BURIED LIES SHUTTERED PEACE
989 Words
Ayana sat on the rooftop of her apartment building, eyes tracing the Nairobi skyline as the city glimmered beneath the night. Her hands trembled slightly, the chill of the evening wind doing little to distract her from the message she’d just read.
“When the truth comes out, you’ll wish you stayed in Kilimani.”
The message looped through her brain like a warning siren.
What scared her wasn’t the threat it was how right it felt. That maybe she had walked into something bigger than her heart could carry.
She barely noticed when Zara appeared beside her, wrapped in a pink hoodie and holding two mugs of tea.
"You didn’t even hear me come up," Zara said softly, passing her a cup.
Ayana blinked and smiled faintly. “Sorry. Just… thinking.”
"That Claudia woman’s playing games, isn’t she?" Zara muttered. "And now her cousin too?"
Ayana sipped her tea. "It’s not just Claudia. There’s someone else. Ethan told me his name Maxwell Dane. I think he’s the real threat. And I don’t think Ethan has told me everything."
Zara frowned. “So what are you going to do?”
Ayana stared at the dark horizon. “I think it’s time I stopped waiting for the truth and started digging for it.”
---
The Next Day — Ethan’s Office
Ethan’s jaw tightened as he read the message on his laptop.
An anonymous leak had hit a private investigative blog. The headline read:
"Corporate Empire Built on Blood Money? Shocking Past Ties Between Ethan Carter and Crime Lord Maxwell Dane."
Underneath were old emails, encrypted transaction records, and photos ones Ethan thought had been destroyed.
He slammed the laptop shut.
Claudia had officially declared war.
A knock sounded on his door before it opened Leon, his longtime personal assistant, entered quietly.
“We’ve traced the server the leak came from,” Leon said. “It’s bouncing from multiple locations, but one pinged off a network registered to a fashion PR agency.”
Ethan didn’t need to guess. “Claudia.”
Leon hesitated. “And there’s something else. The man you told me to watch Maxwell Dane he’s in Kenya. Landed three days ago. Private charter. No trail.”
Ethan’s heart dropped.
Everything he tried to bury… was crawling to the surface.
---
Meanwhile — Ayana’s Search Begins
Ayana sat in a small cyber café in Westlands, a hoodie over her head and a determination in her eyes.
She had searched Maxwell Dane for hours, found scraps of articles, rumors of violence, and a long-forgotten mention in a court case where Ethan’s name appeared once blurred among other defendants.
One link led her to a deep forum where whistleblowers shared secrets anonymously. There she found a thread titled:
“The Carter Empire Wasn’t Built Alone.”
Inside were long paragraphs written by someone claiming to be a former associate of Maxwell’s. One sentence stood out:
“Ethan was just the pretty face. Maxwell was the shadow. He made the deals, silenced enemies, and paid people to disappear. But in the end, Ethan betrayed him.”
Ayana’s stomach knotted.
What had Ethan done to escape that world?
And would it come back to destroy them?
---
Later That Night — Ethan’s Penthouse
Ethan was pouring himself a drink when Ayana walked in. Her face was calm, but her eyes held fire.
“Where were you?” he asked softly.
“Out. Doing what I should’ve done a long time ago.”
She walked up to him, pulled out her phone, and showed him the forum thread.
“Tell me the truth, Ethan. No more half answers. No more pretending. Who is Maxwell Dane to you?”
Ethan exhaled sharply. He turned, gripping the edge of the counter like it was the only thing holding him up.
“When I was twenty-three,” he began slowly, “I was broke. My father had died, and I had no job, no connections. Maxwell was the first person who offered me a way out. But it came at a price.”
He looked at her.
“I helped him launder money through fake companies. I smiled in photos while he made people disappear. I let it happen. I wanted success so badly, I turned a blind eye.”
Ayana swallowed hard, her heart cracking with each word.
“But I left,” Ethan said. “I gathered evidence. I went to the authorities. I gave them enough to shut down his empire… or so I thought.”
“And in exchange?” she whispered.
“They cleared my name. Buried my past. I started over. That’s how I built what I have now. But clearly, Maxwell’s not done with me.”
Ayana stepped back. “So everything we built everything we are is standing on a foundation of lies?”
“No,” Ethan said quickly. “What we are… is real. What I feel for you is real, Ayana. I’ve changed.”
She looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “But does your past still have the power to hurt me?”
He was silent.
And in that silence, Ayana had her answer.
---
Meanwhile — Claudia’s Apartment
Claudia watched the news buzz around the leaked scandal, smiling to herself as she sipped champagne.
Natalia entered, tossing her designer bag on the table. “You sure this is smart? If Ethan exposes you for releasing classified files, it could bounce back.”
Claudia smirked. “He won’t. Not if he wants to protect Ayana.”
Natalia sat down. “What if the girl doesn’t walk away?”
“She will,” Claudia said confidently. “Once she realizes that Ethan isn’t who he claims to be, she’ll leave him. People like her… they want fairy tales, not nightmares.”
“But what if she fights?” Natalia asked.
Claudia’s eyes glinted. “Then she’ll bleed.”
---
To Be Continued...
- Writer
