Chapter 1: Rags to Riches

The Lagos orphanage reeked of stale egusi soup and disappointment. Fourteen-year-old Ayo, perched on the edge of a chipped wooden chair, was the smallest boy in his age group. He clutched a well-worn copy of "Oliver Twist," its pages offering a familiar escape from the harsh reality around him. Laughter, sharp and unforgiving, echoed off the peeling yellow walls.

"Look at scrawny Ayo, still reading his baby book," jeered Tokunbo, the resident bully, a sneer twisting his face.

His posse of followers chimed in, their cruel words scraping against Ayo's already thin skin.

Ayo ignored them, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had learned the hard way that reacting only fueled the flames. Instead, he sought solace in the worn pages of his book, the adventures of the orphaned Oliver a balm to his lonely existence.

"Hey! You deaf?" Tokunbo shoved Ayo, sending the book tumbling to the floor. Dust motes danced in the weak shaft of sunlight filtering through the grimy window. Ayo swallowed the lump in his throat, his anger a simmering ember beneath his carefully constructed mask of indifference.

"Leave him alone, Tokunbo," a voice cut through the tension. It was Mama Ngozi, the wiry old caretaker, her face etched with a lifetime of caring for lost souls. Her gaze, stern yet kind, silenced Tokunbo's laughter.

Ayo retrieved his book, a silent vow forming in his heart. He wouldn't be here forever. These walls, these taunts, wouldn't define him. The knowledge gleaned from these precious books, that was his weapon, his ticket to a future brighter than the grimy confines of the orphanage.