The commotion outside had grown louder. Nelly grew tense.
It went still for a moment when Kelvin joined them, but now even more voices had risen.
She couldn't take it anymore. Picking up her bag, she thought: what was the worst that could happen?
Her steps grew stiffer. A few seconds later, she stood before the door, took a deep breath against the noise assaulting her ears, and pushed it open.
Her eyes found Kelvin first. He stood two steps below the entrance, his jacket gone, revealing a perfect white shirt now wrinkled from the confrontation. Only now did she realise she had never seen him in anything other than a suit. He seemed quite bulky beneath the formal wear.
Beside him stood his driver and two security guards, both armed with pepper spray.
Opposite them was a crowd --- more than twelve people, a mix of policemen and others who looked like hired muscle. Even without the research she had done earlier, she would still have been able to pick out Austin Okanu.
He stood a foot in front of the crowd, tall and light-skinned. The internet had done no justice to his looks. Even as he argued with the manager, his round face twisted in a mix of disgust and anger. A long gold chain bearing his initials hung from his neck.
The parking lot that had been empty before was now filled with flashy cars and hiluxes. What kind of entourage was this?
As Nelly tried to make sense of everything, she heard that cold, familiar voice.
"If you are man enough, come inside and host your birthday party."
Nelly reeled as the final pieces clicked into place.
Of course. It was his birthday. She had seen it earlier in her search. She had assumed Kelvin had booked the entire restaurant for the two of them, but the timing had never quite added up. If she had not made that correction during the interview --- the one that led to this lunch in the first place --- he would never have invited her. And that had only happened today.
Which meant he had booked the restaurant well before she was ever part of the equation. There was only one explanation: Kelvin Akor had done it purely to spite Austin.
Nelly went pale at the realisation. A worse thought followed immediately.
Was she just the excuse?
Austin suddenly looked up and pointed directly at her.
Kelvin, who had been unaware she had stepped outside, turned too.
"What if it is?" Kelvin sneered. "Face it, little boy. You are nothing without your father's name. Come back when you become a man."
Austin's face darkened. He beckoned the heavily built men behind him forward and ordered a policeman to fire another warning shot.
The officer moved to comply, but a cold voice stopped him flat. "If a bullet leaves that gun, it will be your last."
Nelly did not know what to make of the scene before her. On the opposite side stood hefty men, three times their number, dwarfing Kelvin and the restaurant's personnel. She could see the strain of unease on the staff around her --- but her boss maintained his cold indifference. Did he truly know no fear?
A moment later, the manager returned with a phone and handed it to Austin.
When Austin lowered the phone, his expression had collapsed. He turned away, trying and failing to hide the shame on his face, and ordered his men to stand down.
"We're moving to a new location."
Nelly exhaled. It was over.
Kelvin's voice crushed that relief.
"On second thoughts, we're done here. You can have the place to yourself." A dark smile crossed his face. "Consider it a birthday gift. Happy birthday, little Austin."
Nelly watched as Austin turned away. She felt a flicker of pity for him --- humiliated on his own birthday, in front of his own crowd. Then the pity curdled. Fury seeped into her bones. This was what Kelvin did. He went around dismantling people for sport.
Lost in her own thoughts, she did not notice him walking back up the steps until he extended his hand toward her.
Nelly took it, almost without thinking, and let him lead her through the crowd to his car. As they walked past Austin, he glanced at her. "You're pretty." Then his eyes shifted to Kelvin. "I hope this one lasts this time."
―――
Unknown to either of them, another conversation had already begun the moment Nelly stepped outside. She would have recognised the face behind the bandana and mask --- had most of it not been covered.
"Boss, na she be that," the man murmured in Pidgin to the bulkier figure beside him.
"Who?"
"The girl. The reason why Lucky beat us and we had to run. We lost your money that day because of her."
The tall man studied her for a long moment. From Lucky to Kelvin --- none of it made any sense to him.
"Find out more about her."
―――
The ride back was quiet.
Nelly had half-expected an explanation. Some acknowledgement of what had just happened --- or at the very least the cold courtesy of an apology. She received neither. The Bentley was wide enough for her to sit as far from him as possible, and she made full use of that distance.
Whatever satisfaction he had drawn from humiliating Austin, it seemed to settle comfortably on him. The thought only deepened her irritation.
Maybe she had been fooling herself when she thought he could be kind --- that any part of him genuinely cared. She doubted he cared about anything at all.
Her mind drifted to the phone call. Whoever had spoken to Austin through that phone had shut him down in seconds. Someone from the list, perhaps? Or could it have been Lucky?
Something stirred in her chest at the thought. Kelvin was powerful in the way a closed fist was powerful --- cold and impenetrable. Lucky was different. Warm in a way that had caught her off guard more than once. And he had promised, however casually, to have her back.
Right now, she would not have minded seeing him.
Her thoughts broke as the car slowed to a stop.
Finally --- the office. She glanced at the time. 4:30. Amanda would be anxious by now, even with the message she had sent.
The door opened.
Something felt wrong.
Nelly stepped out and quickly took in her surroundings. This was not the office.
The car pulled away behind her before she could react.
She stood still for a moment, letting her bearings settle. Then her mouth fell open.
She recognised the street sign. It was her road.
How did he---
She stopped herself. Her CV. He had her address from her CV. That was all.
Still --- she had never even walked this particular end of the street. Pulling out her phone, she called Amanda for directions.
―――
They sat together in the parlour later that evening, Amanda cross-legged on the cushion across from her as Nelly finished the last of her account. She had watched her friend's expression cycle through disbelief, amusement, and something closer to concern.
"I still cannot picture it," Amanda said. "Kelvin Akor took you to Mandibu and brought you home."
"It was not like that." Nelly shook her head. "He wanted to say thank you --- and to use me as a prop while he humiliated a grown man on his birthday."
Amanda laughed, slapping her knee. "Girl, listen to me. Austin is not innocent. Trust me on that. You do not want to get tangled in whatever those two have going on between them."
There was a caution in her voice Nelly rarely heard. Amanda was rumoured to have crossed paths with Austin once, years ago, before she had even come back to Nigeria. Nelly did not push. But she tucked it away.
"Why didn't you tell me Lucky Dante was such a big deal?" she asked instead.
Amanda shot her a curious look. "I assumed you knew."
"How would I know?"
"I honestly thought you were playing hard to get." Amanda tilted her head. "You knew and were just pretending not to be impressed."
"I thought he was just another playboy." Nelly paused. "How did he even get to number one on that list? He topped Kelvin."
Amanda sighed. "That, you would have to ask him yourself."
"I don't have his number."
"Too bad." Amanda smiled.
Nelly was beginning to feel the edges of irritation when the doorbell rang.
She glanced sharply at her friend. "Are you expecting someone?"
"No." Amanda rose from the cushion. "Are you?"
"Absolutely not."
Amanda moved to the door. Nelly felt it before it happened --- a bad premonition, low and certain, settling just behind her ribs.
The door opened. Amanda turned, and the smile on her face said everything before her mouth did.
"Turns out it's for you." She paused. "Speak of the devil."
Nelly stared.
Oh no.