A black Rolls-Royce.
The entire compound fell silent.
Kemi frowned.
Mr. Obiora slowly stood from his chair.
And when the driver stepped out to open the rear door…
even the servants stopped breathing.
Tunde Bello himself emerged from the luxury car.
Young.
Handsome.
Powerful.
The billionaire heir everyone in Nigeria talked about.
Kemi’s face lit up instantly.
She hurried forward, fixing her dress.
“Tunde—”
But Tunde ignored her completely.
His eyes locked onto Malik.
And suddenly…
the richest man in the compound looked nervous.
Very nervous.
Then something impossible happened.
Tunde Bello walked directly toward the dusty village farmer…
and bowed his head respectfully.
“Sir,” he said carefully.
The entire courtyard froze.
Kemi blinked in confusion.
“What is this?”
Nobody answered.
Because Mr. Bello had just stepped out of the Rolls-Royce too.
The great Chief Bello himself.
One of the most feared businessmen in West Africa.
And the second he saw Malik…
his face drained of color.
Then, slowly—
terrifyingly—
the billionaire removed his cap in respect.
“My apologies,” Chief Bello said quietly. “We did not know you would come personally.”
A cold silence exploded across the compound.
Kemi laughed nervously.
“What kind of joke is this?”
Still nobody answered.
Because every servant near the gate had suddenly lowered their heads.
Even Mr. Obiora looked stunned.
Chika stared at Malik in disbelief.
The dusty farmer finally spoke.
Calm.
Quiet.
“You promised your son a wife,” he said to Chief Bello. “So why are you here apologizing to me?”
Chief Bello swallowed hard.
“Because if we had known Chika Obiora was the woman chosen for you…”
His voice weakened.
“…my family would never have interfered.”
Kemi’s smile disappeared completely.
“What are you talking about?”
Malik finally turned toward her.
And for the first time, she felt something terrifying behind his silence.
Then he reached into his pocket and handed a document to Mr. Obiora.
