Ruth:From Farm To Queen

Chapter 5: The CCTV That Exposed The Queen

The whole mansion was silent at 2am, but the tension was as thick as harmattan fog. Two security men held Ruth's faded bag with the gold necklace inside, like it was evidence of murder. Vanessa stood in the middle of the living room in her silk nightgown, crying loudly, but her eyes were secretly watching David's face to see if her plan was working.

"David! Are you still going to defend this thief? My father gave me this necklace when I graduated from University of Lagos! It is worth 800,000 naira! This village girl stole it on her first day! If you keep her in this house, I will leave! And I will tell my father that you harbor criminals!"

Ruth was on her knees, her night wear torn at the shoulder, tears streaming down her face. She had stopped shouting that she did not steal it, because no one was listening except David and Mrs. Itohan.

"I swear... I swear with my mother's grave... I did not take it... I have never even touched gold before..."

David's face was calm, but his eyes were burning with anger. Not at Ruth, but at the drama. He knew Vanessa. For two years she had done this - lie, manipulate, cry to get what she wanted. And he knew Ruth. In just two days, he had seen honesty in her eyes that he had never seen in all the big girls in Lagos.

"Mrs. Itohan, please take Ruth to her room and lock the door from outside. No one should enter. The necklace should be kept in my safe. In the morning, we will call the security company to bring the CCTV footage. Every corridor in this mansion has camera, including the boys quarters corridor. We will see who entered Ruth's room," David announced.

Vanessa's crying stopped for one second. Her face turned pale. She had forgotten about the cameras. She installed them herself last year when she suspected David was bringing girls to the house.

"What... what CCTV? The cameras in boys quarters have not been working for three months! The technician said..." Vanessa stammered.

"Really?" David smiled coldly. "Because I fixed them last week. Myself. I fixed all 16 cameras in this compound because of the robbery in GRA. So they are working perfectly. And they record 24 hours."

Vanessa's legs shook. She tried to hold the wall.

Ruth was taken back to her room. She could not sleep. She sat on the bed, hugging her knees, staring at the wall. She thought about her mother, her father, and how her life had turned from frying garri to being called a thief in a mansion.

At 6am, David was already in the security room with the security company technician. The small room was full of monitors.

"Play back from 8pm yesterday to 2am this morning. Focus on camera 12, the boys quarters corridor," David ordered.

The technician played it.

At 8:15pm, Ruth went to the main gate to see Mama Nosa. Her room was empty.

At 8:22pm, Vanessa was seen sneaking out of the main house, wearing a black hoodie over her nightgown, holding something shiny in her hand. She looked left and right like a thief. She entered the boys quarters.

At 8:24pm, she entered Ruth's room. She stayed for 2 minutes.

At 8:26pm, she came out, without the shiny thing, and quickly ran back to the main house.

David paused the video. His face was like stone.

"Save that video to my phone and to my email. And make three copies."

At 8am, David called everyone to the living room - all house staff, the two gatemen, Mrs. Itohan, Ruth, and Vanessa.

Vanessa came downstairs, wearing expensive makeup, acting like a victim. She had already called her father on phone, telling him that David's new maid stole her necklace.

"Good morning everyone. I called you here because last night there was a stealing accusation. My girlfriend Vanessa accused Ruth of stealing her 800k gold necklace. The necklace was found in Ruth's bag," David started.

Vanessa folded her arms. "Yes, and I want that thief arrested! I have already called my father!"

David did not answer her. He brought out his phone and connected it to the big TV in the living room.

"But before we call police, let's watch what happened last night."

He pressed play.

The whole living room saw Vanessa sneaking like a rat into Ruth's room.

The staff gasped.

Mrs. Itohan shouted, "Ah! Madam Vanessa!"

Ruth covered her mouth.

Vanessa's face turned from brown to white. Her mouth opened but no sound came.

"So," David said, his voice very low and dangerous, "You took your own necklace, went to plant it in an innocent girl's bag, and then raised alarm at 2am to disgrace her? Vanessa, why?"

Vanessa started to cry, but this time it was real fear.

"David... I... I was... I was scared you will leave me for her... I... I love you... I was jealous..."

"Jealous of a girl who sells garri? Jealous of a girl who has nothing? Vanessa, you have everything - money, beauty, connection. But you don't have a good heart. And without a good heart, you have nothing."

He turned to the gateman. "Please open the gate for Madam Vanessa. She is no longer staying in this house. Her things should be packed and sent to her father's house in Lagos today. And Mrs. Itohan, please help Ruth wash her face and give her breakfast. She has been through a lot."

Vanessa screamed, knelt down, held David's leg.

"David please! Don't do this! My father will kill me! Where will I go? I have been with you for two years!"

David removed her hands gently.

"Your father is a Senator. You will be fine. But I cannot stay with a woman who can destroy an innocent girl just because of jealousy. What if tomorrow you plant drugs in her bag? I am sorry. It is over."

Two security men helped Vanessa up. She was dragged out, still screaming, her silk robe tearing.

When the gate closed, the mansion became silent again.

Ruth was still standing, her eyes wide, unable to believe what she just saw. The billionaire son had just sent his girlfriend of two years away because of her.

David walked to her.

"Ruth, I am sorry. You came to my house looking for hope, and instead you found war. Are you okay?"

Ruth looked at him, tears in her eyes, but this time tears of gratitude.

"Sir... you... you believed me... even when everybody thought I was a thief..."

"I told you, I know honest eyes when I see them. Now go and eat. Today is your first day of work. And from today, no one will ever call you nobody again. You are Ruth Osayande Foundation Manager."

Ruth smiled for the first time in three years. A real smile.

But outside the gate, inside a black car parked under the mango tree, Vanessa was not crying anymore. She was on phone, her voice full of venom.

"Hello? Is this Mama Nosa? Your step-daughter just made my boyfriend chase me out of his mansion. You want 500k? I will give you 1 million naira if you help me destroy that girl completely. I want her to regret the day she gave that pure water. Are you in?"

Mama Nosa, on the other side in Ugonoba, smiled wickedly.

"My daughter, I am in. That Ruth must come back to this village to suffer. Let's plan."

The war was not over. It had just started.

To be continued...