Chapter 5 - The UnveilingChief Eze’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. “Chidi, this is a business gala, not a museum—”
“Bring out the canvas,” Chidi commanded softly.
From behind the velvet stage curtains, two security guards stepped forward, carrying a large, heavy wooden frame covered in a black silk cloth. They set it securely on an easel right in the center of the stage.
The room grew so quiet you could hear the champagne bubbles fizzing across the hall.
I stepped forward, gripping the edge of the silk cloth. I looked straight at Chief Eze and Ngozi, whose faces had suddenly turned the color of old chalk.
“Fifteen years ago,” I spoke into the microphone, my voice steady and ringing with absolute clarity, “my mother painted The Blue Woman. It was her final masterpiece. But she didn't hide its true value in brushstrokes. She hid it in carbon.”
I ripped the black cloth away.
The brilliant blue painting gleamed under the spotlights. But projected on the massive LED screen behind the stage was a high-resolution, macro-lens photograph of the back of the canvas, showing the charcoal inscription: CHIDI’S BRAKES SABOTAGED BY CHIEF EZE. AUGUST 14. PAID IN FULL.
May you like
Gasps erupted like a wave of thunder across the ballroom. Flashbulbs went off like machine gun fire.
Chief Eze stumbled backward, his face turning purple with blind panic. “Lies! That’s a forgery! It’s a trick!”
