UNRAVELLING SHADOWS
1207 Words
Zara stood and began pacing the room, her fingers brushing her green braids as her mind processed everything. The glow from her ring light cast sharp shadows against the walls. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was low but fierce.
“So you’re telling me… you married a billionaire pretended to be his wife just to protect him from his psychotic ex-fiancée?” she asked, incredulous.
Ayana sat on the edge of the bed, face in her hands. “It sounds insane when you say it like that.”
“It is insane, Aya,” Zara snapped, turning toward her. “But you’re not insane. You’re scared. And I get it. But this... this is next level. What happens when this contract ends? What if she comes after you again? What if”
“I don’t know!” Ayana interrupted, her voice rising, raw with emotion. “I didn’t think that far. I just wanted to survive. To make enough to start my life over. To stop running.”
Zara stared at her sister, the strong, always-put-together Ayana, now looking like she might break.
She walked over, sat beside her, and nudged her shoulder. “You didn’t have to do it alone, you know. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Ayana looked at her with tired eyes. “You’re still my baby sister.”
“Maybe. But I’m also a grown woman now,” Zara said with a soft smile. “One who’s apparently caught up in your billionaire drama.”
Ayana sighed, half-laughing, half-crying. “God. I missed you.”
“I missed you more,” Zara said, then grabbed her phone. “But now we focus. First things first whoever this ‘Unknown Number’ is, they clearly have access to your life. The penthouse, your schedule, even me.”
Ayana’s eyes darkened. “It has to be someone close to Ethan. Or someone close to Claudia.”
Zara nodded. “Any ex-workers? Friends who turned weird? Maybe a housekeeper, a driver, a cousin with a secret vendetta?”
Ayana paused. “There’s Nina. Claudia’s old assistant. She was fired after the crash. She hated me.”
“And?”
“And she’s bitter. Last I heard, she tried to reach out to Ethan but got ignored.”
Zara’s eyes sparkled. “That’s our first lead. Do you have her socials?”
“I think so.”
Ayana pulled out her phone and scrolled through her DMs. She found Nina’s profile still public, with a feed filled with travel pictures and motivational quotes.
Zara grabbed the phone. “I’ll stalk. You talk. Give me every weird interaction you had with her.”
As Ayana detailed past encounters with Nina sharp glares, passive-aggressive remarks, awkward silences Zara pieced together a profile.
“She’s definitely bitter,” Zara muttered. “Look at this caption: ‘Some people pretend to be loyal but would sell their soul for a penthouse.’ Posted last week. Who else would she be talking about?”
Ayana’s stomach turned. “She knows.”
“And she’s mad. Probably watching you. Maybe even close,” Zara said, her voice dropping.
Ayana stood suddenly. “I need to go.”
“Where?”
“To talk to Ethan. He needs to know this. We’re being watched.”
---
Scene: Ethan’s Penthouse, Night
Ethan stood by the glass window, overlooking Nairobi’s glittering skyline. He sipped a glass of whisky, his towel now replaced with a navy T-shirt and joggers. The penthouse was quiet,too quiet until the door flung open.
Ayana stormed in.
“Ethan,” she called.
He turned, surprised by the urgency in her voice. “What is it?”
She walked straight to him, her expression hard. “Someone’s been spying on us. And they’re dragging my sister into it.”
Ethan set the glass down. “What?”
She handed him her phone, showing the messages. Then Zara’s messages. Then Nina’s profile.
He scanned through the evidence, jaw tightening. “Nina.”
“I think she’s the one sending the texts,” Ayana said. “She’s bitter, and she’s watching us. Probably knows everything.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “She has no idea who she’s messing with.”
Ayana touched his arm. “This isn’t just about you anymore. She’s threatening Zara.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, his voice low and deadly.
“No,” Ayana said. “We take care of it. Together.”
---
Scene: Nina’s Apartment Surveillance
Two days later, Ayana and Ethan sat in a sleek black SUV parked across from an apartment block in Westlands. Inside, Zara reluctantly recruited posed as a social media intern seeking mentorship from Nina, who’d advertised coaching services online.
Ayana’s heart thudded in her chest as she watched through the binoculars Ethan had “borrowed” from his private security.
“She’s inside,” Ethan confirmed, glancing at his watch. “If Nina’s behind this, Zara will find out.”
Ayana clenched her fists. “I hate putting her in this position.”
“She volunteered,” Ethan reminded her. “And she’s smart.”
“Still.”
Minutes ticked by.
Then Zara emerged, phone in hand, looking rattled.
Ayana jumped out of the SUV before Ethan could stop her.
---
Scene: Confrontation Outside Nina’s Apartment
Zara hurried down the sidewalk. “We need to go.”
“What happened?” Ayana grabbed her arm.
“She admitted it,” Zara whispered. “Not directly. But she kept hinting. Said people like you don’t deserve your happy ending. Called you a 'clout chaser.' Said she ‘warned him’ and he ignored it. Then she said, ‘It won’t be long before everyone knows who you really are.’”
Ethan’s face turned to stone. “That’s enough.”
Ayana felt rage coil in her chest. “She wants to expose me. Us.”
Zara pulled out her phone. “She’s planning to go live next week. Said she’s been ‘documenting things’ for months.”
Ayana stepped back. “She’s going to ruin everything.”
“Not if we stop her first,” Ethan said, pulling out his own phone. “I’m calling my lawyer. We’ll hit her with a cease-and-desist, a defamation suit, and we’ll get her devices tracked and wiped. If she has any evidence, it’s going down.”
Zara raised an eyebrow. “Remind me to never cross you.”
Ethan didn’t smile. “You’re family now. No one touches my family.”
Ayana looked at him at the storm in his eyes, the resolve in his voice and felt something shift.
Not fear.
But safety.
---
Scene: That Night, Penthouse Balcony
Ayana sat alone on the balcony, watching the city lights blink like stars.
Zara had returned to Kilimani, promising to lay low.
Ethan was inside, on the phone with his legal team.
Ayana took a deep breath, let the cool air fill her lungs.
But just as she was beginning to exhale
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number: "You think Ethan can save you?
Wait until the world knows what you did at the salon.
It’s not over."
Her blood ran cold.
She hadn’t told Ethan about that day.
About the mistake that changed everything.
- Writer
