Game of deception, p.11
Game of Deception, page 11
‘Interpret it however you like...’
Regina ended the call without waiting for him to finish. Her hands trembled as she stared at her phone. Who did this man think he was?
She called Kenneth immediately.
‘You have to see him,’ she cried. ‘He’s threatening me now.’
Kenneth didn’t hesitate. Hearing the distress in her voice made something snap inside him. This had gone too far.
‘Alright,’ he said firmly. ‘I’ll see him after work today. Text me his address.’
‘I’d rather you go to his office,’ Regina replied quickly. ‘Anything could happen at his house.’
‘Good point.’
She retrieved the address from Chief Barry’s business card and sent it to him.
‘I’ll go straight there on my way home,’ Kenneth promised.
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Kenneth arrived at the chief’s office in Ikeja.
Among the surrounding buildings, it dominated the street—tall, pristine, and imposing. A vast white structure wrapped in reflective one-way glass, it allowed those inside to watch the world without being seen.
Kenneth paused at the entrance. An unease settled in his chest. The building loomed, cold and watchful.
He took a breath and pushed the glass doors open.
Inside, luxury greeted him at every turn. A black leather sofa, a flat-screen television, a minibar stocked with expensive drinks. The receptionist’s desk stood empty.
He walked in without hesitation and climbed the stairs, following instinct. The chief would be on the top floor.
He was right.
The upper reception area felt exclusive—white walls, red velvet sofas, a wine cabinet, and a massive television dominating the room. At a large desk sat a receptionist in a tight red dress, laughing at something on her phone while typing intermittently on a gleaming iMac.
Kenneth felt painfully out of place.
His white shirt was creased, the cuffs fraying. His belt was cracked with age. His black shoes were dusty, worn thin by years of honest work. Still, he straightened his shoulders. He hadn’t come here to be comfortable.
When the receptionist finally noticed him, her smile vanished.
‘Who are you?’ she snapped. ‘Have you lost your way?’
‘The chief doesn’t know me,’ Kenneth said calmly. ‘But he’ll see me. Tell him Regina Ezonye’s husband is here.’
She rolled her eyes, picked up the phone, and sneered as she spoke.
‘Chief, there’s... a strange-looking man insisting on seeing you. Says he’s Regina Ezonye’s husband. Should I call security?’
A pause.
‘Okay, chief.’
She dropped the receiver and glared at Kenneth.
‘Sit down. He’ll see you when he’s ready.’
Kenneth waited.
Minutes stretched into an hour. The television played silently. No drink was offered. The receptionist avoided his eyes.
After more than an hour, Kenneth stood.
‘Please,’ he said evenly. ‘I need to get home. Could you remind the chief I’m still waiting?’
She didn’t bother to hide her disdain.
‘Chief is busy. You wait—or make an appointment.’
Another thirty minutes passed.
Kenneth’s patience snapped.
‘If I’m not allowed to see him,’ he said quietly, ‘I’ll walk into his office myself.’
She sprang to her feet.
‘I will gladly have security throw you out!’
She stormed into the inner office.
‘Sir, this poverty-stricken nonentity refuses to leave. He’s stinking up the place.’
A voice answered, sharp and bored.
‘Send him in.’
She returned, lips curled.
‘You have five minutes.’
Kenneth said nothing. He walked past her and into Chief Barry’s office.
The room was a shrine to excess—ornate paintings, thick carpets, polished wood. Chief Barry sat behind a massive desk in a black swivel chair, unmoving, watching him.
There were chairs for visitors.
The chief did not offer one.
Kenneth didn’t ask.
He stood, shoulders squared, eyes fixed on the man who had been tormenting his wife.
Like everywhere else he had been to in the building, the chief's office was elegantly and luxuriously furnished, with ornate paintings, plush carpeting, and exquisite furniture. Chief Barry was sat in a massive black swivel chair in front of a large wooden desk. Despite having chairs in front of it for visitors, the chief didn't offer Kenneth a seat, which he wouldn't have accepted anyway.
Kenneth estimated he was between 63 and 72 years old. A bald, heavyset man with a full grey beard, he wore a traditional white agbada with black and red embroidery, and a red hat.
‘Chief Barry, we need to talk.’
‘Who the hell are you and what can I do for you,’ the chief responded in a voice laced with disdain.
‘You know exactly who I am, chief Barry. That’s why you agreed to see me. I’ve come to ask you to please leave my wife alone.’
‘Your wife?! Look, whoever you are, get out of this office and never set your foot on these premises again. If you do, I won’t be held responsible for what happens to you.’
Unfazed, Kenneth replied, ‘Leave my wife alone chief, please. She is my wife. If you don’t have one, I am sure you can buy one that isn’t my wife with all of the money you have. I won't tolerate you sending gifts to my wife anymore.’
‘Gifts? Oh, you mean the little tokens of appreciation I send to Regina? She deserves better, don't you think?’
‘Regina is my wife, and I don't need you interfering in our lives. Stop sending her gifts, or you'll regret it.’
‘Ha, ha, ha. Regret it? You're in no position to threaten me. Your wife deserves a man who can provide for her properly.
My wife loves me for who I am, not for materialistic gifts. Stay away from her.
‘What is a beautiful woman like that doing with a wretched simpleton like you anyway?’ The chief hissed contemptuously. ‘How did you do it? Did you use voodoo on the woman? That must be it. That explains it.’
‘We are a Christian family, Chief Barry. I do not practice any voodoo. As I said, my wife is a decent human being who doesn’t care about material wealth. So please, I beg of you, leave us alone. Leave my wife alone. Aren’t you ashamed? Have you no self-respect? Who do you think you are?’
The chief roared in anger at Kenneth’s words. ‘Whoa! You dare insult me? You dare use that tone with me? You—a useless, inconsequential nobody?’
‘I am not useless,’ Kenneth replied, steady but fierce. ‘I teach mathematics. I provide a valuable service to the community. Please have some respect for yourself. This is your last warning, chief. Stay away from my wife, or there will be consequences.’ Turning on his heel, Kenneth stormed out of the office.
‘Do you know who you’re talking to? Chief Barry bellowed at Kenneth's retreating figure, his eyes ablaze with seething rage.
‘You know what, I will teach you people a lesson you will never forget!’
He picked up his phone and dialled a number.
‘Silas, see me at my office at 7 today,’ he barked into the phone.
‘Yes sir.’ Silas was Chief Barry’s lawyer on retainer.
When Silas arrived at the office, the chief was still seething with rage. He instructed Silas to gather all the information he could find about Regina Ezonye and her family. He handed Silas the address of the school where she worked as a teacher. ‘I want to know everything about that family, where they live, the husband’s name, what he does for a living, where he works, how much is in their bank account, everything. Do you understand?’
Silas knew better than to ask the chief any questions.
‘No problem, sir.’
‘
Get that information on my desk within twenty-four hours’ he ordered, still enraged as Silas exited the office. 'I am going to deal with these people.'
Within 24 hours, Silas presented the chief with a complete dossier containing everything he needed to know about the Ezonye’s. When he discovered Kenneth tutored students in mathematics after school hours, he realized he had the perfect opportunity to destroy Kenneth and his career.
The majority of the students at Kenneth's school were from deprived backgrounds, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find someone willing to do anything for money.
The chief ceased sending gifts to a relieved Regina, and she never heard from him again. She assumed that whatever Kenneth had said to the chief had worked, and soon forgot all about Chief Barry. But the chief was merely biding his time, and things were about to take a sinister turn.
THREE MONTHS AFTER Kenneth's confrontation with the chief, a notorious 15-year-old female student received an invitation to enter the chief's parked vehicle outside the school. ‘I’ll need you to do me a favour, young lady,’ he said with a mischievous smile on his face.
He knew from the moment he saw her that she wouldn't disappoint him. When he offered to pay her one hundred thousand naira to set Kenneth up, she enthusiastically responded: ‘I would setup my own father for one hundred thousand naira, chief.’
She vowed to do a professional job.
Later that week, the student approached Kenneth and expressed an interest in enrolling in his math coaching lesson. He confirmed there was indeed a spot available. He explained that he tutored students twice a week after school for two hours. As part of their arrangement, she would attend Kenneth's office at 3 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
At exactly 3 PM the following Tuesday, the student knocked on Kenneth's door as scheduled. Assuming she was there for her first lesson, he invited her in and offered her a seat beside him. However, instead of taking a seat, the student started tearing off her clothes.
Irate and confused, Kenneth got up from his seat, grabbed her and yelled, 'what in God's name are you doing?' To Kenneth's horror, she jumped into his arms and began forcibly kissing him on the lips.
At this point, she was in her underwear. The photographers that the chief had hired burst into the room at that precise moment to take pictures of the half-naked student in Kenneth’s arms. Flashes of light temporarily blinded their vision as pictures were taken repeatedly and from different angles. It was a perfectly executed plan, one which Kenneth didn’t stand a chance against.
Kenneth felt disoriented, confused, and unsure of what had just happened. In fact, he had no idea where to even begin when it came to telling anyone the story. He thought it was just a silly prank by the girl.
But even if he really wanted to tell anyone, he didn't have the chance because by the next day, the photos were everywhere, and the story had already gone viral. The chief ensured that the pictures were posted on Facebook and splashed all over the local newspapers, causing a massive scandal and leading to Kenneth's dismissal from the school.
There was no listening to his side of the story, and nobody, including his wife Regina, was willing to look beyond the pictures. Kenneth was stripped of his license to teach at any school in the country, a devastating blow, as teaching was his passion.
Kenneth experienced a sense of everything collapsing around him. He understood why people trusted the pictures more than him. After all, they were strangers. However, when his soulmate and wife did not believe him, he finally broke.
Regina found it incomprehensible to believe that her husband, whom she knew so well, could behave in such a disgraceful manner. However, she could not ignore the pictures. They spoke a thousand words, and each time she glanced at them, her heart sank. In the end, she made his life a living hell.
‘Kenneth, I thought I knew you. How could you? Look at the shame you have brought upon yourself. Look at what you’ve done to our family!’ She yelled.
‘It was a setup, Regina, you know I’m not capable of such a thing,’ Kenneth argued, but Regina found it hard to believe him.
‘Why would anyone set you up, Kenneth? You really expect me to believe that? You must think I’m stupid! If you were setup Kenneth, then you put yourself in a position to be setup,’ she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
As she dabbed her tears away, she glared at her husband once more. ‘By the way, the pictures are all over the papers. Everybody is talking about you. They are calling you a paedophile, Kenneth. You have no shame. You were caught right in the act and you’re still lying!’
She felt humiliated and ashamed, considering all the years she had stood by his side despite rejecting several better-off suitors to be with him. This was a stain on her and her family, both religiously and professionally. This news would alter everything that everyone previously thought about them, and now they will be viewed as hypocrites.
Regina had always been a very private person, especially at work. She shunned gossip, and some of her colleagues had often criticized her ‘high and mighty attitude’. In the aftermath of the scandal, she was ridiculed at every turn. Having to deal with the relentless taunts and humiliation she was subjected to from her colleagues was overwhelming.
Whenever she stepped into a room, she'd hear whispers about her and her family and they'd chuckle and stop talking. There were a lot of names that they used to describe her, such as 'dumb, oblivious wife', 'pretender', and 'liar'. There were even rumours that she plotted to exploit school girls with Kenneth. It was all too much for her and after much consideration, she decided to resign.
The situation at home was hellish for Regina and Kenneth, and tragedy struck six weeks after the scandal broke. Kenneth collapsed at home due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. The scandal exacerbated his high blood pressure, for which he was already being treated. According to the doctor, Kenneth’s high blood pressure disrupted the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, ultimately resulting in his death.
It was a devastating loss for the Ezonye family and Regina was utterly distraught. Despite not being on good terms before he passed away, Kenneth was still the love of her life, and they had shared so many happy years together. With part of the savings left after the burial, Regina decided to start a small business selling fresh produce at the local market.
After a few weeks, Regina discovered a hidden talent for gardening and began cultivating a variety of vegetables in their backyard. The income from selling the produce not only provided for her children but also covered their school fees.
IT WAS LATE EVENING when Chief Barry arrived at Regina’s home, flanked by two of his men. He had waited long enough. Tonight, he had come to settle the score.
He hammered on the door.
No answer.
Regina was still at the market, selling the last of her produce. As she had drilled into her children, the door remained closed when she wasn’t home.
At the sound of unfamiliar voices, Michael and Tonto moved instinctively. They slipped into the small hole in the wall—their secret hiding place—holding each other, barely breathing.
Impatient, the chief barked an order.
The door was forced open.
From the darkness of their hiding spot, the children watched strange men invade their home. They prayed silently for their mother to return.
The men sat and waited.
Regina returned shortly after eight.
The moment she stepped inside and saw Chief Barry in her tiny living room, her blood ran cold.
‘What are you doing in my house?’ she demanded, panic cutting through her exhaustion. ‘Where are my children? What have you done with them?’
‘What children?’ the chief said dismissively. ‘I haven’t seen any.’
Relief and terror collided inside her. They must be hiding. She forced herself to breathe, trusting Michael—too young to be a man, yet already burdened with one’s courage—to protect his sister.
She was exhausted. She had nothing left to fight with.
‘Please,’ Regina said quietly. ‘Whatever your reason for coming here, just leave me alone. I only want to rest.’
Chief Barry sneered.
‘You are a foolish woman. You could have had everything—money, comfort, power. Instead, you chose rejection.’ His eyes darkened. ‘No one insults me and walks away.’
The slap came without warning.
Regina staggered, pain exploding across her face.
‘No one rejects me,’ he snarled. ‘No one. And for that—you must pay. Just like your husband.’
Her breath caught.
‘Yes,’ he continued, savouring her shock. ‘That little accident. I arranged it.’
The room spun.
‘It was you?’ Her voice sounded far away, hollow. ‘Why? What did we ever do to you?’
He laughed—cold, unhinged.
‘Cry,’ he said. ‘That’s what I want. I warned you. I own this town. No one humiliates me and survives.’
He turned to his men.
‘Hold her down.’
Regina understood then. Terror rooted her to the floor.
‘Please,’ she begged. ‘Please—don’t do this.’
They did not loosen their grip.
Her thoughts splintered—my children, my children—but she dared not speak their names.
The chief was unmoved.
Her cries faded into hoarse sobs as the world narrowed to pain, fear, and disbelief. Somewhere inside, she clung to the memory of Kenneth—kind, honourable, innocent. She had doubted him once. That regret burned brighter than the agony.
Her strength drained away.
When her body finally went limp, Chief Barry stepped back, satisfied. Believing her dead, he adjusted his clothes.
The men fled the house.
Silence followed.
Only the children remained—hidden, trembling, alive.
And their mother lay motionless on the floor.
WHEN THE HOUSE FINALLY fell silent—when only their own breathing remained—Michael and Tonto crept out of hiding.
Their mother lay motionless.
They crawled to her side and dropped to their knees. Michael’s small hands trembled as he covered her exposed body. His wide brown eyes shimmered with tears.
