The police procession moved to the last sister.
"Joy Bems, you are under arrest for harassment, cyberbullying, and defamation of Mrs. Amy Bem's character. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?" Inspector Ade delivered the rights formally, his expression unyielding.
Joy didn't answer with words. She just started wailing—a high-pitched, desperate sound that cut through the silence.
"Brother! Mama! Please help me!"
She screamed, looking wildly at the figures still in the room. She turned to Amy, dragging her body across the floor.
"Sister-in-law, I am sorry! I will never do that again! Please don't let them take me away! I was just following what Onyinye said! Please!"
Ade and Morka ignored her pleas, efficiently cuffing her hands behind her back. She continued to scream and beg as they pulled her out of the house.
After the three sisters were finally taken, Ade and Morka walked back to Amy.
"Mrs. Bems, please come with us to the station. We need to take your official statement and open your case again"
Ade requested, his voice respectful.
Amy nodded, turning to follow them. But a shadow fell over her.
Duru was there, kneeling on the floor, fully sober now. Tears streamed down his face, washing away his drunkenness and shame. He was followed by his mother, Mama Duru, who was also weeping hysterically, the shock of the arrests and the news reports having finally broken her.
"Amy, wait!"
Duru's voice cracked. He crawled closer, not daring to touch her.
"I don't know what to say to cleanse your resentment of all the evil that the family has done to you. I am even too ashamed to ask for forgiveness. How can I possibly make it up to you, my love?"
Regret and agonizing pain were etched over every line of his face.
Mama Duru, still sobbing, rocked back and forth, holding onto Duru's leg.
Amy looked down at the two figures who had been her family and her tormentors. She felt nothing but a cool, empty resolve.
"Give me back the house"
She told him, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Done."
Duru didn't hesitate for a second. He knew she meant the house he was currently living in with his new wife, the one he hadused her life insurance to purchase.
He bit his lip, his hands trembling as he held up the authentic DNA test results that were scattered on the floor.
"Can you please tell me where our children are buried?"
Amy laughed, a short, sharp, bitter sound.
"Our?"
She muttered, scoffing at the claim.
She pointed to the stack of divorce papers that she had dropped earlier during the chaos.
"Sign the divorce papers, and give them back to me. I'll tell you then where they are buried."
With that, she turned her back on her weeping husband and mother-in-law and walked away with the police. Duru and Mama Duru remained on the floor, publicly broken and sobbing, while the crowd, still filming, slowly began to disperse, leaving the desolate family to their ruined home.
That evening, both the video of the restaurant confession and the video of the Bems family's public breakdown and the subsequent arrests were trending simultaneously, making it onto the national news broadcast all night long. The story of Amy Bem, the woman who had died and returned as a vengeful ghost, was now national lore.
Several Months Later:
It was Amy's Birthday Party. The scene was vibrant, warm, and filled with the low hum of genuine celebration. It was Amy's birthday party, held in Tonna's spacious, elegantly appointed home.
In a quiet corner, Wren raised his glass of premium scotch to Tonna.
"Cheers, Ton. You finally got rid of your enemies. Political ones, corporate ones, and family ones. Quite a clean sweep."
Tonna smiled back, giving Wren one of his famously seductive winks—a slow, deliberate folding of the eye that made the other man's breath hitch.
A moment later, Alicia Robinson (now known officially as Alicia Kaeto) approached them, looking refined and utterly free.
"Congratulations on step one of the project,"
Alicia said to Tonna, her voice cool and self-possessed.
"Now for step two. Remember the promise I made to you: if you make my ex-husband give me divorce papers, now I am free. I'd like to keep my end of the deal. Here."
Alicia slid a crisp cheque across the polished table to Tonna. He picked it up, his smile widening after seeing the astronomical figure: Two Billion Drex.
"No need to thank me; you earned it," Alicia added.
"Thank you. I'll use it wisely," T
onna said, then leaned in and planted a polite, yet lingering, kiss on her cheek.
"Besides, I don't see Ernest, your trusted aide. I thought he was your shadow."
"He is fired"
She said casually, picking up her drink as they both laughed lightly.
Alicia's gaze sharpened.
"The shirt you gave me for Buike that day at the Gallery was to expose his Tattoo and connection to the Klarity Foundation to that cop guy, wasn't it? You knew Inspector Ade would see it."
Tonna shook his head slowly, a fatalistic glint in his eye.
"You are one hell of a woman, Mrs Robinson—no, I mean, Mrs Kaeto. I wish you weren't so smart."
She laughed, a genuine, joyful sound of freedom.
"Well, my flight is in two hours. It was great knowing you, Tonna Ziko, the master puppeteer."
She was about to leave when she turned back, a final question burning in her eyes.
"Just out of curiosity, what did my ex-husband ever do that was so bad that you literally destroyed all he built and you chose a globally televised day for it too? This wasn't just about your company, was it?"
Tonna's smile faded, his eyes becoming distant, shielded by a sudden, intense seriousness.
"He took everything from someone whom I cherished so much" was his slow, weighted reply.
Alicia's brow furrowed, thinking through the connections she'd seen in Tonna's orchestrated revenge. Then, it hit her.
"Cece?"
She whispered, naming Tonna's late, beloved younger brother.
She watched as Tonna's eyes went moist for an instant—a rare, raw vulnerability that confirmed everything. She bit her lip and nodded.
"I've seen the news about him reporting on his innocence. It turns out that my ex-husband wanted to lay his grubby hands on Cece's jewellery business and use it to launder money. But Cece refused, and that was why he was framed and everything he owned was seized, including his life."
Tonna flashed her one of his signature mischievous smiles, a gesture that was both dangerous and intensely attractive. Alicia, spurred by the emotion of their time from the past, walked right up to him and gave him a sultry, deep kiss. Her rum-stained tongue slipped into his mouth, grazing his tongue before she pulled back slowly, deliberately.
"This is the first and last time we would ever get to see each other, Tonna Ziko."
She stood up and walked away, ushering in a new beginning, stepping into a new life.
Wren approached Tonna, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his glass, watching Alicia's exit.
"What a woman,"
He said, whistling softly.
Tonna gobbled his drink and smiled.
Across the room, a magnificent figure turned.
"Amy!"
Amy had on a short bob weave and a short red dress with a deep V-back cut, exposing her tiny waist and the seductive curve of her back. The diamante straps of the dress glittered under the soft lights. She turned, her smile broadening as she saw Tony and Rachel, with Doctor Chike beside them, walking up. She excused herself from the guests she was talking to and rushed to embrace each of them.
"Happy Birthday!" they screamed in unison.
"Omg, thank you! It feels like forever since I have seen you three," Amy said, pulling back to look at them.
"Well, it has been that long," Rachel teased.
They laughed as they handed her their beautifully wrapped gifts. She took them, thanked them, and walked over to drop them on the gift table. The large living room was filled with people, 95% of them her new colleagues from the prestigious perfumery where she was now working, with Doctor Chike, Tony, and Rachel being the exceptions.
"Please enjoy yourselves," she told her friends before excusing herself to greet other arriving guests.
"Happy birthday, Amy,"
Kyle said, walking in hand-in-hand with Gina. Kyle was wearing a suit, a promotion from his gate duty, a sign of Tonna's slow, reluctant forgiveness.
Amy looked at them suspiciously. "Stop right there!"
Gina, perceptive as always, pushed her hand forward defensively.
"Whatever you are thinking, erase it from your brain because it's not like that, and it can never be like that. We're just friends and colleagues!"
"And how do you know what I was thinking?" Amy challenged, a playful light in her eyes.
"I don't know if you are aware or not, but your emotions are written all over your face and are very easy to tell. It's a bit of a problem if you were to be a a spy, you know,"
Gina teased.
Amy nodded, laughing.
"Anyway, welcome to the party. Hope you enjoy it."
They handed her their gifts, which she added to the table.
Wren watched the exchange, turning back to Tonna.
"She's a real gem."
"That she is. A very strong woman"
Tonna replied, his gaze lingering on Amy for a beat too long before he shifted it, but Wren caught the intensity of the look.
"So, what is going on between you two?" Wren asked, his voice direct.
Tonna sighed, running a hand over his jaw.
"To be honest, I don't know. And I don't think she knows, either. We've been through too much together for it to be simple."
Wren nodded thoughtfully.
"Take it slow. See if what you both feel for each other is mutual, and you can go from there. After all that chaos, you both deserve some peace."
Tonna turned, looking Wren up and down. He seductively traced a line on the bare chest. Wren immediately took a large gulp of his drink to calm himself down, letting out a deep groan.
"Are you finally giving up?" Tonna asked, enjoying his obvious struggle.
Wren grabbed the hand that was tracing his chest. He moved close to Tonna's ear and whispered,
"When will you give me a chance? You know it's very hard to give up on you."
Tonna moved close to his ear and whispered back, "You know I don't play like that, Wren. Not with you."
He smiled at the man's evident pain and desire and began to walk away to greet other guests.
Two minutes after Tonna left, Wren's aide appeared.
"Mr. Dannon, the car is waiting outside. Your private jet is ready for takeoff."
"Is it time already?"
Wren sighed, looking towards the direction Tonna had just walked. He smiled sadly.
"Goodbye, Tonna. I hope we meet each other in a more exciting situation—the less clothes, the better."
He chuckled before walking over to Amy.
"Hey, beautiful. Happy birthday once again. I have to go now."
"Thanks a lot for taking the time to come here. Hope we see each other again," Amy smiled genuinely.
Wren nodded, giving her a final, admiring smile. He looked once more down the corridor Tonna had taken before finally walking out of the house.
Just as Wren walked out, a familiar, slightly hunched figure walked in. People who saw him immediately started whispering, recognizing Duru Bems. He looked exhausted, the ridicule of the public disgrace and personal failure etched on his face.
He walked up to Amy with a tired, solemn look. The last time she spoke or saw Duru was when she asked him for the divorce, months ago.
"Hey," he spoke nervously.
"Hey," Amy said back, her smile fading, the silence around them thick with onlookers' curiosity.
"Happy birthday."
He handed her a very thin envelope. She took it, looking at him, waiting.
"I know it's the best gift I can give you today to make you happy. I don't want to be selfish anymore, holding on to you, especially after all the sufferings you went through while living with my family. I am so sorry, Amy."
Amy opened the envelope. Inside were the signed, finalized divorce papers. Her heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she felt a complex mix of sadness for the past she had lost and a fierce, liberating relief.
"Thank you," Amy told him, the two words closing seven years of a torturous marriage.
"Kyle will send you the details of where the kids are buried, Duru. He has the records."
"Thank you, Amy," he spoke softly, a final acknowledgement of her grace.
"Here, can you give this to Mr. Ziko?"
Duru handed her a flat, sealed envelope.
"It's my resignation letter. I'm taking my mom, and we are moving out of town. We can't stay here."
He said quietly before turning around and walking out of the party, a ghost of the man he once was.
Amy wanted to run after him, to tell him not to quit or move, to offer some small comfort, but she knew that he would be better off gone. The town was no longer safe for him and his mother; everyone knew their atrocities.
The party became lively again after he left. Tonna walked towards Amy, his eyes fixed on her. He reached into his back pocket to grab his phone when he noticed an envelope inside. He opened it and retrieved a check for one hundred and fifty million Drex from Wren as well as three quarters of his shares he had signed over to him earlier on. He guessed Wren must have slipped it in during their provocative exchange, and most likely did that after he found that he had gotten a lot of investments to build his refinery after Monsieur Alan's party as well.
He looked up and saw Amy smiling—a genuine, happy smile of a woman finally free, holding her divorce papers.
Suddenly, that smile was all that mattered.
THE END