the ring
816 Words
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Ring
The rain poured relentlessly as Agatha drove through the streets of Lagos.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her vision blurred by tears she refused to let fall.
"How foolish of me," she whispered.
For one brief moment, she had allowed herself to believe Jeffrey's words.
"I never cheated on you."
Now another mystery had surfaced.
A ring.
An engagement ring.
One that had somehow found its way into Beatrice's possession.
Her phone rang.
Daniela.
Agatha stared at the screen before pressing the decline button.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
This time it was Tony.
She ignored that one too.
Tonight, she wanted answers from no one.
...
Back at Tony's house, the atmosphere had become unbearably tense.
Jeffrey picked up the velvet box with trembling hands.
He slowly opened it.
Inside lay a simple platinum ring.
He closed his eyes.
"I should have known..."
Tony frowned.
"You've seen it before?"
Jeffrey nodded.
"Of course I have."
"Then tell us."
Daniela stepped closer.
"What is this ring?"
Jeffrey looked from Tony to Daniela before answering.
"I bought it four years ago."
Daniela smiled faintly.
"For Agatha?"
"Yes."
"I planned to propose after she completed her master's degree."
Tony looked confused.
"Then why did Beatrice have it?"
Jeffrey let out a weary sigh.
"Because I never got the chance to give it to Agatha."
The room fell silent.
He continued.
"The night before she left for London, I kept the ring in my office desk. The next day, it disappeared."
"And?"
"I searched everywhere."
"I thought I'd lost it."
Jeffrey looked down at the ring in his hand.
"I never imagined Beatrice had taken it."
At the edge of the room, Beatrice folded her arms.
"I didn't steal it."
Everyone turned toward her.
Jeffrey's voice hardened.
"Then explain."
Beatrice met his gaze without flinching.
"You left it on the conference table after a meeting."
"I picked it up to keep it safe."
"For three years?" Tony asked.
She hesitated.
"I... forgot about it."
Nobody believed her.
Not even Daniela.
...
Elsewhere, Chief Clement Eze smiled as his phone buzzed.
His assistant spoke from the other end.
"The dinner was a disaster."
"Excellent."
"But Jeffrey is starting to suspect Beatrice."
Chief Clement's smile faded.
"Then it's time for the next phase."
"What should we do?"
"Arrange tomorrow's charity gala."
"The Williams family, Chima Energy, Peacup Nigeria... everyone will be there."
"And Agatha?"
"Make sure she's the guest of honor."
He ended the call.
The game was becoming more dangerous.
Soon, the lies would no longer be enough.
He would have to make sure the truth stayed buried forever.
...
At the Williams Mansion, Agatha sat alone on the swing in the garden.
The rain had stopped, leaving the night unusually quiet.
She opened her handbag and removed the photographs once more.
Then she thought about the ring.
Nothing added up.
If Jeffrey had truly loved Beatrice...
Why had he looked so shocked when she produced the ring?
She closed her eyes.
"No..."
"There has to be something I'm missing."
Just then, footsteps approached.
Unduka.
He carried a single umbrella over his shoulder.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Agatha smiled weakly.
"I needed some air."
He sat beside her.
"I heard what happened."
She looked surprised.
"Daniela called?"
He nodded.
"I came to make sure you're alright."
Agatha stared at the flowers glistening with raindrops.
"Do you ever feel like everyone knows a story except you?"
Unduka smiled gently.
"More often than you'd think."
She laughed softly.
"I don't know who to believe anymore."
"You don't have to decide tonight."
He paused before adding,
"Sometimes the truth has a way of revealing itself when we stop chasing it."
Agatha looked at him.
His calmness brought her a strange sense of peace.
For the first time in days, her breathing slowed.
She didn't notice the black sedan parked across the street.
Inside sat a photographer hired by Chief Clement.
The camera clicked repeatedly.
Every smile...
Every glance...
Every moment between Agatha and Unduka was captured.
Exactly as ordered.
...
The following morning, Jeffrey arrived at his office to find an unmarked envelope waiting on his desk.
There was no sender's name.
Only three words written across the front.
Open Alone.
His heart pounded.
He slowly opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
His face drained of color.
It showed Agatha sitting beside Unduka in the Williams Mansion garden the previous night.
On the back of the photograph was a handwritten message.
"You lost her once. This time, she'll choose someone else."
Jeffrey crushed the note in his fist.
For the first time in three years, he realized he wasn't simply fighting for Agatha's forgiveness.
He was fighting against someone who had been planning every move long before Agatha returned to Nigeria.
And whoever that person was...
They were always one step ahead
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