chapter 8 eight
570 Words
The journey lasted nearly forty minutes.
Will watched silently as the Rolls-Royce passed through enormous gates guarded by armed security.
His eyes widened.
The mansion looked more like a luxury hotel than a private home.
Fountains decorated the entrance.
Luxury cars worth millions of naira lined the driveway.
Everything screamed wealth.
One of the bodyguards opened the car door.
"This way."
Will followed him through the marble hallway, trying not to show how overwhelmed he felt.
Every painting looked expensive.
Every piece of furniture seemed imported.
Finally, they stopped outside large double doors.
The bodyguard knocked once.
A familiar voice answered.
"Come in."
The doors opened.
Will stepped inside.
The office was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering Lagos skyline.
Dark wooden shelves filled with books covered one wall.
At the center of the room sat a large mahogany desk.
Behind it...
Alvin.
He wasn't looking at Will.
Instead, he calmly signed a document before placing his pen down.
Only then did he lift his eyes.
For a long moment...
Neither man spoke.
Will couldn't explain why, but Alvin's silence unsettled him more than shouting ever could.
"Sit."
The single word sounded more like an order than an invitation.
Will remained standing.
"I'd rather stand."
A faint smile crossed Alvin's face.
"Interesting."
Charles stood quietly in the corner, watching the exchange.
Very few people ever refused Alvin.
"You wanted to see me?" Will asked.
Alvin folded his hands.
"I did."
"Why?"
"I hear you're close to Brielle Cole."
Will's expression hardened.
"What does Brielle have to do with this?"
Alvin ignored the question.
"How long have you known her?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Charles held his breath.
Nobody spoke to Alvin that way.
Instead of getting angry...
Alvin smiled.
It wasn't a warm smile.
It was the kind that made Will's stomach tighten.
"I admire loyalty," Alvin said calmly.
"But loyalty has a price."
Will frowned.
"I don't understand."
"I think you do."
Alvin stood from his chair and slowly walked towards the window.
"The world is dangerous, Mr. Daniels."
He looked down at the busy city below.
"People disappear every day."
Will swallowed.
"Is that supposed to scare me?"
"No."
Alvin turned around.
"It is supposed to warn you."
The room fell silent.
Then Alvin spoke again.
"Stay away from Brielle."
Will stared at him in disbelief.
"And if I don't?"
Charles almost closed his eyes.
He expected Alvin to explode.
Instead...
Alvin chuckled softly.
"I was hoping you'd ask."
He walked back to his desk and picked up a small photograph.
Without saying a word, he placed it in front of Will.
It was a picture of Brielle laughing outside the university.
Will's blood ran cold.
"You've been following her..."
Alvin said nothing.
"You're insane."
Charles inhaled sharply.
No one...
No one called Alvin insane.
Yet Alvin merely smiled.
"Meeting adjourned."
Will looked confused.
"That's it?"
"For today."
One of the guards stepped forward.
"This way, sir."
As Will left the office, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just walked into a game whose rules he didn't understand.
Back inside the office, Charles finally spoke.
"Sir..."
Alvin didn't answer.
"Should we continue watching Mr. Daniels?"
Alvin picked up Brielle's photograph once again.
His thumb brushed gently over her smiling face.
"Twenty-four hours a day."
Charles nodded.
"And if he ignores your warning?"
Alvin's gaze never left the photograph.
"Then he'll learn why people fear my name."
- Writer
