The clock on the wall read 11:58 PM.
The ride to the marina felt longer than it should have.
No music.
No small talk.
Just silence and the sound of the engine cutting through the quiet Lagos night.
Shemmy sat beside Daevyd, her fingers locked together in her lap.
Ruth's voice echoed in her head.
"This could be a trap."
It probably was.
But turning back now didn't feel like an option.
Daevyd finally spoke as they approached the parking lot.
"If anything feels off, we leave immediately."
Shemmy nodded.
"Okay."
The car slowed to a stop.
The same empty marina parking lot from before.
Dim lights.
Still water.
Too quiet.
Daevyd turned off the engine.
Neither of them moved at first.
Then he looked at her.
"Stay close."
"I will."
They stepped out together.
The night air was cool.
The sound of distant waves filled the silence.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then headlights appeared in the distance.
A car.
Approaching slowly.
Shemmy's heart started beating faster.
The car stopped a few meters away.
The engine died.
The driver's door opened.
Emeka stepped out.
Same calm expression.
Same confidence.
Like he had been expecting them.
"Well," he said, walking toward them.
"You came."
Shemmy folded her arms.
"Don't waste our time."
Emeka smiled faintly.
"Straight to business. I missed that."
Daevyd stepped forward slightly.
"Talk."
Emeka glanced between them.
Then he sighed.
"Alright."
He stopped a few steps away.
"This isn't about your studio."
Shemmy's eyes narrowed.
"Then what is it about?"
"TechWave."
Daevyd crossed his arms.
"I figured."
Emeka nodded.
"Astra isn't just watching you."
"I know that."
"They're preparing to take everything."
"That's not new."
Emeka shook his head slowly.
"You still don't understand."
The tone of his voice changed.
Less playful.
More serious.
"They don't attack from the outside."
Shemmy frowned.
"Then how do they attack?"
Emeka looked directly at Daevyd.
"From inside."
Silence fell again.
Daevyd didn't react.
But Shemmy saw it.
That slight shift in his expression.
He was thinking.
"You're talking about the first company," Daevyd said.
"Yes."
Emeka nodded.
"You thought Astra destroyed it."
"They did."
"No."
Emeka stepped closer.
"They only finished what someone inside started."
Shemmy's chest tightened.
"The traitor."
"Yes."
Daevyd's voice dropped.
"I already told you. I thought it was Adrian."
Emeka shook his head again.
"Adrian was small."
"What does that mean?"
"He was working for money. For Tunde."
"Then who was working for Astra?"
The question hung between them.
Emeka looked straight at Daevyd.
"You really want to know?"
Daevyd didn't blink.
"Yes."
Shemmy felt her heart pounding now.
Because this was it.
The truth they had been circling around.
Emeka spoke slowly.
"The person who betrayed your company…"
"…was someone sitting at your table every day."
Daevyd's jaw tightened.
"Say the name."
Emeka didn't.
Instead he asked a question.
"Who handled your financial access back then?"
The answer came to Daevyd immediately.
But he didn't say it.
Shemmy noticed.
"You know."
Daevyd exhaled slowly.
"Stop playing games."
Emeka's voice dropped.
"I'm not."
He took another step forward.
"Your first company didn't fall because of bad luck."
"It fell because someone you trusted gave Astra access to everything."
Shemmy looked at Daevyd.
"Who was it?"
Daevyd didn't answer.
And that silence said everything.
Emeka nodded slightly.
"You see it now."
The wind moved through the parking lot.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then Emeka shifted his attention to Shemmy.
"I didn't come back just for him."
Shemmy frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I came back because of you."
Daevyd's expression darkened instantly.
"Careful."
Emeka ignored him.
He kept looking at Shemmy.
"Astra is coming for TechWave again."
"I know."
"And when they do…"
His voice softened slightly.
"Everything around him will burn."
Shemmy's stomach tightened.
"You mean me."
"Yes."
Daevyd stepped forward.
"You don't get to say that."
Emeka finally looked at him.
"I know what happens when Astra decides to destroy something."
"So do I."
"No," Emeka said quietly.
"You survived it once."
He paused.
"But next time…"
His eyes shifted back to Shemmy.
"…you might not."
Silence fell again.
Thicker this time.
More dangerous.
Shemmy's voice was steady when she spoke.
"Why do you care what happens to me?"
Emeka didn't hesitate.
"Because I never stopped."
The words landed heavily.
Daevyd's hands clenched.
Shemmy looked at Emeka.
"You don't get to come back into my life like this."
"I'm not trying to."
"Then what are you doing?"
"I'm giving you a choice."
Shemmy frowned.
"What choice?"
Emeka stepped back slightly.
"Walk away now."
"From what?"
"From him."
Daevyd laughed coldly.
"You're unbelievable."
Emeka ignored him.
He kept his eyes on Shemmy.
"Leave before Astra turns you into leverage."
Shemmy shook her head.
"I'm not leaving."
"You should."
"I won't."
Emeka sighed.
"Then at least be ready."
"For what?"
He looked at both of them.
Then said quietly,
"The next move."
Shemmy's heart skipped.
"What next move?"
Emeka reached into his pocket.
Pulled out his phone.
And showed them the screen.
A live video feed.
TechWave headquarters.
Lights on.
People moving.
But something was wrong.
Security.
Too much movement.
Too much tension.
Shemmy frowned.
"What is that?"
Emeka's voice dropped.
"It's already started."
At that exact moment
Daevyd's phone rang.
His security chief.
He answered immediately.
"What happened?"
The voice on the other end sounded urgent.
"Sir… we have a breach."
Daevyd's heart dropped.
"Where?"
"Inside the system."
Shemmy felt the world tilt again.
Emeka lowered his phone slowly.
And for the first time…
There was no smile on his face.
Because this time…
Even he looked serious.