SHADOWS OF TRUST

EPISODE 1 The rain fell hard over Lagos, turning the streets into shining rivers of light and shadow. Inside a small apartment in Yaba, Cherry Adebayo stood by her window, arms folded tightly across her chest. Her phone lay on the table behind her—vibrating again. Unknown Number. It had called four times already. She refused to answer. Not tonight. Not after everything she had survived. Three years ago, her life had already broken once. She wasn’t ready for it to break again. The phone stopped ringing. Silence returned. Too quickly. Then— A notification lit up the screen. “DON’T IGNORE THIS. CHECK YOUR DOOR.” Cherry froze. Her eyes slowly moved toward the door. Nothing. Just silence. Just rain. Just the hum of electricity. She exhaled sharply. “No,” she whispered. “Not again.” Still, her feet moved before her mind agreed. She walked to the door. Paused. Then opened it. A black envelope lay on the floor. Her full name was written on it: CHERRY ADEBAYO Her fingers trembled as she picked it up. Inside was a photograph. Her breath caught instantly. It was her father. But not the version she remembered from family albums. This man was on his knees in a dark room… tied up… terrified… with a gun pointed at his head. On the back of the photo, a message was written: “HE DIDN’T DIE OF HEART FAILURE.” Cherry stumbled backward. Her father had died five years ago. Hospital report: natural causes. Heart failure. Peaceful death. At least… that was what she had always believed. Her phone rang again. Same unknown number. This time, she answered. Her voice shook. “Who is this?” A pause. Then a man spoke. Calm. Low. Disturbingly familiar. “You shouldn’t have opened the envelope.” Cherry swallowed hard. “What is this? Who are you?” The voice replied slowly. “Your father wasn’t who you think he was.” Cherry’s grip tightened. “My father was a banker.” A soft, cold laugh came through the phone. “That’s what he wanted you to believe.” Thunder cracked violently outside. Then the man said the words that shattered her world: “He worked for a hidden system… and when he tried to leave… they killed him.” Cherry dropped the phone. It hit the floor, still connected. But the voice continued. Like it was inside her apartment now. “And now they know you exist.” Cherry’s breath quickened. “No… that’s not possible.” But something deep inside her shifted. A memory she had buried. The night her father died. He wasn’t peaceful. He was afraid. Suddenly— BANG. A loud sound came from downstairs. Cherry froze. Another BANG. Footsteps. Heavy. Moving up the stairs. Her phone speaker crackled again. “You have less than two minutes. If you want to live… go out the back.” Cherry stepped back slowly. “Why should I trust you?” A pause. Then: “Because I already saved you once.” Her heart stopped. Three years ago… The night she survived the crash that killed her boyfriend. Another BANG—closer. Her door handle rattled. Someone was unlocking it. The voice urged urgently: “Jump. Now.” Cherry didn’t think anymore. She grabbed her bag, ran to the back window, and pushed it open. Cold rain hit her face. Below—dark alley. Above—her door unlocking. The lock clicked. The door began to open. Cherry jumped. ⸻ She hit the ground hard, pain shooting through her leg. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. Above her, a shadow appeared at the window. A man. Watching her. Not moving. Just observing. Then he spoke into the rain: “Now you’re part of it, Cherry.” Lightning flashed. And he disappeared. ⸻ Cherry struggled up, limping into the darkness. Her phone buzzed again. A new message arrived: “WELCOME BACK TO WHAT YOUR FATHER TRIED TO ESCAPE.” Then another line: “YOU WERE NEVER JUST A DAUGHTER.” Cherry froze. Somewhere in the distance… Footsteps returned. Closer this time. Surrounding her.