Olivia hurried away from the building, her heart still racing even as she got out of the elevator. She rushed into the parking lot, her muscles releasing from all that tension. She could finally breathe again. She hurried to where her car was parked, hurriedly trying to reach for her phone from her bag, her hands still trembling.

Olivia slowly got out her phone as she got closer to her car. She could hear whispers from just beside her, not actually whispers, more like tiny voices talking to each other and it made her to turn abruptly. She found herself caring less about whoever it was that was calling her as she narrowed her gaze to the woman she had met in Rafael's office earlier. It looked like she was with company.

Olivia bit her lower lip hard, as Rafael's words echoed in her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if it was really true....if Zainab used to go after news concerning the ALCS case in the past. The same case Ann said her mother was involved in. She didn't want to think about it but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't help herself but wonder if Zainab actually knew who it was that caused that accident. Who it was her mother had gone up against? She needed to know why her parents were running that night, who they were running from and if the woman in front of her was really who Rafael said she was, she knew she could at least know something. Something that could help her even if it was just a little bit.

Olivia swallowed hard as she watched the lady Zainab was talking to slowly walk away from her. This was it. This was her chance. She threw her phone back into her purse and then hurried to the chubby woman.

"Mrs Zainab?"

Olivia went numb the moment she saw the woman slowly turn to face her, the smile on her face not dimming for a bit. Olivia smiled nervously too.

"Olivia,"

"Mrs Zainab, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions. I was hoping we could talk."

Zainab pursed her lips.

"Which do you want to do? Talk or ask questions?"

Olivia let out a soft chuckle. She really hoped she could do both. She could feel the Hausa woman scan her expression for a while and then exhale, folding her arms above her breasts, passing her tongue around her upper set of teeth.

"It's about the ALCS case isn't it?" She started. "You want to know what I found." Olivia frowned a little bit. "If it could help you figure out what exactly happened to your mother, to your parents."

Olivia's blinked.

"Y-you knew my parents?"

She watched the lady in front of her glare at her for a short while, making Olivia even more nervous. Zainab exhaled and then took a step towards Olivia, looking into her eyes. She stopped walking when she was a few paces in front of her.

"Yes I did."

Olivia's heart almost jumped from her mouth. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe a word she had just heard.

"Your mother reached out to me two days before the accident." Zainab continued. "She felt someone was after her life. Someone was trying to get her killed probably because of what she knew and she asked for my help, she needed me to help her, your father and you seek asylum in the states in exchange for information about the ALCS case."

"My mum knew who was responsible for the outbreak?" Now Olivia wanted to know more. She couldn't help herself. "She knew who was trying to kill her? Who killed all those people?"

Zainab rose her brows.

"W-Who?" Olivia rose her voice just a little bit. "Who was it?" She asked earnestly. "Who was trying to kill us?"

The woman exhaled. She could see how Olivia was staring into her eyes like she could get a name from them. She could see the desperation in her eyes, hear it in her voice.

"Olivia, I'm not sure this is a path you're ready to walk on." She slowly reached for Olivia's shoulder. "Your mother was killed because of what she knew, I don't think you should get involved with this. I have followed this case all my life, I have had hitmen assigned to scare and hurt me whenever I felt I was getting close and I can tell you one thing for certain, the game of politics is a hard one, a ruthless one. Whoever it is, would stop at nothing to destroy anything that gets in his way, even if it's the fiancée of Rafael Okonkwo."

Olivia's heart was racing.

"I can tell you now, whoever it is might know who you are, they might be keeping a close eye on you right now just to make sure you don't know anything. The more ignorant you are, the better chance you have at surviving, You are better off not getting involved with any of this." She shook her head. "Trust me, you don't want to get involved. For your sake."

Olivia rose her head to look at the woman again. She let out a loud exhale just as Zainab gave her a soft pat on her shoulder. She slowly turned to the black Jeep in front of them and then walked to it.

Olivia shook slightly when she heard the loud shut sound the door made and then the engine started.

She stood out of the way so the car didn't run into her. She had never been so frustrated and confused in a while.

She shut her eyes for a long while to calm herself,  and then slowly opened it again. She tightened her grip on her bag and then slowly turned to her car.

*************************************************

The room was entirely quiet for a long while.

Rafael had his entire focus on his father, clenching his fists beneath the table, glaring at the man across him disgustedly and Randy did the same. He could notice the frown that was ever evident on his father's face and the wrinkles on his forehead as he squinted his eyes beneath his glasses so he could have a proper look at Rafael.

Why was he just sitting there and not saying the things he wanted to? Why was he there in the first place?
Those were questions that flooded Rafael's mind. Questions he needed answers to.

The silence was beginning to irk his skin, to annoy him. Rafael needed to get whatever it was done with. He finally decided to be the one to break the awkwardness in the atmosphere. The terrifying silence.

"What do you want?"
He didn't take his eyes away from Randy for even a second. "I don't remember you booking an appointment to see me. How on earth did you think you could show up at my office after everything you did? After asking your bodyguards to hurt me?"

"All that could have been averted if you had just been a respectful child and watched your tongue."

"But that's the thing isn't it? I've never been a respectful child. And that's because you never taught me how. I grew up to be a mean ass man and that's on you."

"You still have jokes," Randy cut him off. "I'd give you that at least."

Rafael scoffed.

"Honestly, I don't care about this or anything else you have to say," he continued. "Sitting here with you makes me sick to my stomach. I want you out of my company, this instant."

"I heard you've managed to re-open investigations on the ALSC case and you're planning to personally head the investigation and find evidence to prove that man's innocence."

Rafael rose his brows.

"And so?" He just had to ask. "Are you scared I might find something that could prove your involvement and guilt to the world? Perhaps I have already." Rafael let out a soft chuckle.

"If you think finding some old bus in my garage is going to be enough evidence to bring down and destroy everything I've built boy, you better think again because you'd only be hurting yourself in the process."

Of course he knew about the bus. Rafael had almost forgotten how there were cameras at every part of the mansion. Even the garage. He wanted to frown so hard but he knew he had to keep his confidence up to date. He didn't want to waver or give Randy a chance to sight fear in his eyes. Just what was Randy talking about? What was he driving at?

He shook his head.

"Foolish boy."
Rafael watched one of the bodyguards walk towards the desk with a big envelope in his hands. He stretched it towards Rafael, encouraging him to take it. Rafael hesitated for a while before he returned his gaze to the envelope. He let out a scoff and then reached for it, glaring at Randy as he took out its content...a paper.

"Go on, have a look at it." Randy gestured to the white sheet that was now in Rafael's hands.

Just what game was he trying to play now?
Rafael exhaled and then dropped the envelope, returning his gaze to the paper and then stretching it so he could have a better look at it.

"I figured since you're so interested in the bus, you should know everything about it, including who owns it."

Rafael swallowed hard as he glared at the paper, his breathing was almost stopping now. His eyes glared at the name on the papers of the bus.

"Mrs Sommadinah Racheal Okonkwo."

Rafael sneered. Of course he did.

"You bought the bus in her name?" Rafael's hands were beginning to tremble. He sniffed. "You knew it was going to be leverage for you in the long run. If anyone ever tried to find out what you did, if anyone ever found the bus, Mum would take the fall for what happened. That way neither you nor your company would be affected."

Randy leaned closer to the table. Rafael rose his eyes to his.

"I have always been ten steps ahead of you, ahead of all of you. You -you think because you have a couple of degrees, you can try to defeat me? To destroy me? I created you." Randy glared at him. He let out a loud scoff. "You are what you are because of me and I can make it all end just when I see fit. You are no match for me. I am not going to let you destroy everything I've worked so hard for. My blood and sweat built the foundation of Rand oil, now don't you for once think you can come in between me and my plans because we share the same genes. You are going to stop this nonsense, you are going to withdraw from this case and stay out of my way or I am going to take you. I am going to destroy everything and everyone that's important to you. First your mum, and then your brothers, and then that woman you sleep with and finally her daughter and if your sister comes in my way, I would destroy her too. You have forgotten I have everything you care about within my grasp. Just where I want them."

Rafael sniffed.

He could feel his anger gathering a lot of tears in his eyes. He had to pause for a while to catch his breath, sitting up on his chair just so he could wrap his head around everything he had heard.

"I'd take it that you understand perfectly. At least I had to make sure your mother did before I left the house. You can not get rid of me Chukwudalu, do you understand?"

Rafael scoffed.

"What kind of a man are you?" He asked as Randy got up while his bodyguards rushed to him with his walking stick. He took it. "What kind of a man resorts to blackmail just to save his own skin? What kind of a coward?"

Randy turned to leave. Rafael got up quickly too. He knew he had to make him listen. He had to make him hear what he had to say.

"Have you ever even loved her?" Randy refrained from taking another step. "All she ever did was love you. All mother ever did was stand by you all these years even after all you did to her. She always took your side, she always chose you. How can you risk her life on the line so effortlessly? How can you do this to her? Why? If you hated the thought of being with her then why did you get married to her? Why did you have us? Why do you keep her? Why do you continuously let her suffer? Why won't you let her go? Just tell me why!"

Rafael yelled so hard that anyone that stood outside would have heard him if not because of the soundproof door at the entrance. At least his secretary did.

Randy staggered back a little bit-

"Chairman," his bodyguards rushed to make sure he was okay. He stretched out a hand to stop them. The last thing he needed was to cause a scene.

Rafael was breathing so hard now. He could hear his heart race, feel his heart race so fast.

Randy cleared his throat and then continued walking. He walked away from the glass door and headed straight to the huge brown entrance door. Rafael's secretary stood up nervously in a hurry to show his respect. Rafael watched the bodyguards lead him away from the room, taking deep breaths as he passed his hands over his face.

His secretary slowly turned towards his direction to see if he was okay. He knew how bad the tension in the room was. He dared not take a step from his desk.

Rafael took a deep breath. He was trying so hard to calm himself. Trying so hard to control his emotions but he just couldn't. He yelled pushing everything on his desk off with just one swipe of his hands, everything including his laptop and coffee mug. Everything fell from the desk to the ground with a large crash, making his secretary jump in fright. He left his head bowed and his hands shaking, not daring to look in Rafael's direction.

Rafael let out a deep breath and then turned to the window hoping there were a lot of other things to crash to keep himself calm. He placed his hands on his hips and then took repeated breaths.

What on earth was this? What was he going to do?

He breathed in.