stood at the center of my brain.

She hissed. “Okay. Dey play o Mr approacher. You think it was coincidence that you met her, oh you think you are the first guy to ever ask her out after her break up? Guy, it was planned by me and Bola.”

“How?....like how is that even possible” I asked in total confusion.

She leaned back.
“Listen well, because I won’t repeat myself.”

I nodded.

“Bola was your friend for six months. Six solid months. Studying you. Studying you and your guys. She even heard all of you talk about the type of girl you’d love to date — and you yourself told her more than once that Tiffany’s type was exactly your weakness.”

I didn’t blink cos what she was saying is the truth.

“And according to the therapist, you also fit the exact kind of man Tiffany would naturally fall for — hardworking, intelligent, and that your stupid funny words you use to charm people.”

She swallowed.

“But it was like icing on the cake when Bola told them you have this ability to notice tiny details, so that made the whole thing easier. Let’s be realistic — you can’t afford that resort where you met Tiffany if the Circle didn’t pay you for the ‘task’ they gave you. Those tasks were just to make you feel like they needed you only for your abilities. ”

I felt something shift in my stomach.

“Bola also said you mentioned that if you ever touched your first one million, you’d go to that resort. So once the money dropped in your account, I found a way to make Tiffany go there with me. And lucky me, you came the same day.”

She pointed at herself.

“I was sitting with her when you walked into that resort that day. Bola already sent me your picture. The moment I saw you, I excused myself and gave space. And that small assignment — setting you and Tiffany up — that was what bought me another month with the Circle.”

“Hmmm.”
That was all I could say as my whole body went still.
Everything lined up in my head — every single thing from the last seven to eight months of my life.

For the first time…

I realised I wasn’t dragged into their network because of my abilities. I was wrong all along.

I was selected.
Handpicked.
Purposely positioned.

A pawn in a game I didn’t even know I was playing.

To be continued.

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As a token of appreciation... I'll be sending you a little token for this masterpiece TBM. Kindly drop your account details. Please...... You are indeed an amazing writer... Wow... This story is the best on nairaland...

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wow... My sister... This is ... I don't even know what to say oooo... Thanks in a million.. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

EPISODE 39 – Before The World Stopped (Part II)

I watched her stand up, hiss under her breath, and start walking toward the door.
I just stood there, confused and blinking like someone who walked into the wrong meeting room.
Then it hit me — she told me not to interrupt her.

The realization rushed through me like cold water on a bald head.
Immediately, I jumped up, hurried after her, and gently held her hand before she could reach the handle.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry,” I said, tightening my grip slightly.
I leaned against the door, blocking it so she couldn’t pull it open.
Her eyes met mine, steady… unblinking… and we stayed locked in that strange silence that stretched longer than it should have.

Then from nowhere, she said, “Kiss me.”

I blinked.
Kiss you? Now? Out of everything happening in the world?

“Kiss me right now,” she repeated, “or get out of my way.”

Her tone didn’t just sound serious. It sounded like a command.

I paused and started searching for loopholes in her command like a man reviewing a contract.
She said I should kiss her — but she didn’t mention the location.

It may be forehead? Hand? Shoulder?
And if she insists on a more deeper one, I'll go for the neck. That's still reasonable because I really need to get to the bottom of all these.

So I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Done,” I said with a small smile.

The expression she gave me was enough to tell me she wasn't satisfied.

“If I want a platonic kiss,” she said calmly, “I’ll go to my father or my brother.”

“But… but you didn’t—”

Before I could finish the sentence, she grabbed the back of my neck, pulled me closer in one swift move, and kissed me on the lips — firm, warm, and unquestionably intentional.

I tried to resist, but immediately the god of thunder appeared in my mind, pointing a lightning bolt at my forehead and warning me that if I dared to resist, he would personally make sure I suffered for nine hundred years in his kingdom and that no woman would ever look in my direction again.

With that threat from above, I stopped fighting and allowed myself to flow with the moment.

It went on for a few minutes, and the whole thing was beginning to escalate into an empty land I knew I wasn’t ready to build anything on. So I decided to end it before things crossed a line that would come back to haunt both of us.
I was just about to gently pull away when she beat me to it — she stepped back suddenly, her face unreadable, and let out one dry, humorless laugh.

“Of course… the one that got life,” she said.

Just like you right now, the sentence didn’t land at first.
Not until she continued.

“It sounded too perfect. Too sweet to be true. But a few days later, there I was… walking out of the prison yard. And my boyfriend was released the same day. You can imagine the kind of joy I felt at that moment.”

She walked back to the bed and sat down slowly, as if the weight of her memories was trying to settle on her shoulders.

“A car was waiting for me at the gate. That was when I met a guy.”

I moved closer and sat beside her, focusing entirely on her voice.

“A guy named Chuka picked me up…”

My heart didn’t just stop — it took a short vacation.
My back straightened, my breathing dissolved into fragments, and my eyes expanded before I even realized it.

Chuka?

But she continued talking calmly, unaware of the earthquake she had triggered inside me.

“He introduced me to the network. He started giving me tasks — simple and well calculated assignments. Because of my ability to plan things with precision… I became valuable.”

Right there, something inside me simply switched off.

The fear… the questions… the shock… everything just slowed down into one heavy silence.

The Circle.
Aristotle.
Chuka.
And Toyosi — soft-spoken, innocent-looking Toyosi — was saying all of this like she was listing groceries?

I dragged my hand over my head and looked at her again, trying to understand how she was the same person sitting in front of me.

She kept speaking.

“I completed every mission… election planning, predicting political outcomes, preventing situations from exploding in public. They paid me more money than I’d ever seen, but I was never free.”

I believed her.
My own experience with them was enough proof.

“Then one day,” she continued, “after my first set of missions, I was introduced to Aristotle. And he gave me the same sex game you had today.”

Her eyes dimmed slightly. She rubbed her arms like she had suddenly become cold.

“He brought out a man. Someone due for punishment. And he told me to have sex with him… until his skull breaks open.”

She said it like she was announcing the weather.

“The man didn’t even last one minute,” she added. “I gave him the kind of sex his body wasn’t designed to survive.”

My mouth parted slowly.
Not because of the sex — please, we are adults.
But because this meant the sex game madness had been happening long before me. Before Cynthia.

I swallowed hard.
“So… what happened to him?”

She looked at me with a calmness that didn’t match the story.

“Chuka shot him. Point blank.”

The moment she said that, an image flashed in my mind. Assuming I'd failed the sex game today… I could imagine my body being packed into a leather bag somewhere behind Aristotle’s mansion.

She continued.

“After that, Aristotle told me I had earned my chance. A chance for one final test. If I completed it successfully… I would be free forever.”

I leaned forward slowly.

“And what kind of test was that?”

She didn’t answer immediately.
Her eyes drifted — from me… to the floor… to the wall… back to me.
The room became painfully quiet, like the world was waiting for the truth to drop.

Finally, she exhaled.

“Tiffany.”

My heart forgot it had a job.

“Sorry… who…?”
Even though I heard it clearly.

“Tiffany,” she repeated. “Tiffany was the mission.”

I sat back slowly, my mind losing balance.
If confusion had a hospital, they would have rolled a bed into the ICU for me without asking questions.

She wasn’t finished.

“They told me the real reason they released me from prison. It wasn’t because I was smart or beautiful.
It was primarily because of my childhood relationship with Tiffany.”

A cold wave slid across my back.

“They said Tiff has something they’ve been searching for. A ledger her father gave her before he died. A ledger they need.
I was ordered to retrieve it… at all costs.”

My eyes widened slowly.

Tiffany?
My very own Tiffany?

And just like that… something shifted, and I realized I wasn’t in control of anything anymore.

To be continued...

Drop your reactions immediately. It's important. Reactions are like fuel for the next episode... I'm telling you

ghettochild:
Shebi I talk am say toyosi na member…
Me wey sabi plot of stories

you try 😂😂😂

yungbanks:
Nice episode anticipating more boss

thanks boss man

Abdulreheem:
Let me guess
That her boyfriend might be chuka or the limping man 😀😀😀

you are in for a long one bro... 😂😂😂😂

Episode 38 — Before The World Stopped.

There’s something about a good shower that resets a human being’s entire system. I don’t know the bandit… sorry, I mean the science behind it. All I know is that once water touches your skin, even your problems will calm down and behave — the way Barcelona behaved when they entered Stamford Bridge in 2025.

After the bath, I wrapped a towel around my waist and dropped onto the bed.
That was when the entire day started replaying itself in HD inside my head.

This my “excellent memory,” as in my talent ehn… sometimes it’s a blessing, sometimes it’s a curse, and sometimes it’s a bully. My whole body was begging for sleep, but my brain said, “Relax, alaye. We haven’t finished reviewing today’s episode.”

Most nights, it’s a battle — brain versus body. Sometimes my body wins, sometimes my brain forces my body to surrender. But tonight? My body carried the trophy, because before I knew it, I slept off right in the middle of replaying Aristotle’s ‘punishment assignment’ in my head — the one where I’m supposed to figure out what I deserve for everything that happened in that mansion.

I don’t know how long I was gone, but I woke up when something tapped my thigh.

I mumbled one useless word and opened my eyes — only to see Toyosi sitting beside me on the bed.

She was wearing her usual tissue-paper nightwear. The one she only wears when it’s just the two of us in the house. A soft smile appeared on her face the moment our eyes met. Even her nipples were greeting me through the cloth.

I sat up immediately, confused for a second.

“What is it?” I asked.

She didn’t answer. She only pointed at my waist.

“You might want to keep that dagger away…” she said, almost laughing.

I looked down.
The towel had shifted.
My penis was outside like it came for roll call.

I adjusted myself quickly, feeling somehow embarrassed about the whole thing.

“What are you doing here?” I asked again.

She smiled — that small but annoyingly beautiful smile.

“Now I understand why you’re the talk of the town…”

I frowned slightly.
“What do you mean by that?”

She didn’t answer. The smile just grew a little more… seductive this time.
That was my cue to stand up. I went straight to my box — the one I had already packed — dragged out a pair of shorts, and rushed into the bathroom.

By the time I stepped out, she was lying on her back on the floor.

“Are you high?” I asked, but she didn’t respond.

“Toy, what are you doing here na?”

She still ignored me like I was one spam email she didn’t subscribe to.

My head was already running through a lot of thoughts.
The dream from last night came back first — the one where Tiffany stabbed her, and she died. Then I remembered how Tiffany stormed out earlier.

What if she came back and saw her friend dressed like this inside my room?
Let’s not lie — that alone is enough to start a war without any explanation needed.

I was still battling all that when her voice cut into my thoughts again.

“You know this life, there’s always a first time for everything. Like when a team suddenly loses their winning streak. Or when a girl loses her virginity. All those things.”

Then she propped herself up, resting her head on one palm with her elbow on the floor.

“Before today, Aristotle has never lost that game he played with you.”

My mouth opened on its own.

Before my brain even arranged how she knew Aristotle’s name — talk less of knowing the exact sex game that maniac forced me to have with Cynthia — she continued like she didn’t just drop the atomic bomb inside my brain’s Hiroshima.

“Now after seeing that dagger you call a penis, I think I finally understand why…”

My whole head just scattered.
It was honestly one of the most confusing moments of my life. I was lost. Completely lost. My brain was just beeping like a small computer that needed more information before it could understand the command Toyosi just dropped. She adjusted the straps of her cloth and continued.

“You know… in this life, there are things we think we know… there are things we don’t know… and there are things we don’t even know we don’t know.”

I froze.

Again, my brain, with its annoying sharpness, dragged me straight into flashback mode.
I remembered where I had heard those exact words.

It was from Chuka.

My knees became weak instantly, like someone unplugged the bones.
I dropped onto the bed because standing wasn’t working again. I kept staring at her on the floor, trying to read her face, trying to connect something — anything at all — but her eyes and actions weren’t giving me anything.

“Darous,” she said quietly, but didn’t wait for a response before continuing.
“What I’m about to tell you… it must never leave this room. It must stay between us until we stop breathing.”

I couldn’t talk, even though I wanted to. I’m not sure if it was shock or the stress of the whole day, but my voice just refused to come out.

Then the god of thunder whispered:
“Don’t worry, son. I’ve muted you from this end. At this point, you don’t need to talk. Just listen.”

Toyosi sat up slowly, brushing her hair back like she needed to steady herself. She pulled her knees close, rested her elbows on them, and stared at the marble floor as if she was dragging out a memory she wasn’t proud of. Then she lifted her head and locked eyes with me.

“Darous… eight years ago, my ex-boyfriend and I were sentenced to jail.”

My heart skipped. The mute button life put on me instantly turned itself off.

“Wha— jail? As in… pri— prison?” I managed to say.

She raised her hand immediately.
“Please… Darous, please, don’t interrupt me. Let me finish.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and nodded.

She took a slow breath.

“Back then… we were into robbery.”
Her voice was steady, but her eyes looked far away. “Not small-small stealing. We had a gang. All of us were eighteen years old. We called it Eighteen Gang. Clark — my ex — founded it, but I was the one behind all our successful operations.”

My face went blank. I honestly didn’t know what expression to wear to this occasion of her confession.

“We didn’t kill. We didn’t rape,” she continued. “Those were our rules. Every mission was planned with precision by me. We robbed banks, strong rooms, private facilities… just anywhere money was a tenant.”

She gave a small, sad smile.
“And we made a lot. Darous, a lot of ego… enough kudi to live life like we owned the biggest company in the country.”

She shifted slightly, adjusting her legs, and as she moved, I noticed her panties peeking between her thighs — but my brain didn’t even process it properly. Her words were heavier than anything romantic at that moment.

“Our last job…” she said quietly. “That was where everything scattered. We weren’t supposed to touch a bullion van. I was totally against it. I warned them. The risk was too high. Too open. Too exposed. But everybody wanted one final operation — one big job that would settle all of us for life.”

Her fingers tightened slowly against her palms.

“They begged me to tag along. I refused. We were on it for more than two weeks; each day that passed reduced the window of opportunity. But after much pestering and begging from my boyfriend — who even threatened to break up with me — and me being young and foolish and naïve, I finally agreed. I set a plan and the plan worked. Perfectly. We got the van. We got the bags. We were already leaving. No shootout, no alarm, nothing. Everything went exactly the way I designed it.”

She paused… then her voice dropped.

“Until one trigger-happy policeman decided to act like Rambo.”

She shook her head regretfully.

“He fired. He shot one of us. Killed him instantly. And that was it. The rest of the gang broke the rule. They fired back. The police fired back. It turned into a big mess.”

She swallowed, her voice thinning.

“They caught us that day — all of us, including the dead ones. Took us to court and sentenced us. I was given thirty-five years… my boyfriend got life… because he killed a policeman…”

Her eyes met mine again — this time with a kind of tiredness I’d never seen in her eyes.

“And that… is how my life went from being the smartest girl in the room… to being a beautiful prisoner.”

She kept her eyes on the floor for a moment, like she needed strength to open the next chapter of her story.

“I had resigned to fate,” she said quietly. “Prison was my home now. I wasn’t fighting it. But two years into my sentence… someone approached me.”

She looked up at me with eyes filled with nothing but regret and sadness.

“He said they could make my sentence disappear. Completely. Wipe it clean. But only if I agreed to work for them.”

My eyebrow jumped on its own at that revelation.

“And you agreed?” I asked before I could even stop myself.

She shot me a warning look — another look I’d never seen on her face before.

“What did I say about interrupting me?”

“Oh… I’m sorry… continue please… please… no vex.”

She rubbed her nose gently and nodded slowly. “I agreed immediately to the offer. Who wouldn’t? I was going to be fifty-four by the time I finished my sentence… I didn’t want that for myself. And to even make the offer more tempting, they promised to help release my boyfriend once I accepted.”

“Same boyfriend that got life?”

I was expecting a response from her, but instead, what I got surprised me.

Hey readers, how do you want the episodes?

Long? Short? Or moderate?

dawno2008:
I just dey see am 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

but I don wise up jare... After one puna... I don dey type again... I owe you guys that

dawno2008:
@tbm ya barca don turn efulefu for chelshit 🤣🤣🤣see better whipping 😂😂walahi,e don over red 🔥for barca😅even their over hyped yamal no see road 🤣🤣🤣

Abeg no let barca affect our updates,🤭🤭🤭🤭

he don affect am already o. Till further notice my boss. Good night 😴

No update till further notice... Abeg... What a sad night....