The air inside the storage unit was thick, with fear, with dust, with secrets too old to breathe freely.
Footsteps echoed closer. Amira clutched the passport tight, David moved in front of her protectively, and Adaobi reached for the pepper spray in her purse.
But then.
The steps stopped.
And a low, calm voice said, "If you want the truth, follow the lies."
A red beam of light scanned across the floor, then disappeared.
Suddenly, the unit door creaked back open.
But no one was there.
Back in Adaobi's apartment, Amira examined the passport more closely.
The woman's name: Nora Sterling.
Date of birth: April 7, 1956.
Place of birth: Ibadan, Nigeria.
Nationality: British-Nigerian.
Status: Deceased.
"Could she be… our grandmother?" Amira whispered.
David checked the flash drive using Adaobi's laptop. Dozens of files popped up old letters, scanned documents, photos of people in suits, shaking hands with foreign officials, and a birth certificate.
But what shocked them most…
Nora Sterling had one daughter.
Her name: Rihanna Amira Adebayo.
Adaobi leaned in, stunned. "Wait… Rihanna never mentioned her mother was alive. And she never used the name Sterling."
David pieced it together slowly. "Rihanna may have changed her identity… maybe to hide. Maybe to protect Amira and Kaira."
Amira felt cold. "All this time, she was protecting us from a legacy we knew nothing about."
Adaobi nodded. "If Nora was tied to people in power, and Rihanna inherited secrets, then it makes sense Mr. Sterling wants something Rihanna had."
Amira stared at the screen. "Which means now... he wants me."
One file stood out, a folder marked "Project Eclipsa."
They clicked it open. Most of the files were encrypted. But one opened: a letter from Nora Sterling to her daughter.
"You are the key, Rihanna. Not to wealth. Not to status. But to something the world was never supposed to see. If they find you they'll find your child too. You must disappear. Forget the Sterling name."
Amira's chest tightened.
"She was talking about Kaira," David said.
"And me," Amira whispered. "We're part of something... deeper."
Just then, Adaobi's phone rang. She put it on speaker.
A robotic voice said, "You dug too deep."
Adaobi's window shattered, a warning shot.
They dropped to the floor.
And then a message appeared on the laptop:
"You have 48 hours. Return the drive. Or she vanishes forever."
Attached to the message…
Was a photo.
Kaira.
Tied to a chair.
Tears in her eyes.
A clock behind her counting down.
Amira gasped, her body shaking.
And for the first time…
David whispered, "We might not be able to do this alone."