Nobody had ever said it to her like that. Not to flatter her, not to gain something, just because they meant it. Her voice came out soft. “You really say what is on your mind.” “With you, yes.” They sat there quietly after that, closer in heart than before. That night, when they lay down, the room no longer felt tense.
There was still shyness, but there was trust, too. And for Chika, that mattered deeply. In her father’s house, care had always come with conditions. With Obinna, she was beginning to know a different kind of love. The kind that protected instead of wounded. The next morning, another matter came up. Chief Emeka’s back, which had been troubling him since the earlier struggle, became worse.
By the time word reached Obinna, the old man was in serious pain and had to be carried toward where a vehicle could reach. Chika watched the effort with a heavy heart. The road into the village was too bad. If something worse happened at night or during rain, help would come too late. That evening, she sat with Obinna and said, “This road is a real problem.
” He looked at her. “I know.” “No,” she said softly. “I mean, someone could die because help cannot get here fast enough.” He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Can we do something about it?” she asked. A small smile touched his face. “I was already thinking about it.” So, they decided together to fund a proper road for the village.
The villagers were touched, but many protested. They said Obinna had already done too much over the years. He had paid school fees, created jobs, helped families, and improved farming in the community. Still, he and Chika insisted. For Chika, this mattered deeply. For the first time in her life, she was part of something that helped people instead of feeding selfishness.
Work started fast. Real workers came. Real machines came. Good materials came. This was not empty talk. It was serious work backed by real money. Soon, news reached the city. Kemi heard that Chika and Obinna were fixing the road. At once, envy rose in her chest again. She had hoped the village would remember her wealth and forget the shame of that day.
Instead, Chika and Obinna were becoming even more respected. She told Tunde. At first, he did not care much. But when she explained how quickly the work was moving and how expensive it looked, his attention sharpened. Kemi paced the room. “It doesn’t make sense. Gold, diamonds, cards loaded with money, now a road project? How can a poor farmer afford all this?” Tunde said nothing.
That silence only strengthened her suspicion. “He must be stealing,” she said. “He has to be. He has brainwashed those villagers, and now he is using stolen money to act like some hero.” Then another thought entered her mind. “What if we fund the road first?” she said suddenly. “If we do it, they will start praising them and start praising us.
” But the truth was simple. They could not match what was already happening. Before they could make any move, Obinna had gone too far ahead. Construction was already strong, fast, and well-funded. When Kemi and Tunde drove past to see it for themselves, they were stunned. Workers were everywhere. The road was already taking shape.
The quality was obvious. Kemi stood there staring. “This is impossible.” Tunde’s face was tight. “No, it’s happening.” “With what money?” she snapped. He He not answer because he was asking himself the same question. And the worst part was that nothing about the project looked fake. No noise. No delay. No half work.
Just results. Kemi’s envy deepened into something darker. Hatred. Suspicion. The need to expose him. She looked at the road, at the workers, at the clear proof that Chika and Obinna were moving ahead without her. And said through clenched teeth, “He is hiding something.” Then she turned to Tunde. “I will expose him.” She said.
“I have to.” And far from that bitterness, Chika stood beside Obinna that same evening watching the road begin to change the village and felt something she had never known in her father’s house. Pride. Not the ugly kind. A clean kind. The kind that came from standing beside something good. But peace did not last. Kemi did not stop.
She kept calling Chika a liar. She kept saying the diamond, the money, and even the road project had to be coming from theft. She could not accept that Chika’s life in the village might actually be better than hers in the city. A few days later, Chika and Obinna went into town to buy a few things for the coming wedding.
The road work was moving fast, and people were already talking about the formal celebration that would soon happen. They stopped at a boutique. Chika was looking at fabrics when she heard a familiar voice. “So even village wives shop here now?” She turned. Kemi stood near the entrance with Tunde beside her. Her face carried that same bitter smile.
Tunde looked irritated, as if he was already tired of the whole thing, but would still enjoy any chance to humiliate Chika. Kemi walked closer and looked Chika up and down. “Tell me the truth.” She said. “How much have you stolen now?” Chika did not answer at once. She only looked at her sister calmly. Kemi laughed.
