BENEATH THE SURFACE
953 Words
Ayana sat on the edge of the bed, her thoughts spiraling. The man she had buried in her heart the father who had disappeared without a trace when she was barely twelve was alive.
And Zara had known for two years.
The silence between the sisters was thick and fragile.
“I didn’t mean to keep it from you for this long,” Zara said softly, her voice trembling. “I was scared. Angry. Then… confused.”
Ayana’s voice cracked. “You let me believe he was dead.”
“He wanted it that way,” Zara whispered. “At least at first. He told me someone had threatened him… that he had to disappear to protect us.”
Ayana turned to her. “Who would threaten him? He was a drunk, Zara. He gambled everything we had and left us homeless. What could he possibly have been protecting us from?”
Zara hesitated. “What if… he wasn’t just a drunk?”
---
Scene: Ethan Investigates
Across the penthouse, Ethan stood in his office with Nathan, his trusted bodyguard.
“You found something?” Ethan asked.
Nathan nodded, setting down a thin file. “Claudia’s investigator was sloppy. He left a trail. Turns out he’s been working not just for her, but also someone else.”
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “Who?”
Nathan hesitated. “An alias kept popping up‘M. W. Mwende.’”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Mwende… Ayana’s surname?”
Nathan nodded. “It gets weirder. That alias rented a safe house in Eastlands last year. Surveillance shows a man matching an older version of Ayana’s father entering and exiting several times.”
Ethan took a deep breath. “We need to find him. Fast.”
---
Scene: A Face from the Dead
Three days later.
Ayana stood frozen in a café in the outskirts of Nairobi, staring at the man who had once carried her on his shoulders.
Her father.
Moses Mwende.
Time had aged him grayer, thinner, but those eyes... she would never forget those eyes.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said gently, sliding a glass of juice toward her.
She didn’t touch it. “Why now?”
He sighed, running a hand down his weathered face. “Because things are spiraling. I didn’t want you or Zara to get pulled into this. But now… it’s too late.”
“You don’t get to pretend you care,” Ayana said coldly. “You left us.”
“I was forced to,” he said. “There were people I owed money to—dangerous people. But that was just the surface. The truth is…”
He leaned forward.
“I used to work for them.”
Ayana’s heart pounded. “Them?”
Moses looked around nervously, then whispered, “A private network. Underground deals, laundering, information brokering. I got in too deep, Ayana. Then one day I found something I wasn’t supposed to see. So I ran.”
Ayana’s mouth went dry. “And now Claudia’s involved?”
“She’s connected. Her father was one of the original funders. She’s trying to revive what they had. I think she believes you and I know more than we do.”
Ayana leaned back, stunned.
Claudia wasn’t just bitter she was dangerous.
---
Scene: Ethan’s Anger Boils Over
That night, Ayana told Ethan everything. The café. The network. Her father’s involvement.
Ethan paced the room like a caged lion.
“She’s not just after you for personal revenge. She’s part of something bigger. This is why she’s been so desperate to control the narrative she’s protecting something.”
Ayana nodded. “And she’ll destroy us to keep it hidden.”
Ethan’s fists clenched. “Then we bring it all into the light. Whatever Claudia’s hiding we expose it. I’ll use my resources. My lawyers. My press contacts.”
Ayana touched his arm. “We need proof.”
---
Scene: Claudia’s Crumbling Control
Meanwhile, Claudia wasn’t celebrating.
She was drinking.
Alone in her massive walk-in closet, surrounded by luxury but drowning in fear.
Her assistant had just informed her that one of her father’s old associates had been arrested in Mombasa and was willing to talk.
The network was unraveling.
And now Moses Mwende had resurfaced.
She picked up her phone and dialed a number.
“I need it done,” she hissed. “I don’t care how. Ayana. Her sister. Their father. I want them out of the way.”
---
Scene: Assassination Attempt
Later that night, Ayana and Zara were walking back from a visit to a friend’s apartment. Security was nearby, but Ayana had insisted they needed a bit of normalcy.
As they reached the elevator, a motorbike screeched to a halt near the building.
A masked man jumped off.
Gun drawn.
Zara screamed. Ayana grabbed her and pulled her behind the elevator pillar just as a shot rang out.
Security tackled the gunman moments later, but Ayana was trembling. Zara was sobbing.
“Are you okay?” one guard asked.
Ayana looked at the bullet hole in the wall inches from her head and whispered, “She’s trying to kill us.”
---
Scene: Ethan Declares War
Ethan stood in front of the media the next morning, flanked by Ayana and Zara.
“I’m speaking today not as a CEO, but as a husband and a protector,” he began.
“There has been a calculated attempt to destroy my wife and her family. Last night, someone tried to kill them. We know who is behind this and we will not be intimidated.”
The cameras flashed wildly. Reporters screamed questions.
But Ethan’s eyes stayed on Ayana.
And hers stayed on the future.
- Writer
