The media frenzy following Chike’s sudden rise and his public claim over the Okoye empire had stirred ripples in every corner of Lagos. From downtown investors to uptown gossip bloggers, the city was abuzz. But the headlines were only scratching the surface. Behind closed doors, something far more volatile was brewing.Chike sat at the penthouse suite of the Hilton, draped in tailored black slacks and a deep plum shirt, unbuttoned just enough to expose the hardened scars of betrayal across his chest scars only Adaeze knew the story behind.Opposite him sat Raymond Ikenna, one of Nigeria’s most powerful billionaires. A mogul who once dismissed Chike as nothing more than “the disgraceful son-in-law” was now forced to address him as… potential partner.“I don’t trust men who rise too fast,” Raymond said coolly, twirling his aged whiskey. “They tend to burn out before their fire’s even useful.”Chike smiled, the kind of smile that made enemies nervous and lovers unsure.“Then you should b

The server room of the OkoyeTech HQ was supposed to be impenetrable.Triple firewalls. Quantum encrypted vaults. AI driven threat detection.But tonight, it was bleeding.Inside the dark-lit control room, red alerts pulsed like warning sirens in a battlefield. Rows of screens blinked erratically, feeding Chike real time data as he stormed into his underground command center, Adaeze right behind him.“Report!” Chike barked.Zain, his lead cyber defense engineer, spun from her station. Her hijab was damp from sweat, her fingers flying across multiple keyboards.“They’re not just attacking, sir they’re ripping through every tier of the security architecture. It’s like they know exactly where our weaknesses are.”“Inside job?” Adaeze asked sharply.“Has to be,” Zain said. “But the scariest part? They’re not stealing data they’re targeting your authority protocols. If they succeed, you’ll lose administrative control of the entire Chibueze Holdings cloud. Permanently.”That meant no more AI

The storm had passed over Lagos, but in Chike’s mind, the thunder still echoed.He sat alone in his penthouse office, staring at the photograph for the hundredth time. His father. The serpent pin men. The date on the back: April 15, 1991.He was just a baby then.And now, decades later, someone had tried to erase the trail of that day with fire and death.A knock.He looked up sharply.Zain walked in with a laptop tucked under his arm. “I broke through the firewall on the corrupted footage. The explosion wasn’t just meant to kill you. It was meant to destroy encrypted backups… backups tied to a ghost server.”“What did you find?” Chike asked without blinking.Zain sat across from him and turned the screen. A file loaded.Bloodline Protocol — Authorized Access OnlySubject: CHIKE OKOYE Generation IIClearance Level: OmegaChike’s eyes narrowed.“This file… it mentions your father,” Zain said, tapping the screen. “Apparently, he wasn’t just a businessman. He was part of something called

Chike stared at the hologram of Subject Six his so called brother. The smirk on the man’s face wasn’t just arrogant; it was rehearsed. Familiar. Like someone trained for the stage long before Chike even knew there was a performance.“How many of us are there?” Chike demanded, his voice cold.Subject Six laughed, slow and rich. “Enough to fill a royal court. But only two remain active. You and me. The rest were… failed prototypes.”Chike clenched his fists.This wasn’t just about family or revenge anymore. This was bloodline engineering. This was war.The console flickered again.ACTIVATING: BLOODLINE RIVALRY PROTOCOL.STATUS: SUBJECT SIX — FULL ACCESS.SUBJECT NINE — RESTRICTED ACCESS.Chike’s control panel dimmed.“What’s happening?” Adaeze asked, her eyes darting across the flashing screens.“He’s cutting me out.”“Precisely,” Subject Six said. “You’re a threat. And our dear Tribunal can’t have you stumbling through what took me years to perfect.”Initiating Lockdown Sequence…Doors

The night air was thick with smoke and sirens, the sky split open by helicopter floodlights searching for the fugitives. Chike and Adaeze crouched beneath a crumbling bridge outside the facility, hidden among fallen beams and twisted rebar.But Chike’s war wasn’t only external.It was inside him now.His pulse thundered erratically. His vision flickered between reality and digital overlays coordinates, calculations, biometric scans of Adaeze. The world was no longer just visible. It was… readable.“You didn’t just inject me, Chike. You woke me.”The voice echoed again calm, refined, terrifying.“I am the remnant. I am the protocol your father buried.”“I am what the Tribunal feared most.”Chike pressed his palms to his skull, breathing heavily.Adaeze grabbed his arm. “What is it? You’re shaking.”“I think” His throat tightened. “I think the serum gave me more than enhancements.”He stared at her.“I think I’m no longer the only one in here.”[Flashback: Years Ago, Tribunal Research L