The rain continued to fall heavily against the windows, but nobody in the room seemed to notice it anymore.
Lila stood beside Adrian, watching the tension between the two brothers grow thicker with every passing second.
Their father.
The man Adrian had always described as strict, demanding, and difficult to please.
But never cruel.
Daniel slowly lowered himself onto the sofa.
"He told me that if I ever came back," he began, his voice unusually calm, "he would make sure I lost everything."
Adrian stared at him.
"What exactly did you do?"
Daniel gave a bitter laugh.
"That's the part he wanted everyone to believe."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Daniel, stop speaking in riddles."
Daniel looked at Lila briefly before returning his eyes to his brother.
"I didn't betray the family."
Silence.
"I discovered something about our father's business."
Adrian's expression changed.
"What?"
Daniel rubbed his palms together.
"Years ago, I found out that some of the company's money was being moved through accounts that didn't belong to the company. Millions of naira. I confronted him."
Adrian shook his head slowly.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It does when you realize he wasn't working alone."
Lila's heart tightened.
"Who else?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Someone inside the family."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Before Daniel could answer, their mother suddenly stood.
"That is enough."
Everyone turned toward her.
Her face had gone pale.
Adrian stared at her.
"Mum?"
She looked at Daniel with something close to fear.
"You promised you would never speak about this again."
Daniel stood.
"I promised because Dad threatened me. Not because I was guilty."
Adrian looked between them.
"What are you both hiding from me?"
His mother's eyes filled with tears.
"Adrian, there are things about this family you were never supposed to know."
"That decision wasn't yours to make."
His voice was controlled, but Lila could hear the anger underneath it.
Daniel reached into his jacket and pulled out a small brown envelope.
"I kept evidence."
Adrian stared at it.
"For five years?"
"For five years."
Daniel handed it to him.
Adrian didn't open it immediately.
"What is inside?"
"Bank records. Copies of contracts. And one letter."
"From Dad?"
Daniel nodded.
Adrian finally opened the envelope.
He pulled out the letter.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
His breathing changed.
Lila noticed immediately.
"What does it say?"
Adrian didn't answer.
He read the final line again.
Then he looked at his mother.
"Why did Dad pay someone to investigate Lila?"
Lila froze.
Her heart seemed to stop.
"What?"
Daniel's expression darkened.
"That," he said quietly, "is the part I was afraid of."
Adrian turned toward Lila.
And for the first time since she had known him, he looked genuinely terrified.