CHAPTER 32
Mr. Benson's Mansion – Lagos – Morning
The sound of a teacup shattering on the marble floor echoed through the living room.
Mr. Benson stood frozen, eyes wide, hand clenched tightly around a phone.
Mrs. Benson, startled, turned from her seat.
> "What is it?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away. His face turned red. Then…
> "She's gone," he growled.
> "Who?" Edna asked from the corner, even though he already knew.
> "NELLY!" Mr. Benson bellowed. "That stupid little girl—vanished!"
Everyone in the room stiffened. The staff stopped moving. Even the dog ran upstairs.
> "I just got off the phone with that fool Mark. He said she ran away again. Disappeared into thin air!"
Luna and Clara, who were walking down the stairs, froze midway.
> "Ran away?" Luna repeated. "Again?! From where?!"
> "Abuja. She was hiding with that witch of a sister-in-law—Caro." Mr. Benson's voice cracked with rage. "Now they say she's gone. No trace."
Mrs. Benson frowned. "You bribed officers, locked your own son, framed an innocent girl—and you still couldn't keep her?"
> "Shut up!" he roared.
> "You're angry because you're weak," she snapped back. "This girl keeps outsmarting you."
Mr. Benson walked to his wine cabinet, poured something strong, and gulped it all in one go. His hands trembled.
> "Find her," he hissed. "I don't care how. Track her down. Bribe every officer. Search every corner. I don't care if we burn Abuja to ashes—I want that girl back!"
Luna, arms folded, muttered, "She's just a housemaid. Why does she matter this much?"
Mr. Benson turned slowly toward her.
> "Because she humiliated us. She made our name dirty. That press conference? That arrest? That boy in the hospital? It all started because of her."
He slammed his glass down.
> "I'll make sure she regrets being born."
---
Scene closes on Mr. Benson standing by the window, eyes sharp as knives, staring into nothing.
A storm is coming.
The tension in the mansion hadn't settled.
Mr. Benson was pacing with fury in the living room when Mrs. Benson, calm but suspicious, stepped forward.
> "You keep shouting about Nelly," she said coldly. "You bribed the police. You locked your own son in a room. You've spent millions chasing after her. Why?"
Mr. Benson paused. His jaw twitched.
> "You wouldn't understand."
> "Try me," she said, arms crossed.
> "She's a threat. She caused this mess—"
> "You've had threats before. But you've never obsessed like this," she interrupted. "Why her?"
Mr. Benson turned to pour another drink, muttering under his breath.
> "Because I needed something new. Someone fresh. I'm tired of all this. Tired of you."
Mrs. Benson's eyes widened.
> "What did you just say?"
Mr. Benson turned slowly, not realizing the venom in his own words.
> "I said I needed a new start. A new wife. You—" he motioned to her— "you're worn out. Always nagging. Cold. Dead inside."
Silence.
Everyone in the room froze.
Luna, Bella, Mike and Clara stared wide-eyed. Edna's jaw dropped.
Mrs. Benson stood frozen for a moment, then took a single step back.
> "So that's it?" she whispered. "You wanted to replace me with a girl young enough to be your daughter?"
> "Don't twist it," Mr. Benson snapped. "I gave you everything. You gave me nothing but attitude."
Mrs. Benson let out a breath — slow and bitter.
> "You disgusting old fool."
She turned around and walked up the stairs.
Mrs. Benson stepped out of the house dragging two large suitcases, dressed in black shades and a silk shawl.
A car was already waiting.
Luna ran out after her.
> "Mum, where are you going?!"
> "Far away from this shame," she said without looking back. "I married a man. Not a monster."
Mr. Benson appeared at the door.
> "Don't be dramatic."
> "I stayed silent for years," she said, turning to him one last time. "But this? This obsession with that girl… calling me worn out? You're a curse to any woman."
She got into the car.
> "You'll never see me again. Enjoy your mansion. I hope it keeps you warm."
The driver pulled away as Mr. Benson stood there…
… alone.
---
Benson Mansion – Nightfall
The corridor upstairs was silent… until soft footsteps approached Jimmy's door.
Mike, the eldest Benson son, knocked twice before pushing the door open with a smirk.
Jimmy sat up from the floor, still trapped in the room where his father had locked him for days.
> "What do you want?" Jimmy muttered.
Mike jingled a set of keys.
> "Dad forgot his second house key downstairs," Mike said. "So I decided to help. Not for him, though."
Jimmy looked at him, confused.
> "Why now?"
Mike leaned against the wall, folding his arms.
> "Because I heard what he's planning. And it's sick."
Jimmy's heart pounded. "What?"
Mike's jaw tightened.
> "He wants to marry her. Nelly. He said if he finds her, he'll make her his wife. Even bragged about how no one would stop him now that Mum's gone."
Jimmy's fists clenched.
> "He's lost it."
Mike tossed the keys on the table.
> "I never liked you, Jimmy. Still don't. But no one deserves to be caged like this. And that girl… she's the only real one I've seen in this house."
Jimmy's voice cracked.
> "Please… do you know where she is?"
Mike hesitated.
> "Her parents house . Somewhere around New town in Abuja. I overheard Mum before she left."
Jimmy rushed forward. "Please. Her exact address?"
Mike looked at him for a long time… then pulled out his phone and forwarded the details silently.
> "Don't say I never did anything for you."
Jimmy blinked in shock. "Why are you helping me?"
Mike smirked.
> "Because sometimes, doing the right thing annoys Dad more than anything else."
He turned and walked out.
---
Moments Later – Outside the Mansion
Jimmy sneaked to the garage, grabbed his spare car key from the flower pot under the pillar — and with one last look back at the house he no longer called home, he started the car and sped out the gate.
---
On the Road – Hours Later
The highway was quiet except for the soft hum of his car engine and the war going on in Jimmy's heart.
> "Please let me find her in time…" he whispered.
Boom! Jimmy is on the way. Nelly has no idea he's coming.