Chapter 10: Domestics and Fault Lines
1089 Words
The Otunba family mansion in Ikoyi stood as a monument to old money and unquestioned authority.
Unlike the sleek, minimalist duplex in Ikorodu, the family estate was a sprawling neo-classical fortress enclosed by towering electric fences, manicured gardens, and heavily armed private security at every entrance. Imported Italian granite gleamed beneath crystal chandeliers, priceless contemporary African art lined the walls, and every piece of furniture had been commissioned from luxury ateliers in Milan.
Yet beneath the staggering wealth, the mansion felt suffocating.
Mama Jide paced the length of her private sitting room, her silk robe sweeping across the polished floor. The crystal chandelier bathed the room in warm light, but nothing softened the fury twisting her features.
She gripped a gold-plated iPad, glaring into the ongoing video call.
"I'm telling you, Kayode, your father has finally lost his senses!" she snapped. "Yesterday was the greatest humiliation of my life. I sat there while that old fool paraded a girl from Mushin before the entire Lagos elite like she was royalty."
On the screen, Jide Kayode Otunba remained composed.
Seated inside his minimalist London office overlooking the city skyline, he looked every inch the polished executive. Tailored charcoal suit. Perfectly groomed hair. Calm, calculating eyes.
Where his mother burned with emotion, Kayode was ice.
"Mummy," he said quietly, "take a breath."
"How do you expect me to breathe?" she shot back. "You didn't see that girl. She acted humble, knelt down, spoke softly... but I saw her eyes. She's clever. Dangerous. And your father is buying her cars, opening corporate accounts, treating her like she's the woman who built this family with him."
Kayode's fingers tapped lightly against his desk.
"My father is ruled by ego," he replied. "He enjoys appearances. A younger wife enhances his image among his friends. That's all."
He leaned slightly toward the camera.
"But beauty doesn't build empires. Systems do. Information does. Control does."
His voice hardened.
"Listen carefully. Nobody is replacing you. As long as I'm alive, your position in this family is secure."
Mama Jide slowly exhaled.
"I'm already monitoring the financial movements from this end," Kayode continued. "I'll wrap up my meetings here and return to Lagos earlier than planned. I'll stay through the wedding preparations."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"And when I arrive, we'll deal with this... mainland problem together."
The call ended.
Mama Jide lowered the tablet, the bitterness on her face easing into something far more dangerous.
Confidence.
Her son was coming home.
And together, they would crush the girl from Mushin.
Across the hallway, Chief Otunba stood before the mirror in the master suite, adjusting the collar of his silk shirt.
His mood couldn't have been more different.
Yesterday's introduction had gone better than he'd imagined.
Teniola had exceeded every expectation—beautiful, respectful, elegant, and perfectly composed before Lagos society.
She had made him look powerful.
He smiled to himself.
Then his encrypted corporate phone rang.
The smile vanished.
Only senior executives had access to that number.
He answered immediately.
"Speak."
"Chief," the Security Operations Director said urgently, "we've detected a Tier-One intrusion attempt at the Ikorodu estate."
Otunba's expression hardened.
"What?"
"Someone attempted to breach the smart-lock security protecting your private study. They initiated a wireless exploit against the authentication system."
His grip tightened around the phone.
"Did they get in?"
"No, sir."
"The honey-pot defense intercepted the attack. Unfortunately, the intruder terminated the connection before we completed the reverse trace."
Otunba's jaw clenched.
His study contained encrypted financial records, offshore transaction logs, and confidential corporate files capable of exposing the entire organization.
This wasn't random.
Someone had deliberately targeted him.
"Whoever it is," he growled, "find them."
"We've recovered part of the attack signature. The exploit was highly sophisticated. We'd like you at headquarters immediately so we can authorize a full forensic investigation."
"I'll be there."
He ended the call.
Within seconds he had grabbed his jacket and strode out of the bedroom, his mind racing.
If someone had penetrated his private network...
...then the threat was already inside his walls.
Mama Jide stepped into the hallway just as he approached.
One look at his hurried pace was enough for her jealousy to ignite.
"So," she called sharply, folding her arms, "where are you rushing off to?"
Otunba didn't stop.
"Move."
"Oh, I know exactly where you're going," she sneered. "Back to Ikorodu. You can't even spend one Sunday in your own house without chasing that little girl."
He finally turned.
His eyes were frighteningly cold.
"Mama Jide."
His voice was quiet.
"Move."
"I won't."
She stepped closer.
"If that girl thinks she'll come into this house after the wedding, she's dreaming. I'll make her life so miserable she'll beg to return to Mushin."
Something inside Otunba snapped.
He closed the distance between them.
"This house," he said quietly, "is too large for one bitter woman."
Mama Jide stared at him.
He continued.
"Look at yourself. Every conversation is a complaint. Every day is another argument."
His words landed one after another.
"I am a man of influence. A man in my position deserves peace... and a wife who still brings him joy."
Mama Jide's face drained of colour.
"Teniola is coming into this family."
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
"She will live in this house."
"If you insult her..."
"If you frustrate her..."
"I'll stop every allowance you receive."
"And I'll send you back to your father's house with nothing."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then, without another glance, he brushed past her and disappeared down the staircase.
Mama Jide remained frozen.
Her fingers gripped the edge of a marble console table until her knuckles turned white.
The humiliation was unbearable.
Not because he had chosen another woman.
Because he had threatened to strip away everything that gave her status.
Slowly, tears gathered in her eyes.
Not tears of grief.
Tears of rage.
"You'll regret this," she whispered into the empty hallway.
"Both of you."
"I'll destroy that girl..."
"...and if I have to burn this family to the ground to do it, then so be it."
Several kilometres away, inside the Otunba Group's high-security command centre, enormous digital displays flickered to life.
Encrypted logs from the Ikorodu estate began streaming across the screens.
Network engineers isolated the failed intrusion attempt, replaying every packet that had touched the honey-pot security system.
Somewhere within those fragments...
...was the first trace of the invisible hacker who had dared to challenge the Otunba empire.
The hunt had officially begun.
- Writer
