CHAPTER SEVEN
Aisha barely slept after receiving the threatening messages.
She kept checking her phone, hoping the sender would reveal their identity, but no new messages arrived.
Who knew she had been asking about Richard Williams? And why would anyone threaten her simply for wanting to understand her mother's past?
By morning, her fear had turned into determination.
She would not allow an unknown person to frighten her into silence.
After getting dressed, she returned to her laptop and opened the photograph she had saved the previous night. Her mother stood beside Richard Williams, smiling in a way Aisha had rarely seen in recent years.
They looked happy.
Too happy to be strangers.
Aisha zoomed in on the picture, hoping to find a date or location that might help her understand when it was taken.
Then she noticed something.
Richard's hand rested gently on Grace's shoulder, and around her mother's neck was a small silver pendant shaped like a heart.
Aisha had seen that pendant before.
It was in an old jewellery box her mother kept locked inside her wardrobe.
She had asked about it as a child, but Grace had simply told her it was a gift from someone she once knew.
Now Aisha wondered whether that someone had been Richard.
She took a screenshot of the photograph and sent it to Amaka.
Aisha: Do you know anything about Richard Williams?
Amaka replied almost immediately.
Amaka: The billionaire businessman? Why?
Aisha: I found an old picture of him with my mum.
A few seconds passed.
Amaka: WHAT?
Aisha smiled faintly at her friend's reaction.
Aisha: I'll explain later. Can you help me find out more about him?
Amaka: Of course. But Aisha, please be careful. This sounds serious.
Aisha put her phone down and continued researching.
By lunchtime, she had discovered that Richard Williams had been married for more than twenty years. His wife, Victoria Williams, was frequently photographed at charity events, business dinners, and social gatherings.
They had one son, Daniel Williams.
Aisha froze when she saw Daniel's photograph beside his father's.
Daniel.
The man she had spent six years trying to forget was connected to the same family her mother had apparently tried to leave behind.
She leaned back in her chair, overwhelmed by the coincidence.
Was it really possible that their lives had been connected long before they became classmates?
Her phone rang.
Daniel's name appeared on the screen.
Aisha hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hi," he said softly. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"What do you want, Daniel?"
"I wanted to check on you. You seemed upset when we spoke yesterday."
"I'm fine."
There was a brief silence.
"Can I see you today?"
Aisha almost refused. Then she remembered the photograph and the questions surrounding Richard Williams.
"Actually, there's something I need to ask you."
Daniel's tone changed.
"What is it?"
"Does your father know a woman named Grace Okafor?"
Silence.
Aisha sat up straighter.
"Daniel?"
"I'm here."
"Do you know her?"
He exhaled slowly.
"I've heard my father mention that name before, but I don't know the details. Why are you asking?"
"Because she's my mother."
Another silence followed.
This time, it lasted long enough to make Aisha's stomach tighten.
"What?" Daniel finally asked.
"My mother knew your father years ago. I found an old photograph of them together."
"I don't understand."
"Neither do I. That's why I'm asking you."
Daniel sounded troubled.
"Listen, Aisha. My father keeps most of his personal life private. But I know there are things about his past that my mother refuses to discuss."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Whenever I've asked, they change the subject."
Aisha closed her eyes briefly.
It seemed that both families had secrets.
"Can you talk to your father for me?"
"I can try, but I can't promise he'll tell me anything."
"Please, Daniel. I need answers."
"I'll do what I can."
After the call ended, Aisha remained staring at her phone.
She hadn't expected Daniel to become involved in the mystery, but now she couldn't ignore the connection between their families.
Later that evening, Daniel sat in his father's study at the Williams mansion.
Richard stood beside the window, reading a document when his son entered.
"Dad, can I ask you something?"
Richard looked up. "Of course."
"Do you know someone named Grace Okafor?"
The document slipped slightly in Richard's hand.
For a moment, his expression changed completely.
"Where did you hear that name?"
Daniel noticed the sudden tension in his father's voice.
"From Aisha."
Richard slowly placed the document on his desk.
"Aisha Nwosu?"
"Yes. She's Grace Okafor's daughter."
The room fell silent.
Richard walked toward his chair and sat down heavily.
"How much does she know?"
"Not much. She found an old photograph of you and her mother together."
Richard rubbed his forehead.
"This cannot be happening."
Daniel stared at him.
"Dad, what's going on?"
Richard looked at his son, but for several seconds, he seemed unable to speak.
Finally, he whispered, "There are things you don't understand about that woman."
"Then explain them to me."
Richard shook his head.
"Not now."
"Why not?"
"Because some mistakes were made a long time ago, and bringing them back into the open could hurt everyone involved."
Daniel's frustration grew.
"That doesn't make any sense. Aisha is confused, and she deserves to know why her mother is connected to our family."
Richard stood abruptly.
"Stay away from this, Daniel."
Daniel frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
It was the first time in years that his father had spoken to him with such sharpness.
Daniel rose from his chair.
"You can't expect me to ignore this when Aisha is involved."
Richard's face hardened.
"Especially because Aisha is involved."
Daniel stared at him, stunned.
Before he could ask another question, Richard walked out of the study.
Daniel remained alone, his mind racing.
His father had never reacted this way to a simple question.
Whatever had happened between Richard and Grace, it was far more serious than anyone had admitted.
Meanwhile, across the city, Aisha received another message from the unknown number.
I warned you to stop asking questions.
Aisha's fingers tightened around her phone.
A second message followed.
Your mother lost everything once because of this family. Do you really want history to repeat itself?
Aisha stared at the screen, her heart pounding.
She didn't know who was sending the messages.
She didn't know what her mother had lost.
But she knew one thing.
She was no longer willing to walk away simply because someone wanted her to be afraid.
Whatever secrets connected Grace Okafor to Richard Williams, Aisha was going to uncover them.
Even if the truth changed everything she thought she knew about her family—and Daniel.