Morning came slowly over Lagos.
The sun rose over the lagoon, but inside the Lekki apartment the atmosphere felt tense.
Shemmy stood in the kitchen staring at her phone. She had barely slept.
Every news platform still talked about the TechWave crash.
"TechWave loses millions in overnight breach."
"Startup giant under attack from unknown rivals."
But something else caught her attention.
Another headline.
"TechWave preparing emergency recovery."
Her heart skipped.
Daevyd.
She grabbed her phone immediately and called him.
Inside TechWave headquarters the emergency recovery process had already begun.
Engineers worked around the clock.
Monitors displayed lines of code as the system restoration slowly progressed.
SYSTEM RESTORE: 17%
Daevyd stood beside the lead engineer, eyes locked on the screen.
His phone vibrated.
Shemmy.
He stepped aside and answered.
"Good morning."
"You're restoring the system."
A small smile touched his face.
"You saw the news."
"Yes."
"How did you pull that off?"
"Insurance policy."
Shemmy exhaled softly.
"I knew you wouldn't go down without a fight."
Daevyd leaned against the glass wall.
"I told you we rebuild."
There was a pause.
Then Shemmy asked quietly,
"Did you sleep?"
"No."
"You should."
"I will later."
Shemmy hesitated before speaking again.
"Be careful today."
Daevyd frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't trust Tunde."
"Neither do I."
"But I feel like he's planning something else."
Daevyd's voice turned serious.
"I'll handle him."
Across Lagos Island, inside his penthouse office, Tunde watched the TechWave recovery update on his screen.
The restore percentage kept climbing.
SYSTEM RESTORE: 19%
His smile faded.
Then he sighed.
"Well done, Daevyd."
He tapped his desk slowly.
"Very impressive."
Behind him Nadia stood by the window.
Her arms folded.
"You underestimated him."
Tunde didn't look away from the screen.
"No."
"I expected resistance."
Nadia walked closer.
"So what now?"
Tunde finally turned toward her.
"Now we use the real leverage."
Nadia's eyes narrowed.
"You mean her."
Tunde smiled.
"Yes."
Later that afternoon Shemmy arrived at her fashion studio in Victoria Island.
The building looked normal again.
The chaos of the stolen designs had started fading.
Inside the studio assistants moved around organizing fabrics and mannequins.
Shemmy walked in carrying her sketchbook.
"Good morning everyone."
"Morning ma."
One of the assistants approached.
"You have a delivery."
"A delivery?"
"Yes. It arrived this morning."
A small black box sat on the desk.
No company name.
No sender.
Just her name written on the lid.
Shemmy frowned.
"That's strange."
She opened the box slowly.
Inside was a single object.
Her bracelet.
The one stolen the night the designs were leaked.
Her stomach tightened.
"How did this get here?"
Ruth walked into the studio at that exact moment.
"What happened?"
Shemmy showed her the bracelet.
Ruth's eyes widened.
"That's the one Adrian planted."
"Yes."
"But how did it get here?"
Ruth looked around the studio carefully.
"Someone wanted you to see it."
"Why?"
Before Ruth could answer, Shemmy's phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
Tunde's voice came through the line.
"Did you like the gift?"
Shemmy's face hardened.
"You."
Ruth whispered.
"Put it on speaker."
Shemmy did.
"What do you want?" she asked.
Tunde sounded amused.
"I returned something that belongs to you."
"How generous."
"Consider it a peace offering."
"There is no peace between us."
Tunde chuckled.
"You'd be surprised."
Ruth crossed her arms.
"Say what you want."
Tunde's voice dropped slightly.
"I want to meet."
Shemmy laughed bitterly.
"That's never happening."
"Think carefully before you answer."
"I already have."
Tunde sighed.
"Then maybe this will change your mind."
A new message arrived on Shemmy's phone.
She opened it.
A photo appeared.
Her blood ran cold.
It was Daevyd.
Standing outside TechWave headquarters earlier that morning.
But he wasn't alone.
Two men stood behind him.
Watching.
Shemmy's voice shook.
"What is this?"
Tunde answered calmly.
"Insurance."
Ruth stepped closer to the phone.
"You're threatening him."
"No."
"I'm protecting my investment."
"What do you want?"
Tunde spoke slowly.
"Come meet me tonight."
"Alone."
Shemmy's eyes darkened.
"And if I don't?"
There was a short silence.
Then Tunde said quietly,
"Then tomorrow morning…"
"…Daevyd Kng disappears."
The call ended.
The studio suddenly felt colder.
Ruth grabbed Shemmy's arm.
"You're not going."
Shemmy stared at the photo again.
The men behind Daevyd looked like professional security.
Or worse.
"He's serious," she whispered.
Ruth shook her head.
"This is a trap."
"I know."
"Then we call Daevyd."
Shemmy looked toward the window.
The city buzzed outside.
Cars moving.
People walking.
Life continuing.
But inside her chest something heavy had settled.
"I can't risk him."
Ruth's eyes widened.
"You're not thinking straight."
"I am."
Shemmy grabbed her bag.
"Where are you going?"
"To end this."
Ruth blocked the door.
"You're walking straight into his hands."
"Maybe."
"But if I don't…"
She looked back at the phone.
"…Daevyd could pay the price."
Meanwhile across the city Daevyd stood in the TechWave server room watching the recovery progress.
SYSTEM RESTORE: 31%
The lead engineer smiled.
"We're stabilizing the system."
For the first time all day Daevyd allowed himself a breath.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
A photo appeared on the screen.
Shemmy.
Walking out of her studio building.
Alone.
Heading toward the street.
Below the image was a short message.
"Your turn to chase."
Daevyd's heart dropped.
Because he realized something immediately.
She wasn't just meeting Tunde.
She was being lured.
And this time…
The trap had already closed.