Chapter 3: The Queen of Lagos
The wheels of the private Gulfstream jet touched down on the tarmac of Murtala Muhammed International Airport with a definitive thud. I didn't flinch. I didn't even look up from the financial report in my lap. Outside, the Lagos heat was already shimmering off the runway—a thick, humid embrace that felt like a memory I had tried to drown.
"Welcome home, Adriana," Alexander's voice came through the satellite phone. "The motorcade is waiting. Your suite at the InterContinental is secured. Remember, the lioness does not roar when she enters the jungle. She simply breathes, and the other animals know to move."
"I'm not a lioness, Alexander," I replied, my voice smooth as expensive silk. "I'm the hunter. And I've already moved into position."
I stood up, smoothing the wrinkles of my white Dior jumpsuit. I caught my reflection in the cabin's gold-rimmed mirror. My hair was styled in a sharp, asymmetrical bob that framed my new, high cheekbones. My lips were painted a blood-red that screamed of danger. I looked at the woman in the mirror and felt nothing for the ghost of Nneka. Nneka would have been intimidated by the sirens and the black SUVs waiting for her. Adriana Valance simply put on her oversized Chanel sunglasses and stepped out into the furnace of the Lagos sun.
The VIP terminal was crawling with paparazzi and security. The news had already broken: The Mystery Mogul, Adriana Valance, arrives in Lagos for the Eko Atlantic Bid. As I walked toward the line of black Range Rovers, a familiar scent hit me. It wasn't the smell of jet fuel or the salty Atlantic breeze. It was the scent of Oud and Bergamot.
Tunde's perfume.
My heart didn't race. Instead, it went cold, a block of ice settling in my stomach. I stopped in my tracks. Ten feet away, standing by a silver Bentley, was a man I had once shared a bed with. Tunde Adenuga.
He looked exactly the same, yet entirely different. He looked older, more stressed, with a slight furrow in his brow that hadn't been there two years ago. Beside him stood a young man in a suit—his new personal assistant. Tunde was checking his watch, his posture arrogant as ever. He was there to receive a different dignitary, but his eyes were wandering, searching the crowd for the woman he had seen in Forbes.
"Boss, that's her," the assistant whispered, pointing toward me.
Tunde turned.
Time seemed to slow down. The noise of the airport faded into a dull hum. I watched his eyes travel from my heels, up my legs, to the curve of my waist, and finally to my face. I saw the moment his breath caught. I saw the flash of confusion in his eyes—a flicker of a memory he couldn't quite place.
I didn't turn away. I walked straight toward him, my heels clicking like a countdown on the pavement.
"Mr. Adenuga, I presume?" I said, stopping just inches from him. My voice was pitched perfectly—low, melodic, and completely foreign to the high-pitched Igbo accent Nneka once had.
Tunde blinked, his mouth slightly open. "Ms... Ms. Valance. I wasn't expecting you to arrive at the public VIP wing. We had a private lounge prepared."
"I prefer to see the world as it is, Tunde," I said, using his first name with a familiarity that made his eyes widen. "Not through the filtered glass of your hospitality."
He cleared his throat, trying to regain his "Big Man" composure. "Of course. My apologies. I am Tunde Adenuga, CEO of the Adenuga Group. We spoke on the phone last week regarding the Eko Atlantic partnership."
He reached out his hand. The same hand that had forced a pen into my fingers while I lay bleeding in a hospital bed. The same hand that had pushed me away while I begged for my child's life.
I looked at his hand for a long beat, letting the silence stretch until it became uncomfortable. I didn't take it. Instead, I adjusted the strap of my Hermès bag.
"I know who you are, Tunde," I said softly. "Everyone in Nigeria knows the Adenugas. You have quite the... reputation."
A flash of pride crossed his face, followed quickly by a look of intense scrutiny. He leaned in a little closer, his eyes searching mine. "Have we met before, Adriana? You look... strangely familiar. It's almost as if I've seen those eyes in a dream."
I let out a soft, mocking laugh. "A dream? Or a nightmare, Mr. Adenuga? Men like you often confuse the two."
"I'm serious," he stepped closer, his scent now overwhelming. "There's something about the way you stand. The way you look at me. It's like you hate me and want me at the same time."
"You have a very high opinion of yourself," I replied, my smile never reaching my eyes. "I don't hate you. To hate someone, you have to care about them. To me, you are simply a line on a balance sheet that needs to be settled."
Before he could respond, my lead security detail, a massive man named Chidi, stepped between us. "Ma'am, the convoy is ready. We are behind schedule for the meeting with the Central Bank Governor."
"Duty calls," I said, looking Tunde up and down one last time. "I'll see you at the auction tomorrow night, Tunde. Make sure your bid is high. I don't like playing with people who can't afford the stakes."
I turned and climbed into the back of the Range Rover without waiting for his reply. As the door closed, I looked through the tinted window. Tunde was still standing on the tarmac, staring at the car as it pulled away. He looked haunted. He looked obsessed.
"He's hooked," I whispered to the empty seat.
"You took a risk," Alexander's voice came over the car's intercom. He had been listening through the hidden mic in my earring. "You went too close. If he suspects—"
"He suspects nothing," I snapped. "He thinks he's found a new conquest. He thinks I'm a challenge to be won. He's always been a hunter of beautiful things, Alexander. He doesn't realize that this time, the 'beautiful thing' has teeth."
I pulled a small tablet from the seat pocket. I opened a folder titled 'THE FALL'. Inside were photos of the Adenuga family's secret offshore accounts, evidence of the bribery they had used to secure the Eko Atlantic land, and a list of every person they had stepped on to get to the top.
"How is the mother?" I asked.
"Chief Mrs. Adenuga is currently at her mansion in Ikoyi, preparing for the gala," Alexander replied. "She has been bragging to her friends that the Valance merger is already in the bag. She thinks your money is going to save her family from the debt they've hidden from the board."
"Let her brag," I said, a cold smile spreading across my face. "Let her buy the most expensive lace in the market. Let her put on all her gold. I want her to look her absolute best when I pull the rug out from under her feet."
As the convoy sped over the Ikoyi bridge, I looked out at the Lagos lagoon. Somewhere beneath those dark waters was the ghost of a girl who had once loved a monster. I made a silent promise to her.
Tomorrow, Nneka. Tomorrow, the first one falls.
I picked up my phone and sent a single text to an anonymous number: "Phase One complete. Release the first leak to the Press at midnight."