The weight of the decision pressed on Agnes's chest as she sat at the small, cluttered desk in their apartment. The sunlight that filtered through the blinds seemed distant, almost indifferent to the storm brewing inside her.
Majek had been quiet for hours, lost in the digital world of research and investigation. He'd become obsessed with finding more documents, more proof to solidify their case. They couldn't afford to make a misstep—not now, not when they were so close to taking the first real step in bringing down her father's empire.
Agnes had always known that her life was far from ordinary. It had always been a game of appearances, a dance of public smiles and private suffocation. But this... this was different. This was war.
She leaned forward, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed into her laptop. She had been combing through records of SMG Conglomerate's financial dealings, trying to connect the dots, when her eyes caught something that made her heart race.
"Suspicious offshore accounts traced to high-profile political figures."
She clicked open the file, scanning the text. This was it. The moment she'd been waiting for. The piece of the puzzle that could turn everything on its head.
But as she read through the details, her mind kept flashing back to that day—her father's face when he spoke of loyalty, the coldness in his eyes when he'd made her promise to stay silent.
She clenched her fists. No more silence. She would not stay in the shadows anymore.
"Majek," she called, her voice shaking but determined.
He looked up from the screen, his face a mix of exhaustion and resolve. "What is it?"
"I found something," she said, her eyes bright with excitement and fear. "This could be the smoking gun we need to expose the whole operation. It's a series of offshore accounts linked to high-level politicians—connections that lead straight to your father's corporate dealings."
Majek stood up, coming over to her side in an instant. He crouched beside her, looking at the files on the screen. His fingers hovered over the keys, his mind processing the information in an instant.
"Your father was involved in politics? This is huge," Majek said, his voice full of awe.
"It gets worse," she said, her voice quieter now. "Some of these accounts are tied to illegal bribes—things I'm sure he's been laundering through SMG. This goes beyond just business deals."
"Can you get the evidence?" Majek asked, his voice sharper now.
"I already did," she said, tapping a few keys. The encrypted files popped up on the screen, showing a series of transactions too complex for most people to comprehend. But Agnes understood them perfectly.
Majek studied the screen, his brow furrowing. "This is the smoking gun. But we need to go public with it. No going back after that."
Agnes took a deep breath. "I know. Are you ready for this?"
Majek looked at her then, his eyes softening. "Ready? No. But if we don't do this, we're both trapped. We've already made our choice."
Agnes stood up, closing the laptop with a firm snap. "Then it's time to act."
The Plan
That night, they met with their most trusted ally—a journalist named Tolu. Tolu had been covering political corruption for years and had built a reputation for uncovering high-profile scandals. If anyone could help them bring the truth to light, it was her.
Agnes and Majek sat across from her in the dimly lit café, the table cluttered with papers, laptops, and coffee cups long forgotten. The tension between them was palpable, but Tolu remained calm, her sharp eyes taking in the information they laid out.
"So this is it," Tolu said after a long silence, her fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the table. "This is the big one. If we release this, there's no turning back. SMG will come for us. Your father will come for you, Agnes."
Agnes met her gaze, her heart pounding. "I know. But I'm not afraid anymore. I won't let him ruin any more lives."
Tolu's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes scanning the documents once more. "You're making the right call. But we'll need airtight proof. We'll need to make sure we have everything we need before we release this."
Majek leaned forward, his expression serious. "We have everything. The bank statements, the offshore accounts, the paper trail. We've also got the testimonies from some of the people inside the company who can back up these claims."
Tolu nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll prepare the story. It'll be big. But we need to act fast before your father tries to bury it. He's too powerful not to have a counterattack ready."
Agnes glanced at Majek, feeling the weight of the decision in her chest. This was it. There was no turning back now. They were gambling everything they had on the chance that the truth would set them free.
"We do it tomorrow," she said firmly.
The Fallout
The next day, the world exploded.
At exactly 9:00 AM, Tolu's article went live.
"Corruption and Bribery Scandal Rocks SMG Conglomerate: Politicians and Power Brokers Exposed"
The article was explosive. Every detail, every transaction was laid bare for the world to see. The offshore accounts. The politicians. The under-the-table deals. Agnes's father's name was mentioned prominently, along with his connections to several high-profile political figures.
The ripple effect was immediate.
The news channels picked up the story within minutes, with reporters scrambling to get more details. Social media exploded with outrage, hashtags trending worldwide: #SMGCorruption, #AgnesLewisTruth, #ExposeTheEmpire.
Agnes sat in front of the television, her hands trembling as she watched the first wave of coverage. She'd expected some backlash, but the sheer scale of it took her breath away. People were enraged. They wanted answers. And they were looking directly at her father.
Majek stood beside her, his jaw clenched tight. "This is just the beginning," he murmured. "They won't let it go quietly."
"I know," Agnes whispered, her mind racing with possibilities. "But we can't stop now. We have to make sure it's impossible for them to sweep this under the rug."
For the first time in years, she felt a surge of power—the kind of power that only truth could bring. Her father's empire had been built on lies, on manipulation, on control. But now, with this one act, the foundation of that empire was shaking.
And she wasn't going to let him rebuild it.
Later That Day
By the evening, the walls had started to close in.
Majek and Agnes had barely had a moment to themselves before the phone calls started. First, it was her father's lawyers, trying to downplay the situation. Then came the threats—subtle at first, then growing more direct as the hours ticked by.
"We need to move faster," Tolu said, her voice urgent over the phone. "Your father's people are already trying to discredit the story. They're launching a smear campaign against you, Agnes. They're trying to paint you as a victim of manipulation."
"Let them," Agnes said, her voice steel. "They'll only make it worse."
Majek's face darkened as he listened to the conversation. "We're not going to let them bury this. If we go down, we're going down fighting."
Agnes squeezed his hand, her heart heavy but resolute. "We won't go down. Not this time."