The Prodigal Daughter – Episode 32 & 33

The Prodigal Daughter – Episode 32

Episode 32: The Storm Unleashed

The loud banging on the door echoed through the small room, sending a jolt of panic through Sandra. Her heart raced as she looked at the others, their faces mirroring her own shock. Emeka immediately stood up, his hand going to the gun at his waist, his eyes narrowing with caution.

“Stay here,” he whispered, his voice low but commanding. He moved toward the door, but Sandra grabbed his arm before he could take another step.

“Who’s out there, Emeka?” Sandra demanded, her voice tight with fear.

“I’ll check,” Emeka said quickly, pulling away from her grip. “Stay hidden. Don’t let anyone in unless I say so.”

Before Sandra could protest, Emeka was already making his way toward the door, positioning himself beside the wall, his back to the door. He signaled for everyone to stay quiet.

The loud knocks continued, followed by muffled voices from outside. Sandra’s mind raced. Could it be Mr. Leke’s men? Had they finally caught up to them? She turned to Deborah, who was standing by the window, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear.

“What’s happening?” Deborah whispered.

“I don’t know,” Sandra replied, her voice strained. “But something’s wrong.”

Tunde, who had been sitting across the room, stood up slowly. “We need to leave, now,” he said quietly, his eyes darting to the door. “They’re coming for me.”

Sandra’s heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by that? Was he truly in danger? Or was this all part of some larger plan?

But before she could ask another question, the door suddenly burst open, and Emeka was shoved aside by two men who stormed into the room, their guns drawn. Sandra’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized one of them—the same men who had been tailing them for the past few days.

The man in the front, a tall, muscular figure with a scar running down his cheek, glared at Sandra. “You thought you could escape, huh?” he sneered. “Mr. Leke sent us to bring you back. You’ve gone too far.”

Sandra’s stomach dropped. This was it. The moment they had been running from had finally arrived. But she refused to back down now. She wasn’t going to be scared into submission.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Sandra said, her voice steady despite the pounding of her heart. “We’re done with Mr. Leke. And we’re not afraid of you.”

The man’s expression darkened, and he stepped closer, pointing the gun at her. “You don’t get to decide that, little girl.”

Tunde moved quickly, standing in front of Sandra, his face expressionless. “Leave her alone,” he said coldly. “You don’t want to do this.”

The man laughed bitterly. “And what are you going to do about it, Tunde? You’re nothing but a rat who ran away. Mr. Leke will make sure you regret this.”

Sandra’s eyes flicked between Tunde and the man. Something didn’t add up. Why was Tunde so calm? Why was he standing in front of her as if he had some sort of control over the situation?

It clicked suddenly. Tunde was working with them.

Sandra’s breath caught in her throat. All along, Tunde had been playing them. He wasn’t the ally he had pretended to be—he was a double agent. And the real shock was that Emeka had known all along.

“You… you’re working with them?” Sandra whispered, her voice shaking.

Tunde’s eyes flickered with something—guilt? Regret? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “I had no choice,” he said, his voice low. “Mr. Leke has too much power. He owns everything, including me.”

Sandra’s stomach twisted in disgust. She had trusted him. She had believed him. And now, it was all falling apart in front of her.

But Emeka stepped forward, his voice steady. “I didn’t have a choice either, Sandra.”

Sandra’s eyes snapped to Emeka. “What?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean, Emeka?”

The room fell silent for a moment. Even Tunde seemed to be watching Emeka, waiting for him to explain himself.

Emeka took a deep breath, his eyes darting around the room before meeting Sandra’s gaze. “I’ve been working for Mr. Leke too. From the start.”

Sandra’s heart dropped into her stomach. It felt like the ground beneath her feet was crumbling. “No. You… you’ve been working for him this whole time? Why? After everything?”

“I was trying to protect you,” Emeka said, his voice strained. “I never meant for you to get caught up in this. I thought I could fix things from the inside. But I was wrong. I should have told you the truth, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk losing you. I… I care about you too much.”

Sandra’s mind was reeling. Everything she had believed was now shattered. The man she had trusted—Emeka—had been lying to her all along. He had been working for Mr. Leke from the beginning, feeding her information, guiding her, all while pretending to be her ally.

But now, in the midst of it all, Emeka was finally confessing the truth.

Sandra stepped back, her hands trembling. “How could you?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “How could you betray me like this?”

Emeka’s eyes softened, but he didn’t approach her. “I never wanted to hurt you, Sandra. But I couldn’t stop it. I thought I could help. I thought… I thought you would understand.” He took a step closer, but Sandra held up her hand to stop him.

“No,” she said firmly. “You don’t get to do this now. You don’t get to make excuses. You lied to me, Emeka. You used me. All this time, you were working for him.”

Emeka’s face fell, and for a moment, he looked defeated. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I really am.”

The tension in the room was unbearable. The two men who had entered were still standing by the door, watching the scene unfold with amusement. But Sandra couldn’t look at them. She couldn’t look at Emeka. She felt her trust in him break into a thousand pieces, each one cutting deeper than the last.

But then, something inside her clicked. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by this. Mr. Leke was still out there. And now, she had no idea who she could trust.

“You’ve all made a mistake,” Sandra said, her voice steady despite the chaos in her heart. “And I’ll make sure it’s your last.”

Emeka’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Sandra turned and ran for the door, her mind racing. She didn’t know what was happening anymore, but she knew one thing: she couldn’t stop now. She had to finish what she had started.

And no matter who she had to face, no matter the betrayal, Sandra was ready to take down Mr. Leke. Once and for all.

To be continued…

The Prodigal Daughter – Episode 33

Episode 33: A Fractured Alliance

The air was thick with tension as Sandra ran through the narrow hallway, her mind a blur of confusion and fury. Every step felt heavier than the last, each breath like a dagger lodged in her chest. She didn’t know who she was running from anymore. Emeka. Tunde. Mr. Leke. They were all tangled together in a web of lies and deceit, and she had been caught right in the middle.

Her pulse pounded in her ears as she burst through the door, nearly tripping over her own feet. The night air hit her like a slap, but she barely noticed. All she could think about was getting away—away from the men she had trusted, the men who had betrayed her. But where could she go? Who could she trust now?

Sandra’s mind raced back to everything that had happened. The betrayals. The lies. How had it all gotten so complicated? The people she had believed in, the ones she thought had her back, were all part of the same crooked game. Emeka, Tunde, even Mr. Leke—they had all been playing her for a fool.

But Sandra wasn’t a fool. She was smarter than that. She had to be.

She glanced over her shoulder, half expecting to see Emeka chasing after her, but there was nothing. No sound. No footsteps. Just the distant hum of traffic and the night settling around her like a blanket.

She didn’t know what to do next. The anger burned inside her, a fire that could consume everything in its path. She had been betrayed by the very people she thought would help her, and now it felt like the world was closing in.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, cutting through the chaos of her thoughts. Sandra froze, her fingers trembling as she pulled the phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was a text from Deborah.

“Sandra, where are you? Emeka and Tunde are fighting. It’s getting out of hand. Please, come back.”

Sandra’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t go back. She couldn’t face Emeka, not after everything he had said. But Deborah needed her, and as much as Sandra hated to admit it, she couldn’t leave her friend alone with those two. Not now, not when everything was falling apart.

She made a snap decision. She had to go back, but she wasn’t going back alone. This time, she was going to make sure she had control of the situation.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sandra turned and began to head back toward the building. But just as she was about to reach the corner, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her. She whipped around, her body tensing, expecting the worst.

But it wasn’t Emeka or Tunde. It was the officer—one of the few people she had trusted since the beginning.

“Sandra,” the officer called softly, his voice cautious but urgent. “We need to talk.”

Sandra eyed him warily, her mind still reeling from the events of the past few hours. She wasn’t sure if she should trust him, but something in his voice made her pause.

“Talk?” she echoed, her voice low and guarded. “Talk about what?”

The officer glanced around, checking to make sure they were alone. “We don’t have much time. They’re coming for you—Mr. Leke’s men. They know you’ve gone rogue, and they won’t stop until they find you.”

Sandra felt her blood run cold. “What do you mean, ‘they’re coming for me’?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you telling me this?”

The officer sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Because I’m not just some random officer, Sandra. I’ve been working undercover for years. I’m trying to bring down Mr. Leke. But I need your help to do it. I’ve been feeding you information, trying to guide you, but we can’t stop him without your full cooperation.”

Sandra’s mind spun as the words hit her. For a moment, she could barely process them. The officer had been helping her? He hadn’t betrayed her?

“But why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Sandra demanded, stepping closer. “You’ve been watching everything happen, and you didn’t tell me the truth?”

The officer’s expression hardened. “Because you weren’t ready to hear it. You were too close to Emeka, to Tunde, and I couldn’t risk you getting tangled up in the wrong side of this. But now…” He trailed off, his gaze shifting nervously. “You’re the key, Sandra. Without you, Mr. Leke wins.”

Sandra stared at him, feeling the weight of his words settle heavily in her chest. She had spent so much time trying to figure out who she could trust, but the truth was—there were very few people who hadn’t been caught up in Mr. Leke’s web.

“So, what now?” Sandra asked, her voice cold but steady. “What do you need me to do?”

The officer stepped forward, his face serious. “We need to move quickly. Mr. Leke is a master manipulator. If we don’t strike now, he’ll bury us all. I have a plan, but I need you to trust me, Sandra. We can’t do this without you.”

Sandra’s mind was racing. She couldn’t afford to be distracted. She had been betrayed too many times, and yet, she found herself standing here, listening to someone who could be lying just as easily as the others.

But for the first time in days, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time—hope. The officer was offering her a chance, a way out of this nightmare. She couldn’t let it slip through her fingers.

She nodded, her resolve hardening. “Okay. I’ll help you. But if you’re lying to me, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

The officer nodded in return, a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes. “I won’t lie to you, Sandra. I need you. We need each other.”

And just like that, Sandra’s world shifted once again. She had no idea who she could truly trust, but she knew one thing for sure—she wasn’t backing down now. The game had changed, and she was going to take down Mr. Leke, no matter what.

But as Sandra and the officer moved to plan their next steps, one question lingered in her mind: Who was really on her side, and who was playing her?

To be continued…