The headquarters of Imperial Holdings in Enugu no longer felt like a borrowed shell — it pulsed with the rhythm of a true empire in motion. Departments that once operated in silos now shared corridors and plans.
At one end of the building, Imperial Farms' board met with Imperial Processing engineers to streamline crop waste into packaged goods. In another wing, Imperial Oil and Imperial Malls drafted joint distribution schedules, making sure the depots and stores fed off each other seamlessly. Upstairs, Tunde walked real estate investors through new apartment designs, projects already tailored to the rising middle class.
Chinedu watched it all with quiet pride. Integration was the lifeblood of longevity. A company that could not feed itself across sectors was destined to bleed out.
"This," he murmured to himself as Ireti entered with reports, "is no longer a farm with appendages. It's a system. Each part breathing life into the other."
But systems did not exist in a vacuum.
That afternoon, news channels across Enugu and Abuja erupted with panel discussions on the "bold new highway project," flashing Imperial's name across every screen. Analysts speculated on the scope, the foreign partners, and whether this signaled Nigeria's leap toward modern infrastructure.
By evening, it was clear — the governor himself had fanned the flames. His allies on radio spoke glowingly of his "vision" and his "partnership with the new generation of entrepreneurs." The credit was being shared, but so was the scrutiny.
At dinner, Tunde raised the point bluntly. "He's tying your name to his campaign. Every headline about the expressway now carries his shadow. It was no accident."
Chinedu sipped his drink, unbothered. "Let him. The louder he shouts, the more my silence grows valuable."
"But it makes you a political actor, whether you like it or not," Ireti added.
Chinedu leaned back, eyes sharp. "Then let's be ready to play, but on our terms. Imperial is not a pawn in anyone's game. If the governor pulls threads, we'll weave them into our own cloth."
Outside, the lights of Enugu glittered. Inside, Imperial Holdings tightened into a single, breathing entity — aware now that power was not just built in factories and fields, but in whispers, headlines, and alliances carefully played.