Back home at Marcus's mansion.
The sweet smell of egusi soup with plenty of stockfish covered the whole mansion. Rachel, Linda's mum and now Marcus's captive wife, had already prepared his favorite egusi soup with pounded yam.
Her eyes were blank, like a woman who had learned to survive in silence.
She set a plate down on the table with the careful patience of someone who knew which gestures kept tempers calm.
Marcus, seated at the dining table in a well-tailored native attire, looked like someone who was about to go out on an occasion.
He took a sip from the wine he was holding, like someone who had nothing to worry about.
His phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID. It was him, his kingpin friend, the same one he'd ordered to plant a secret agent near Linda.
"Yes?" His voice was curt.
"Morning," came the cold voice.
"We've been observing her as instructed," came the voice from the other side of the line. "Your 'niece' is smart, confident. Nothing out of the ordinary. She's just a regular student… and she is very sharp."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Anything else?"
"Well…" the voice on the other side of the line hesitated briefly, his voice tightening. "The agent I sent is doing well. He's gaining her trust and getting closer to her friends. No red flags yet."
"Good," Marcus muttered. "I will be expecting more." With that he ended the call and set the phone down. A small smirk crept onto his face.
"You're more fortunate than I thought, you sly little bitch," he whispered under his breath, staring at the food he was about to eat.
"But not for long. You'll be dead soon… and the entire Harrison empire will finally be mine," he said coldly.
Just then, Rachel, who had heard his threats clearly, stepped into the dining room quietly, her head slightly lowered.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper.
Without turning around, he said coldly, "Speak."
"It's about Linda…" she said. "I mean… if you want her dead, I know that… that will be very easy for you. But… she's too young to threaten you. She's just a girl. Please, don't do anything to her."
Marcus dropped his glass and leaned back as he chuckled darkly, the kind of laughter that sent shivers down her spine.
"Too young?" he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After a few taps, he turned the screen toward her. A video played: grainy surveillance footage of a beautiful slim girl fighting off a group of grown men. Her movements were sharp and brutal.
"This is your 'too young,' Rachel." He slicked.
Rachel's breath caught in her throat. Pride swelled in her heart seeing her daughter so beautiful and fighting like a warrior, but it was instantly crushed by fear and despair. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she turned her face away.
"She's strong. But she's still your brother's daughter. You trying to kill her is a double sin. You have already killed her father. Please don't commit more sin; don't forget how Harrison loved and trusted you," she cried.
"He trusted the wrong man." Marcus's smile disappeared. "Harrison built everything with his hands. I watched him build. I watched him sleep like a saint while I did the work no one else wanted. He was weak where I was sharp. I did what had to be done."
The words came out flat and cold. "The empire needed a strong hand. He could have destroyed everything he took years to build because of his softness. I helped him save it," he said coldly.
He sneered as he continued, his voice low and venomous. "Tell me, Rachel… was I not more of a man than him? Did I not satisfy you in ways that that weak brother of mine never could? Do you think I didn't notice the way your eyes lingered on me long before I took his worthless life?"
Rachel's hands trembled at her sides as her eyes burned with fire. She snapped back at him, anger in her voice. "Don't you dare twist my love for Harrison into your filth! You think because you forced yourself into my life, you can erase him? You'll never be half the man he was. You killed him out of jealousy, and now you sit there pretending it made you powerful. But all it made you is a coward, pathetic, empty, and rotten to the core."
Before she could finish, a sharp, sickening crack echoed through the room. Rachel was knocked to the floor, a streak of blood forming at the corner of her lip. Marcus stood over her, his face twisted in rage.
"You stupid woman. You dare speak to me like that again?! If a single word leaves your mouth again, I will not only kill Linda, I will destroy her, ruin her, make her suffer before I slit her throat. And then I'll come for you."
Rachel sobbed softly, wiping her lip, but her eyes suddenly burned with rage.
"You're a monster, Marcus. An ungrateful, foolish monster. If you think you can kill Linda, then keep dreaming."
For the first time in years, she dared raise her voice at him.
Marcus stood stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"It took you long enough to grow a spine," he hissed. "Let's break it, shall we?"
With a violent move, he grabbed her by the hair and began punching her stomach mercilessly. Rachel screamed in pain.
He dragged her by the arm, pulled her toward the guest room, and shoved her into a spare bedroom. With a twist of the key, he locked the door.
His chest heaved as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Too angry to sit still, Marcus snatched up his car keys and stormed out of the mansion without touching his food.
He didn't know where he was going until he stopped. It was outside a school. He had spotted them: two familiar figures playing near the front gate, the twins. Tony's children.
They were about fourteen now, but they had the unmistakable Tony look. Their skin, their smiles, their aura, it was Tony's. No DNA test needed. It was right there. But how? Where did things go wrong?
Marcus gripped the steering wheel, rage building in his chest. Just as he was about to step out of the car, a sleek silver vehicle pulled up.
Tony stepped out, dashing and confident. Selina followed, radiant in her tailored dress. The twins ran to them, laughing.
"Dad! Mum!"
They hugged each other tightly.
Marcus's jaw tightened. He sat still, watching as the perfect picture of a happy family played before his eyes. It was mockery and it was insulting to him.
Tony and Selina got into their car with the twins and drove off.
Marcus remained in his vehicle, fists clenched.
He had taken Harrison's life, destroyed Rachel's world, but Tony... Tony had slipped through his fingers. And that wound would never heal.
Not until he took everything back.