The envelope was still in her hand.
Zina stared at it like it might explode and in a way, it already had. Her father's case. A secret photo. A stranger at her door who knew too much and said too little.
She dropped the envelope on her table and rushed to the window. The hallway outside was empty. No trace of the man. No sound. No footprints. Just the echo of his voice still bouncing around in her head:
"I know what A.R. stands for."
Her fingers trembled.
For two years, that clue haunted her. A.R. initials circled twice in her father's journal. His last words to her had been, "Don't trust anyone... especially those who smile too much."
Now, that exact kind of man had just walked into her life smiling like he'd rehearsed it.
Zina didn't sleep that night.
She printed the photograph. Studied it under a magnifying glass. Her father. Senator Gambo. And between them the young version of the man who had knocked on her door.
He wasn't just a stranger.
He was someone her father knew.
Someone connected.
But why now?
By morning, Zina was already dressed and ready. No makeup. Just her hair pulled back, and her signature black suit that made her feel untouchable even when her world was cracking beneath her heels.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: "Check your email."
She didn't recognize the number. No name. Just that message.
Her heart raced as she opened her email. One new message. No subject. No sender name.
Inside was a file. A legal document. Confidential.
Case No. 74903A-R
Filed: 2 years ago. Sealed.
Plaintiff: Minister Ibrahim Dalhatu
Defendant: Aurelian Royce
She froze.
A.R. wasn't just a clue.
It was a name.
Aurelian Royce.
But it wasn't a Nigerian name. It sounded foreign. Powerful. Like someone who lived above the law, not under it.
And suddenly, she remembered the golden skin, the sharp accent, the expensive suit.
The man who knocked on her door…
…was Aurelian Royce.
Before she could even begin to process it, her office phone rang. She ignored it. It rang again. Then her assistant stormed in.
"Madam, you have a visitor."
"Tell them I'm not"
"It's him," she whispered, eyes wide. "He said you'd want to see him. That it's... about your father."
Zina felt her throat tighten.
"Send him in."
The door opened, and there he was. Calm. Polished. Unbothered by the storm he had dropped into her life.
"Counselor Dalhatu," he said, eyes flickering to her desk. "I see you opened the file."
Zina rose slowly. "Why are you here? Who sent you? And why did my father file a lawsuit against you?"
Aurelian smiled faintly. "Because he found out something he wasn't supposed to know."
He walked closer. "And now you have too."
Zina narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"No," he said softly. "I'm warning you. What your father uncovered... could bring down everything. And you're not the only one looking into it."
She folded her arms. "Then who else is?"
He looked at her, and for the first time no smile.
"The people who killed him."
"Can Zina trust the man her father once tried to destroy?"