Asad

As I started to drive to the restaurant from home, the streets dimly lit under the evening sky, my mind kept drifting to Layla. I had been looking forward to our first outdoor date tonight, albeit nervously, since we started seeing each other more often. I had planned it carefully, knowing she'd love the restaurant if I were lucky. Something simple but elegant, somewhere we could talk without distractions. I had planned and informed her brother. I got his permission and approval to go ahead before I told her about the date. I could feel the anticipation building in my chest, even as my phone buzzed on the dashboard.

It was a message from my assistant. I glanced down, barely paying attention, expecting it to be a routine update. But when I saw the text, my heart sank.

Sir, we have an emergency at Nyako Corp. It's the Lekki Port Project. Something's gone wrong. Very wrong.

I swerved to the side of the road, parking as I read the rest of the message.

There's been a major issue with the structural integrity. We're looking at possible cracks in the foundation. It's spreading fast. The engineering team's on-site, but we need you here now. Mu'allayidi Holdings' shares have started plummeting already.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting the weight of the situation hit me. Lekki Port was one of our biggest projects, a multi-billion-dollar development. We had been working on it for months, and I had personally overseen every critical aspect of it. I knew that project inside out. How had this happened? How had I missed something?

A cold wave of dread settled in my chest. If the foundation was compromised, this wasn't just a minor issue. This could cascade into something far worse, and we couldn't afford that. Not now, not ever. I could almost see the ripple effects, contracts falling through, investors pulling out, and the entire project crumbling. I knew how these things could spiral out of control, fast.

I stared at the message, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel. I had to go. There was no way around it.

Quickly, I typed a message to Layla. I hoped she'd understand, even though I hated to cancel.

With a deep breath, I pulled back onto the road, this time heading toward the office. As I drove, my mind raced through all the possibilities, trying to pinpoint how this could have happened. I never missed things like this. I was meticulous, always looking for holes, for potential issues that could arise later. How had this one slipped past me?

By the time I reached Nyako Corp, the building was already buzzing. Lights were on in the boardroom, staff, and board members trickling in as they gathered for the emergency meeting. I parked quickly, grabbed my phone, and headed inside, my mind already focused on damage control.

As I walked through the front doors, people nodded, offering their "Good evenings" and "Sir, welcome," but they kept their distance. They knew I didn't appreciate small talk or unnecessary formalities, especially in moments like this. Everyone understood that when things went wrong, it wasn't the time for pleasantries.

Inside the boardroom, it was worse than I expected. The head of engineering was already there, pacing. His face was pale, his expression grim. I scanned the room, noticing the tension on everyone's faces. I walked toward the table head chair, sitting beside Usman.

I didn't waste any time. "Alright, let's get to work. What's the status?"

The engineering lead stepped forward, tablet in hand. "Sir, we've got a major problem. We ran some tests on-site after the initial report came in. The foundation at Lekki port isn't just cracking. There's evidence that the concrete mixture was compromised, meaning the entire structure might need to be reinforced. If we don't act now, we could be looking at catastrophic failure."

I felt the floor beneath me shift like the entire project was already collapsing. I kept my face calm, but inside, I was calculating every possible scenario, every outcome. If the foundation failed, we'd be dealing with lawsuits, delays, and billions of dollars in losses, not to mention the damage to Nyako Corp's reputation.

"How did we miss this?" I asked, my voice low but firm. "I went over every inch of that project myself."

The engineering lead shook his head. "It wasn't visible until now. The tests were fine when we checked during construction. But something must've gone wrong in the curing process. We're trying to trace it back to the suppliers now."

I nodded. "Alright. Get the damage control team on it immediately. I want every department involved. Finance, legal, engineering. Pull everyone who's available and get them working. We need solutions, not problems. Contain the news, this doesn't go out at all." We couldn't afford to have this affect our other projects. Our electronics, motors, and insurance subsidiary were doing too well to have construction mess with their accelerated growth.

As the meeting went on, more staff filtered in. Engineers, project managers, and heads of departments. Everyone was moving, working at full speed. I kept my eyes on the data, the reports coming in minute by minute. But as the hours passed, the situation didn't improve. If anything, it got worse.

Every update from the site showed new cracks and new problems. The foundation was destabilizing faster than we could predict. It wasn't just a patch job anymore; this was a full-scale emergency. We'd have to pull in external consultants and pour in resources, and even then, it might not be enough.

I didn't look at my phone. I couldn't. Layla was waiting, and I couldn't bear to think of how much time had already passed. I just had to get this under control, and then I'd deal with everything else. But the clock was ticking, and midnight came and went without any real resolution. The damage was severe, and though we were doing everything possible, it would take hours—if not days—to fix.

I kept my focus sharp, even though deep down, I couldn't help but feel like this one misstep could cost us everything. Everything we've worked on in the last few years because of how damaged our reputation was. How had I missed it?

As the clock ticked past midnight, the tension in the room only thickened. I stood at the head of the table, my eyes still scanning the data on the large screen before us. The foundation cracks had spread wider than initially reported, and it was clear that something wasn't adding up. Even with all the failures we'd uncovered, something about the pattern of damage felt... deliberate.

I watched as the damage control team, engineers, and project managers cycled through report after report, looking for a root cause. Every now and then, someone would propose a theory, poor quality materials, mismanagement on the construction site, and an oversight in the inspection process. But none of it explained how things had spiraled so quickly.

I leaned back in my chair, my arms crossed, still analyzing the data as it streamed in. It wasn't random. I knew that much. The cracks were spreading in specific areas, almost as if they had been deliberately targeted. There was a pattern—one I couldn't ignore.

One of the younger engineers was scrolling through past reports when he stopped suddenly, eyes wide. He clicked on a file, zooming in on a set of documents from a few weeks ago.

"Sir," He called out, his voice tight with uncertainty. "There's something strange here."

I looked up, signaling for him to continue.

"Go ahead," Usman said as he removed his glasses, looking visibly exhausted.

"These test results," He said, pointing to the screen, "the original batch of concrete used in the foundation passed inspection, but the second and third batches... they don't match. The strength ratings are different. Someone swapped the materials."

I straightened in my seat, my gut twisting as the pieces started to fall into place. "Swapped? By whom?"

The room went silent, everyone leaning in to see what he was pointing at.

"It's not in the logs but look here." He zoomed in on a section that should've shown the supplier details, but the document had been tampered with. The signature field had been altered, and there were missing details in the supply chain records. "These materials weren't from our approved suppliers. It's like someone went through the backdoor and rerouted the shipments."

A quiet murmur rippled through the room, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Sabotage.

I clenched my jaw, staring at the evidence in front of me. It wasn't just an oversight, I knew it. Someone had intentionally compromised the materials, and they had done it in such a way that it slipped through our checks. They had planned it carefully, and waited until the construction was far enough along for the damage to be catastrophic but subtle enough to evade detection at first.

"How long has this been happening?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.

The engineer swallowed hard. "It looks like months, maybe the beginning of the project. Whoever did this knew how to manipulate the system. They bypassed the usual checks, falsified documents... It was all done just under the radar."

I took a deep breath, letting the implications settle in. This wasn't just about faulty materials; this was a deliberate attack on Nyako Corp. The Lekki Port Project wasn't just any project, it was a flagship development, a symbol of everything our company stood for. If this got out, the blow to our reputation would be devastating.

I turned to the head of security. "I want every person who handled the supply chain investigated. Start from the top and work your way down. I want names, access logs, everything."

The man nodded, already pulling up the necessary files.

As the room buzzed with activity, I felt the weight of the situation press down on me. Sabotage meant someone wanted us to fail, which wasn't new in our line of work, and they had gone to great lengths to make sure we wouldn't notice until it was too late.

And it almost was.

I had a few guesses, it's not a secret we had rivals and competitors.

We worked through the night, piecing together the details of the attack. It became clear that this wasn't an isolated incident; whoever had done this had access to sensitive information, internal information. This was someone who knew our processes well enough to exploit them. And they had been smart about it. Careful.

By the time we had traced the sabotage back to a rogue supplier, a front for someone who clearly had it out for Nyako Corp, the room was thick with exhaustion. But there was also a sense of grim determination. We weren't going to let this bring us down.

It was nearing dawn when we finally had enough information to act. I stood at the center of the room, my hands braced against the edge of the table as I addressed the team. I have ordered most of them to go as they were not needed anymore.

"We're not going to let this sabotage stop us," I said, my voice low but firm. "We'll fix the damage, we'll take legal action, and we'll find out exactly who is behind this. But I want every detail triple-checked from now on. We can't afford another misstep."

The team nodded, understanding the weight of my words.

As the meeting wrapped up, and the immediate crisis seemed contained, I felt it was quickly overshadowed by something else.

Usman and I made our way to the private underground parking lot, our footsteps echoing in the quiet space. The dim lights and cool, stuffed air felt oddly calming after the chaotic night we'd just endured. I rubbed his neck, trying to release the tension that had built up over hours of crisis management.

"Man, what a night," Usman said, sighing heavily as we approached their cars. His suit jacket was slung over his shoulder, and he looked as tired as I felt. Unlike me, he didn't get to go home since morning because he was working late before the emergency came about.

"Tell me about it," I muttered. I still couldn't shake the feeling of frustration from the sabotage, but at least we had managed to get things under control, barely.

Usman fumbled with his keys and then glanced at me, a wry smile creeping onto his face. "By the way, weren't you supposed to have a date tonight? You know, before all hell broke loose?"

My stomach twisted at the reminder. I had thought about the time slipping away at least once. The memory of Layla waiting for me at home, waiting to head to the restaurant with her brother flashed through my mind, and I could feel the weight of my phone in my pocket like a lead anchor.

"Yeah..." I began, my voice trailing off.

Usman's grin widened with tiredness visible on his face. "Oh no. Poor lady, she's probably furious with you for canceling on her last minute."

I scratched the back of his head. "I, uh... didn't actually cancel."

Usman blinked, his smile faltering for a moment. "Wait, what?"

"I didn't cancel," I said more quietly, feeling the weight of the situation settle over me again. "I told her something came up at work and that I'd let her know when I was done."

Usman stopped in his tracks, his face twisting in confusion. "Hold on a second. So, you didn't cancel the date? You told her there was an emergency... and just left it at that?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I thought it wouldn't take all night. I figured I'd update her once I knew when I'd be free."

Usman stared at him, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Man... you mean to tell me you didn't cancel... you just stood her up?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. I hadn't thought about it that way. "Not if you put it like that," I muttered defensively, trying to avoid Usman's gaze. "It wasn't intentional."

Usman chuckled and shook his head, sliding his jacket off his shoulder and draping it over the open door of his car. "Look, I'm not trying to make you feel worse, but..." He paused, looking directly at Asad. "You know how women are about dates, especially the first few. They take these things seriously, man. And you just... left her hanging. All night."

I grimaced, guilt settling deeper into my chest. "I didn't mean to," I said, my voice quieter now. "I'll explain everything."

Usman shook his head sympathetically. "I feel bad for you. Really, I do. But you need to apologize correctly. She's probably hurt right now, and it's not going to be easy to smooth this over."

I sighed, leaning against my car for a moment, the weight of the night pressing down on me. "Yeah... I know. But how? What do I say?"

Usman shrugged, sliding into the driver's seat. "You'll figure it out by yourself. If I stay another minute here, I'm going to pass out." He said beaten. "Just make sure you're sincere."

I nodded, watching Usman drive off. The exhaustion was beginning to settle in, but the thought of Layla waiting for me the whole night made me feel worse than any work crisis. I had to fix this.

I hadn't checked my phone in hours, and I knew she was waiting for me. I pulled out my phone, wincing as I saw the time. Past 3 a.m. No calls, no messages. She had given up on me. Of course, she had. I had promised her an evening, and instead, I had vanished into work.

I stared at the screen, guilt washing over me. I needed to explain, but what could I say that wouldn't sound like another excuse?

Taking a deep breath, I sent her a message, knowing it might not change much now.

I'm sorry. Something happened at work, and I had to deal with it. I apologize for not informing you sooner.

As I slipped my phone back into my pocket, the weight of both the night's events and the fallout with Layla settled on my shoulders. It wasn't just about the crisis at Nyako Corp, it was the realization that no matter how carefully I planned, no matter how much I wanted things to go smoothly, sometimes everything just fell apart.

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Hello darling readers,

Hope the chapter met y'all well?😁 Now that we know what exactly happened, what do you predict will come next between him and Layla? How mad do you reckon she is going to be with him? (Yes, I'm predicting she will be mad but who knows😉)

I want to hear all you've to say like in the last chapters, you're really generous with the comments and IG dms💕

Drop any comment you might have here and send me reviews on IG: husna_thewriter

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