The door didn't shut cleanly behind Akinwale. It clicked, but not fully. The kind of careless close that suggested he wasn't planning to stay gone.
Shemmy noticed it first.
Daevyd noticed everything else.
The boardroom still carried the weight of what had just happened. No one had moved since Akinwale stepped out. Papers sat untouched. Screens dimmed. The air felt heavy, like the room itself was waiting to see who would speak first.
Daevyd remained standing at the head of the table. He didn't rush to sit. His fingers rested lightly against the back of his chair, but he didn't claim it yet.
That alone made the others uneasy.
Shemmy stayed slightly behind him, close enough to hear his breathing, far enough not to interfere. Her eyes moved from face to face. Nobody looked at her directly, but she could feel it. They were measuring her presence, recalculating her importance.
One of the older board members cleared his throat. "We should continue."
Daevyd finally pulled the chair back and sat down. Slow. Controlled. His gaze lifted, settling on the man who had spoken.
"Continue what?"
The question landed flat. Not aggressive. Just precise.
The man hesitated. "The situation. The breach. We need to address—"
"The breach is contained."
Daevyd didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
Another board member leaned forward. "Contained doesn't mean resolved."
Daevyd turned his head slightly. "It means it's not getting worse."
That shut him up.
Shemmy watched the exchange carefully. This wasn't a normal meeting. Nobody was speaking freely. Everyone was testing the ground before each word.
Then the door opened again.
This time fully.
Akinwale stepped back in.
No apology. No hesitation. He walked straight to his seat and sat down like he had never left.
That was the first move.
Shemmy's jaw tightened slightly.
Daevyd didn't look at him immediately. He let the silence stretch first. Let the weight of that re-entry sit on everyone.
Then he spoke.
"You forget something?"
Akinwale adjusted his cuff. "Yes. Clarity."
The room shifted again.
Shemmy felt it. This was where the real conversation was starting.
Akinwale leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. His voice was calm, but there was intention behind every word.
"We keep circling the problem like it's small. It's not."
No one interrupted him.
"TechWave has been hit repeatedly. Internally and externally. Tonight only proves we don't have control over our own system."
Shemmy's eyes flicked to Daevyd.
He didn't react.
Akinwale continued, "Investors are already asking questions. Partners are hesitating. And we're sitting here pretending this is just another technical issue."
"It is a technical issue," Daevyd said.
Akinwale shook his head slightly. "No. It's a leadership issue."
There it was.
Clean. Direct.
Shemmy felt her chest tighten, but she didn't move.
Daevyd finally turned to face him fully.
"Say it properly."
Akinwale held his gaze. "You've lost control."
The words didn't echo. They settled.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
One of the women on the board shifted in her seat. Another man avoided eye contact entirely.
Daevyd leaned back slightly. Not defensive. Just… adjusting his view.
"Interesting."
That was all he said.
Akinwale watched him carefully. "This isn't personal."
Shemmy almost reacted to that, but she stopped herself.
Daevyd spoke before she could.
"It never is. Until it is."
Akinwale didn't smile this time. "We need stability."
"And you think you provide that?"
"I know I do."
The confidence wasn't loud. That made it more dangerous.
Shemmy studied him closely now. This wasn't a man improvising. He had thought this through. Maybe not everything, but enough to step forward.
Daevyd tapped the table once. Light. Controlled.
"How many of you agree with him?"
Silence.
Then a hand went up.
Slow.
Reluctant.
Another followed.
Not as hesitant.
Shemmy felt the shift immediately. The room wasn't divided evenly. It was leaning.
That was the real problem.
Daevyd nodded once, taking it in.
Then he stood up.
The movement was sudden enough to pull everyone's attention back to him.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't slam anything. He just moved closer.
Around the table.
Closing the distance.
He stopped behind one of the men who had raised his hand. Rested his fingers lightly on the back of the chair.
"Look at me."
The man hesitated, then turned.
"You think I don't see what's happening?"
No answer.
Daevyd leaned slightly closer. Not aggressive, but close enough to make the man uncomfortable.
"You think this is just about pressure from outside?"
The man swallowed. "We're trying to protect the company."
Daevyd straightened.
"So am I."
He moved again.
Now behind another.
"You?"
The man didn't respond.
Daevyd let out a quiet breath. Not frustration. Just acknowledgment.
Then he turned back to Akinwale.
"You're not leading them," he said.
Akinwale frowned slightly. "What?"
"You're giving them something to hide behind."
That landed.
Hard.
Shemmy saw it in their faces.
That slight shift.
That discomfort.
Akinwale leaned forward again. "Call it whatever you want. The outcome is the same."
Daevyd stopped walking.
Stood directly across from him.
"No. The outcome depends on one thing."
A pause.
Then—
"How far you've already gone."
That was the first real crack.
Akinwale's expression didn't break, but something in his eyes shifted.
Small.
But real.
Shemmy caught it.
Daevyd saw it too.
He stepped closer.
Close enough now that the rest of the room faded out.
"Because if this is just talk…" he continued quietly, "…we end it here."
Akinwale held his gaze.
"And if it's not?"
Daevyd didn't hesitate.
"Then you already crossed a line you can't come back from."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
Akinwale leaned back.
Just slightly.
And for the first time, he didn't answer immediately.
That was all Daevyd needed.
He turned away.
"Meeting adjourned."
Confusion hit the room instantly.
One of the board members spoke up. "We haven't—"
"It's done."
Daevyd didn't raise his voice.
But nobody argued again.
Chairs moved.
Slowly.
Uneasily.
People stood.
Not confident.
Not united.
Just… unsure.
Shemmy stayed where she was.
Watching Akinwale.
He didn't move right away.
He just sat there, eyes on Daevyd.
Then finally, he stood.
Adjusted his jacket.
And walked out again.
This time without a word.
The room emptied.
Until it was just the two of them.
Shemmy exhaled slowly. "That didn't end anything."
Daevyd didn't look at her.
"I know."
"You let him walk."
"I needed him to."
Now she looked at him fully.
That wasn't what she expected.
"Why?"
Daevyd finally turned.
His expression was different now.
Less controlled.
More… focused.
"Because now he thinks he has space."
A pause.
Then—
"And people make mistakes when they think they're ahead."
Shemmy held his gaze.
"You're sure he's the one?"
Daevyd didn't answer immediately.
He looked toward the door Akinwale had just walked through.
Then back at her.
"No."
That caught her off guard.
"No?"
"He's involved," Daevyd said. "But he's not smart enough to build this alone."
Shemmy felt that shift again.
That deeper layer opening.
"Then who is?"
Daevyd's jaw tightened slightly.
"That's what we find out next."
His phone buzzed.
He glanced at it.
And this time—
He didn't hide it.
He showed her.
A single message.
Unknown number.
"We're just getting started."
Shemmy's stomach dropped.
Because now it was clear.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.