Deleted Footage

Emmanuel's response was a mocking smirk, which only fueled the lady's outrage.

She shoved him backward, her hands pressing against his chest, prompting Richard to jump into the fray.

"Hey!" Richard exclaimed, inserting himself between the two.

He pointed a finger at his temple and asked, "You dey crase?" (Are you crazy?)

"Na your papa dey crase!" (It's your father who's crazy!) The lady retorted.

Richard pointed a finger at her. "If you weren't a girl, I'd have punched you in the face, fool."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You think a woman can't fight?"

"Are you even a woman?" Emmanuel chimed in from behind, chuckling.

Richard brushed her off, saying, "Don't mind her, she's just unsure about her gender identity."

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" The lady shot back.

Richard and Emmanuel erupted into laughter.

"Who's got time to waste on you, anyway?" Richard teased.

But before the lady could fire back, Emmanuel chimed in, "Come on, man, let's go. Let her argue with herself."

As they strolled away, the lady kept throwing shade at them, "We'll catch up again, you clueless morons, fools..."

But Richard and Emmanuel just chuckled and tuned her out, not giving her the satisfaction of a reaction.

Suddenly, a voice boomed from above, "Hey!"

Everyone's gaze shifted upward to see a security guard pointing accusingly at someone, and the boyish lady knew she was the target.

She swiftly turned around and darted off.

"Catch her! Catch her!" the security guard shouted as he sprinted down the stairs, leaving everyone bewildered.

"What's going on?" Emmanuel asked Richard, who simply shrugged.

The boyish lady had already made a swift escape out of the gate, while the security guard was just at the bottom of the stairs.

"Catch that girl!" he continued to yell as he rushed past Emmanuel and Richard, who were watching the scene unfold with confusion.

"Call the police, fast!" he finally exclaimed, stopping to lock the gate.

Just then, the restaurant owner rushed out, followed by a flurry of waiters, waitresses, and customers, all murmuring to themselves in confusion.

"Mr. K! Mr. K!" the owner called out, and the security guard, known as Mr. K, hurried over to her, panting heavily.

"What's wrong? Why were you shouting?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Madam, a woman sneaked into our office and deleted all our CCTV footage... and...and she even knocked one of our staff members unconscious!"

The owner's eyes widened in shock. "What?! That's outrageous!"

"Yes, madam, I swear... Something fishy is going on here. Why else would she delete all our CCTV footage?"

The owner frowned. "Why is all this happening in one day?!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

"First, some guy storms in, threatening to sue me over a girl's disappearance, and now our CCTV footage is gone...w...?" She trailed off, her eyes widening as a realization dawned on her.

"Could it be... a kidnapping, and that lady that ran off is involved?" she muttered to herself, leaving the security guard confused.

"A kidnapping?" he asked, seeking clarification.

Emmanuel and Richard quickly approached the owner, having overheard the conversation

"Sir, are you certain about what you're saying?" Emmanuel asked the security guard.

The security guard gave him a sidelong glance, his eyes narrowing slightly before responding, "You can check for yourself, everything was wiped out."

Emmanuel and Richard exchanged a knowing glance and didn't hesitate to take action.

They immediately turned around to chase after the mysterious woman, but as they reached the closed gate, the restaurant owner called out to them.

"Hey! Wait!"

They both turned to her with a frown, and she quickly approached them.

"Do you guys know anything about this?" she asked, stopping in front of them with a curious expression.

Emmanuel hesitated, collecting his thoughts before responding. "We're not entirely sure, but we definitely know something related to it."

She nodded thoughtfully, her eyes glazing over as she drifted into contemplation.

"I-I think I understand now," she murmured, her gaze still distant, lost in thought.

"Understand what, ma'am?" Richard asked.

She snapped out of her reverie, her eyes clouding with a heavy realization, and finally began to speak.

"A guy came here earlier and mentioned something about a girl's disappearance," she said.

"I think the person who ran off might have been involved, which is why they deleted the CCTV footage."

Richard nodded in agreement. "We suspected as much, but we need to go now."

With that, they swiftly opened the gate and took off in a sprint.

"Aren't you going to involve the police?!" the woman called out after them, but they didn't turn back or respond.

They jumped into their car and sped off to search for that lady. And Emmanuel took the opportunity to call the police, despite Kenderick's earlier instruction to wait.

He felt it was crucial to inform them, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that time was of the essence.

Meanwhile, Mandy's kidnappers lounged around a table, engrossed in a game of Whot.

Three of them bantered back and forth, their conversation peppered with playful jabs.

"Oya, girl, it's your turn!" one of them said, prompting a response from another, "I know!"

Their banter filled the air, each one playfully trying to outdo the others, until suddenly, one of them exclaimed, "I'm hungry! Who's going to grab us some food?"

The room fell silent, and they exchanged glances, as if daring each other to volunteer. The unspoken message was clear: "I'm not going anywhere, you should."

But then, one of them broke the tension with a mischievous grin, "Oya, let's play one more game to see who'll go get us food."

The others nodded in agreement. "Oya, let's play, let's play," another chimed in, shuffling the cards.

After distributing the cards among the group, they began playing, exchanging playful banter as they went.

After several minutes of play, a winner emerged, and the loser, a 19-year-old girl in baggy jeans and a sleeveless red top, stood up, grumbling.

Her braids had fallen loose, framing her face as she collected money from each of them.

"This isn't fair," she complained, but they just laughed.

"The usual," one of them teased, but she scoffed and turned to leave.

However, she paused as she noticed Mandy still lying unconscious.

"Awfa, how long will she sleep?" she asked.

"She should be waking up by now, unless you gave her an extra dose," one of them replied with a mischievous grin.

The 19-year-old rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned to the girls.

"What about that girl who promised to bring the boy? When are they expected to arrive?" she asked.

"She said she's close by, please hurry, people are starving!" the other girl urged.

But the 19-year-old merely shook her head in disgust, and strode towards the door, deliberately turning her back on their mocking laughter.

Just as she reached for the handle, the door swung open, and a young lady stood before her, looking nervous and flustered.

The girl's fingers twitched anxiously, her gaze darting back and forth like a trapped animal seeking an escape.

Her heart raced as she stared at the 19-year-old, whose piercing eyes scanned her from head to toe, as if sizing her up.

Then, the 19-year-old's gaze shifted to the boy standing beside the girl, and she asked curtly, "Is this him?"

The girl nodded hastily, her eyes darting nervously between the door and the 19-year-old's face.

"Oya, come inside," the 19-year-old said, stepping aside to let her enter.

The girl cast her gaze down at the ground, her eyes fixed on the threshold as if hesitant to cross it.

She slowly walked in. But as the boy tried to follow, the

19-year-old swiftly stretched out her arm, blocking his path.

The boy's eyes narrowed, and he frowned, "What?" he asked.

The 19-year-old laughed, mistaking his question for defiance, but her expression quickly turned fierce.

She straightened up, her eyes blazing with fury, and stepped closer to the boy, her voice low, "You're asking me 'what'?"

The other girls still seated in the room burst into laughter at the boy's apparent audacity.

The boy's confusion only seemed to infuriate the 19-year-old further. She grabbed his collar, her fingers digging deep, and pulled him close, their faces mere inches apart.

"You dey crase?!" she shouted, spittle flying into the boy's face, which only irritated him more.

He gently pried her hand off his collar and created some distance between them.

Then, he pulled out his handkerchief and calmly wiped the saliva off his face, an action that left the lady shocked and embarrassed.

"You don't just spit on my face, you know," he said. "Maintain your distance."

The other girls, except the one who had just entered, erupted into laughter at the boy's audacious assertiveness.

"Y-you, y..." The 19-year-old stuttered, taken aback, but the boy calmly ignored her and strode in with a confident smile.

His gaze swept the room, and when his eyes landed on Mandy, his grin broadened.

"I told you I usually get what I want," he said to himself.