They slipped through the narrow courtyard, each footstep muffled by the damp concrete. The single lamp above the back door sputtered, casting restless shadows across cracked walls. Kelechi's pulse drummed in her ears as Malik eased the door open; inside, the stale air carried a faint trace of Seyi's perfume - too familiar, too intimate for a betrayal so deep.
They climbed the stairs in near silence. Above them, the corridor was lined with doors, but only one showed signs of recent use: scuff marks on the threshold, a loose nail in its frame. Kelechi paused with her hand on the peeling paint, staring at the door as if it held every question she'd longed to ask.
A single knock - sharp, deliberate - and the door swung open to reveal Seyi standing in the pale glow of a bare bulb. Gone was the confident smile Kelechi remembered; in its place was exhaustion and shame, eyes rimmed red.
"Kelechi," Seyi whispered, voice trembling like a leaf in a storm. "I didn't want you to find out like this."
Kelechi's chest tightened. "You put us all at risk," she said, stepping inside. Malik followed, closing the door softly behind them.
Inside, the room was sparse: a desk stacked with maps and encrypted notes, a single chair pulled away from the wall. Seyi crossed to the desk and slid a folder toward them. "Oba Eze threatened to release some fabricated videos that I have no means of denying" she confessed, voice barely above a sob. "He said he'd destroy everything I've built if I didn't cooperate."
Kelechi opened the folder, scanning photographs of Seyi in Oba Eze's private chambers - images as damning as they were heartbreaking. She looked up, anger and sorrow warring in her gaze. "You're my sister," she said, voice raw. "I could have protected everyone - protected you."
Seyi bowed her head. "I thought I could manage it alone. I was wrong."
A heavy silence settled. Malik's hand rested on Kelechi's shoulder, steadying but firm. Finally, Kelechi drew in a steady breath. "We end this tonight," she said, resolve hardening her tone. "Together."
Seyi met her sister's eyes, a flicker of gratitude and determination returning. "Together."
They turned back to the table, studying the maps by that single, sputtering light. Outside, Lagos hummed with a thousand thundering hearts - but inside this small room, three hearts beat as one, ready for the fight ahead.