The drive back to Lekki felt longer than usual.
Traffic crawled slowly across the bridge while the city lights reflected off the wet road. Lagos was alive as always, but inside the car everything felt quiet.
Too quiet.
Shemmy sat beside Daevyd staring out of the window. Her mind kept replaying everything that had happened at the marina.
Tunde.
The strange investors.
And Daevyd's father suddenly appearing after fifteen years.
Nothing about the night made sense.
Daevyd kept his eyes on the road, both hands steady on the steering wheel. His face looked calm, but she could feel the tension in the car.
Finally she spoke.
"Do you believe him?"
Daevyd didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know."
"That didn't sound like a guess."
"It might not be."
Shemmy turned toward him.
"So there really could be another group behind all this?"
Daevyd nodded slightly.
"The names in that file were real companies."
"And Astra?"
"I've heard the name before."
Her stomach tightened.
"That's not comforting."
"It shouldn't be."
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
When they reached the apartment building in Lekki, security was already waiting.
Two guards stood at the entrance.
Another watched the underground parking area.
Shemmy frowned.
"Since when do you have this much security?"
"Since tonight."
They stepped out of the car.
One of the guards approached quickly.
"Everything clear, sir."
Daevyd nodded.
"Keep it that way."
They walked toward the elevator together.
The doors slid closed and the elevator began to rise.
For the first time that night Shemmy allowed herself to breathe.
But the feeling of unease refused to leave.
"What if your father is right?" she asked quietly.
Daevyd leaned back against the elevator wall.
"He might be."
"And if this Astra group is watching TechWave…"
"They won't stop."
Shemmy crossed her arms.
"So what do we do?"
Daevyd looked at her.
"We keep building."
"That's not exactly comforting."
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped into the apartment.
The familiar space should have felt safe.
Instead it felt strangely exposed.
Shemmy dropped her bag on the couch.
"I hate this feeling."
"What feeling?"
"Like we're being watched."
Daevyd walked to the large window overlooking the city.
"You're not wrong."
Shemmy stared at him.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No."
He turned back toward her.
"But it means we know this isn't random anymore."
She rubbed her temples slowly.
"This started with stolen designs and jealous exes."
"And now it's something bigger."
"Exactly."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Shemmy sighed softly.
"You know what scared me most tonight?"
Daevyd looked at her.
"What?"
"The way your father looked at me back there."
"What about it?"
She hesitated before answering.
"It felt like he already knew I could be used against you."
Daevyd's expression darkened slightly.
"I noticed that too."
"That means I'm a weakness."
"You're not."
"You can't promise that."
"I can protect you."
Shemmy gave him a tired smile.
"From billionaires and secret investors?"
Daevyd didn't answer.
Instead he walked over and pulled her gently into his arms.
Shemmy leaned against him.
For a moment everything felt quiet again.
Just the two of them breathing.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered.
"I know."
"I just wanted to build my brand."
"And you still will."
She looked up at him.
"You sound confident."
"I have to be."
Shemmy laughed softly.
"You always do that."
"What?"
"Pretend everything is under control."
He smiled slightly.
"Someone has to."
Her phone buzzed suddenly on the table.
Both of them looked at it.
Unknown number.
Shemmy hesitated.
"Don't answer it," Daevyd said.
But curiosity won.
She picked up the phone.
A message appeared.
We warned you.
Shemmy frowned.
Another message arrived instantly.
A photo.
Her fashion studio.
Taken from outside the building.
The lights were still on inside.
Her assistants were clearly working late.
Shemmy's heart skipped.
"They're watching me."
Daevyd grabbed the phone.
His expression hardened immediately.
"This picture was taken tonight."
"How close are they?"
Before he could answer, his own phone started ringing.
His security chief.
Daevyd answered immediately.
"What is it?"
The voice on the other end sounded tense.
"Sir… there's been an incident."
Daevyd's stomach tightened.
"Where?"
"Victoria Island."
Shemmy already knew.
"Your studio."
Her blood ran cold.
Daevyd ended the call slowly.
"What happened?" she asked.
"There was an explosion."
The room felt like it tilted.
"My studio?"
Daevyd nodded.
"The building caught fire."
Shemmy grabbed his arm.
"My team was inside."
"They got out."
"Are they okay?"
"Yes."
But his voice still carried tension.
Shemmy sat down heavily on the couch.
Her hands trembled.
"They actually did it."
Daevyd walked back toward the window.
The calm look on his face had vanished.
Only anger remained.
"They wanted to send a message."
Shemmy looked up slowly.
"What message?"
Daevyd's voice turned cold.
"That they're done hiding."
Outside, across Lagos, orange flames rose into the night sky.
Shemmy's studio burned while emergency sirens echoed through the streets.
And somewhere in the city…
Someone was watching the fire spread.
Waiting to see what Daevyd would do next.