Chapter 7: Shadows in the Stacks
The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the dusty library windows, highlighting the motes dancing in the stale air. Ayo, hunched over a massive oak desk piled high with files and ledgers, felt a familiar knot of frustration tighten in his stomach. It had been weeks since his confrontation with the board, weeks spent combing through the labyrinthine records of Awolowo Enterprises.
The manila folder Mr. Akintola provided had been a mere glimpse into a much larger, and much darker, reality. Encrypted messages hinted at clandestine operations, coded transactions pointed towards off-the-books deals, and cryptic references to "Project Shadow" sent shivers down Ayo's spine.
"Project Shadow," he muttered to himself, tracing the words with his finger on a faded telex message.
Across the desk, Sarah, her brow furrowed in concentration, pushed a stack of files towards him. Since Ayo's revelation, Sarah had become his confidante and his partner in crime, her sharp mind a welcome contrast to his growing sense of frustration.
"These invoices," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "They're for phantom security companies, operating in conflict zones you highlighted earlier."
Ayo scanned the invoices, his jaw clenching. The dates, the amounts, it all fit the picture Mr. Akintola painted, a picture Ayo desperately wanted to tear apart. But these were just scraps, breadcrumbs leading to a trail he couldn't quite grasp.
"There has to be more," Ayo said, slamming the invoice file shut. "Something that connects Project Shadow to these shady dealings."
Sarah nodded, her eyes gleaming with a spark of determination. "We need a different approach. These official records are designed to be opaque, a maze with no exit."
"So, what do we do?" Ayo asked, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.
Sarah leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. "We look for the whispers, Ayo. The things not written down, the rumors that linger in the shadows."
"How?"
"We talk to ghosts," Sarah said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Ayo raised an eyebrow, unsure what she meant. A slow smile spread across Sarah's face.
"Retired employees," she explained. "People who worked for your father during his... more 'expansive' years. They might remember things the board conveniently forgot."
A spark of hope ignited in Ayo's chest. Retired employees. People who wouldn't be afraid to talk, people who might hold the key to unlocking the truth about Project Shadow. He had a lead, a dangerous one perhaps, but a lead nonetheless.
"Alright," Ayo said, steely determination filling his voice. "Let's find these ghosts. It's time we shed some light on the shadows."