THE LAGOS RETURN: CHAPTER 1

THE INTERVIEW

Chike did not sleep that night.

Eko Hotel. Room 305. 10am. The words kept ringing in his head.

He ironed his only good shirt. It was old, but clean. He borrowed his friend's shoe.

At 9:55am, he was at Eko Hotel gate. The security almost stopped him.

"I have appointment. Room 305. Madam Amara," he said, his voice shaking.

At exactly 10am, he knocked.

"Come in," a cold voice said.

Amara was sitting by the window. She wore a black dress. Her legs crossed. She looked like a different person. Rich. Powerful. Untouchable.

"You came," she said without smiling.

"Yes. You said you have a job for me."

"I do. My company, Nova Empire, is opening a Lagos branch. I need a personal driver and errand boy. Someone who knows Lagos well. Someone desperate enough not to steal."

Chike's face fell. Driver? Errand boy?

"I have degree, Amara. I studied Business Management."

"And now you carry cement for Festus," she replied sharply. "Degree does not pay your mother's hospital bills. This job pays 300,000 naira monthly. Plus health insurance for your mother."

Chike's eyes widened. 300,000? For a driver? And health insurance?

"Why me? You hate me."

Amara stood up and walked to him. She was so close he could smell her expensive perfume.

"I don't hate you, Chike. Hate is for people I care about. You are just... useful. You worked for Festus for two years. You know where he keeps my mother's documents. You know his business. You will be my eyes inside that house."

So this was it. She wanted him to spy on his boss.

"If Festus finds out... he will kill me."

"If you don't do it, your mother will die. The hospital said she needs surgery next week. 2 million naira. Where will you get it?"

Chike collapsed into a chair. She knew everything.

"What do you want me to do exactly?"

"Simple. You continue working for Festus. But you report everything to me. Every paper you see, every meeting, every plan he has to sell my mother's land. And in return, I pay for your mother's surgery and give you this job."

She dropped a file on his lap. Inside was his mother's hospital bill, already stamped PAID by Nova Empire.

Chike started crying. "You... you paid?"

"I paid yesterday. Your mother is being moved to a private ward today."

He looked up at her, confused. "Why are you helping me after what I did to you?"

Amara's eyes finally softened for one second.

"Because despite everything, you were the only person who was kind to my mother when she was alive. I remember that."

Then her face became cold again.

"So, do we have a deal? Will you work for me, Chike?"

Chike wiped his tears and knelt down.

"Yes, Madam Amara. I will work for you. I will do anything you say."

Amara smiled. A slow, dangerous smile.

"Good. First task. Tonight, Festus will have a meeting in my mother's house. He wants to sell the back land to a developer. I want you to take a picture of that agreement. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Madam."

"Good boy. Now go. And Chike... don't call me Amara again. Call me Madam Nova. Everyone does."

Chike left the room, his heart beating fast. He had just sold himself to the woman he once broke.

Amara watched him leave from the window. Her hands were shaking again.

What was she doing? Was this still revenge?Chike did not sleep that night.

Eko Hotel. Room 305. 10am. The words kept ringing in his head.

He ironed his only good shirt. It was old, but clean. He borrowed his friend's shoe.

At 9:55am, he was at Eko Hotel gate. The security almost stopped him.

"I have appointment. Room 305. Madam Amara," he said, his voice shaking.

At exactly 10am, he knocked.

"Come in," a cold voice said.

Amara was sitting by the window. She wore a black dress. Her legs crossed. She looked like a different person. Rich. Powerful. Untouchable.

"You came," she said without smiling.

"Yes. You said you have a job for me."

"I do. My company, Nova Empire, is opening a Lagos branch. I need a personal driver and errand boy. Someone who knows Lagos well. Someone desperate enough not to steal."

Chike's face fell. Driver? Errand boy?

"I have degree, Amara. I studied Business Management."

"And now you carry cement for Festus," she replied sharply. "Degree does not pay your mother's hospital bills. This job pays 300,000 naira monthly. Plus health insurance for your mother."

Chike's eyes widened. 300,000? For a driver? And health insurance?

"Why me? You hate me."

Amara stood up and walked to him. She was so close he could smell her expensive perfume.

"I don't hate you, Chike. Hate is for people I care about. You are just... useful. You worked for Festus for two years. You know where he keeps my mother's documents. You know his business. You will be my eyes inside that house."

So this was it. She wanted him to spy on his boss.

"If Festus finds out... he will kill me."

"If you don't do it, your mother will die. The hospital said she needs surgery next week. 2 million naira. Where will you get it?"

Chike collapsed into a chair. She knew everything.

"What do you want me to do exactly?"

"Simple. You continue working for Festus. But you report everything to me. Every paper you see, every meeting, every plan he has to sell my mother's land. And in return, I pay for your mother's surgery and give you this job."

She dropped a file on his lap. Inside was his mother's hospital bill, already stamped PAID by Nova Empire.

Chike started crying. "You... you paid?"

"I paid yesterday. Your mother is being moved to a private ward today."

He looked up at her, confused. "Why are you helping me after what I did to you?"

Amara's eyes finally softened for one second.

"Because despite everything, you were the only person who was kind to my mother when she was alive. I remember that."

Then her face became cold again.

"So, do we have a deal? Will you work for me, Chike?"

Chike wiped his tears and knelt down.

"Yes, Madam Amara. I will work for you. I will do anything you say."

Amara smiled. A slow, dangerous smile.

"Good. First task. Tonight, Festus will have a meeting in my mother's house. He wants to sell the back land to a developer. I want you to take a picture of that agreement. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Madam."

"Good boy. Now go. And Chike... don't call me Amara again. Call me Madam Nova. Everyone does."

Chike left the room, his heart beating fast. He had just sold himself to the woman he once broke.

Amara watched him leave from the window. Her hands were shaking again.

What was she doing? Was this still revenge?

THE INTERVIEW EPISODE 3

He ironed his only good shirt. It was old, but clean. The collar was already fading, but he ironed it three times. He borrowed his friend's shoe. The shoe was one size too big, but it was better than his slippers.

At 9:55am, he was at Eko Hotel gate. The big gate. The security man in uniform almost stopped him. He looked at him from head to toe.

"Where are you going?" the security asked.

"I have an appointment. Room 305. Madam Amara," he said, his voice shaking. His palms were sweating.

The security man checked his list and then waved him in. "Go. Don't waste time."

At exactly 10am, he knocked on Room 305. His heart was beating like a drum.

"Come in," a cold voice said from inside.

He opened the door slowly.

Amara was sitting by the window. She wore a black dress. A very expensive black dress. Her legs crossed. Her hair was different. Her nails were done. She looked like a different person entirely. Rich. Powerful. Untouchable. This was not the Amara he knew from Ajegunle who used to fetch water with him.

"You came," she said without smiling. She did not stand up.

"Yes. You said you have a job for me," he said, still standing by the door. He was afraid to move closer.

Amara looked at him for a long time. Then she stood up and walked towards him. Her perfume filled the room.

"Do you remember what you told me three years ago? You said I would never be anything. You said I was a village girl with big dreams. You said I should go back to my father's house."

He lowered his head. "Amara, I am sorry. I was stupid. I didn't know."

"You didn't know what? That a woman can become powerful without a man?" she asked, her voice still cold.

He kept quiet.

Amara went back to her chair and sat down. She opened a file on the table.

"I have a job for you. My company needs a driver. A personal driver. You will drive me everywhere. You will wait for me. You will open the car door for me. The salary is two hundred thousand naira per month. Will you take it?"

Two hundred thousand. He had been jobless for eight months. He had not eaten yesterday.

"Yes, Madam. I will take it. Thank you," he said quickly.

"Don't thank me yet," Amara said. She stood up again. "There are rules. One, you will never call me Amara again. It is Madam Amara. Two, you will never tell anyone that you knew me before. Three, you will never ask me about my past. If you break any of these rules, you lose the job that same day. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madam Amara. I understand."

"Good. You will start tomorrow by 6am. Be at this hotel. Don't be late. And go and buy a proper shoe. I don't want my driver wearing borrowed shoes."

He nodded and turned to go.

"And Emeka," she called his name. For the first time, her voice was a little soft.

He turned back.

"That shirt... you ironed it well. It is clean. That is good. I like clean people around me."

He managed to smile. "Thank you, Madam."

He left the room, closing the door gently. Outside the hotel corridor, he leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. He had a job. But he had also just become a servant to the same girl he once rejected.

Inside Room 305, Amara watched him go from the window. Her cold face finally broke. A single tear dropped from her eye. She quickly wiped it away.

"This is just the beginning, Emeka," she whispered to herself. "You will know what it feels like."