Shadows and Secrets
The ballroom shimmered with gold. From the glittering chandeliers above to the polished marble floors that reflected them, the room seemed designed to remind everyone present of their place in the Lagos hierarchy. Waiters glided smoothly between clusters of men in tailored suits and women draped in sequined gowns, balancing trays of champagne flutes as though carrying air. A saxophonist played from the corner, his soft notes weaving around the hum of conversation and the occasional eruption of laughter.
Chiamaka stood at the far end of the room, clutching the edge of a clipboard so tightly her knuckles whitened. Her gown borrowed from her best friend Amara’s wardrobe fit awkwardly, the straps slipping every few minutes no matter how often she adjusted them. She was not one of the glittering women in this room. She was a shadow, a body meant to move silently, ensuring guests signed the attendance list and the event ran without fault.
This was Amara’s world, not hers. Amara was the one who belonged to these glittering nights, who worked with event companies and had the gift of speaking to strangers like they were old friends. Chiamaka was only here because her friend needed an extra pair of hands to manage the guest list. “It’s just names and smiles, babe,” Amara had said that afternoon while zipping her own silver gown. “You’ll do fine.”
But as Chiamaka stood there now, she felt the walls whisper what she already knew: she didn’t belong here.
Her gaze lingered on the enormous chandeliers, on the way the crystals caught the light and tossed it back in fragments across the room. She thought of her mother at home in Surulere, her body weakened by the illness that never fully released its grip, and of the small one-room apartment where they lived. The contrast was so sharp it hurt. She adjusted the clipboard again, telling herself to focus. Just get through the night. Smile when necessary. Leave unnoticed.
But fate, it seemed, had other plans.
She felt it before she saw it the unmistakable prickling at the back of her neck, the sensation of being watched. Her skin tightened, goosebumps racing up her arms despite the warm air. Slowly, she turned her head, letting her gaze skim over the crowd of strangers. That was when she saw him.
Ade Bakare.
He stood near the center of the room, surrounded by men who looked important but diminished in his presence. His tall frame commanded the space effortlessly. The cut of his tuxedo was flawless, his tie knotted with practiced precision, his movements economical, confident. His face carried the kind of calm that unsettled; his lips rested in a faint line, neither smile nor frown, but his dark eyes… his eyes were alive.
And those eyes were locked on her.
Chiamaka’s breath caught. For a second, she forgot the clipboard in her hands, forgot the list of strangers she was meant to smile at. The room, with its music and laughter, seemed to hush, the edges of her vision blurring until there was only him.
Ade Bakare. She had seen his face on magazine covers, in online articles Amara shoved in her face with squeals of excitement. Billionaire, they said. Ruthless businessman. Lagos’ most eligible bachelor. Some called him untouchable. Others called him dangerous. She had never cared for gossip about men like him they existed in a world entirely separate from hers.
Yet here he was, looking at her as though she was the only person in the glittering ballroom.
Heat rose to her cheeks. She looked away quickly, her pulse racing. She tried to focus on the list in front of her, nodding absentmindedly at a guest asking if their name was spelled correctly. But her hands trembled, and every nerve in her body buzzed.
Don’t look back, she told herself. Don’t.
But she did.
And he was still watching.
This time, a faint curve touched his lips not quite a smile, but something close. A spark that suggested he had noticed her discomfort, maybe even enjoyed it. It was the kind of look that told her he wasn’t merely glancing; he was studying.
Panic flared in her chest. She shifted uncomfortably, biting the inside of her cheek. She shouldn’t have come. She should have told Amara no.
“Madam, your pen.”
Chiamaka blinked, startled, and looked down. A guest was staring at her expectantly, hand outstretched. She realized she had been clutching the registration pen absentmindedly, not handing it over. “Oh! Sorry,” she muttered, quickly passing it. The guest gave her a curious look before bending to sign.
When Chiamaka risked another glance across the room, Ade Bakare was no longer standing where she had seen him. Relief and disappointment warred in her chest. Maybe it had all been her imagination. Maybe he hadn’t really been watching her.
The night dragged on, a blur of names, signatures, and polite nods. By the time the last speaker had finished and the final applause faded, her feet ached and her head throbbed with fatigue. Guests began to stream out, their laughter echoing through the high ceilings as drivers pulled sleek cars up the entrance.
Chiamaka exhaled, relief washing over her. Almost done. Just a few more minutes and she could slip out unnoticed, return to her quiet apartment, and laugh with Amara about how out of place she had felt.
But as she walked toward the exit, her worn heels clicking softly against the marble, something made her glance up.
There he was.
Standing near the door, surrounded by no one this time, Ade Bakare’s gaze found hers again. His expression remained unreadable, but his eyes burned with an intensity that rooted her to the spot.
The noise of the departing crowd melted away. All Chiamaka could hear was her heartbeat, wild and insistent, in her ears.
She lowered her eyes quickly and hurried past, out into the humid Lagos night.
The city’s chaos embraced her again honking horns, the shouts of drivers arguing with passengers, the distant rhythm of Afrobeat from a passing car. She breathed it in like air after drowning.
But even as she made her way home, clutching her small purse against her side, she couldn’t shake the weight of that gaze. Ade Bakare had noticed her.
And she knew, deep in her bones, that this was not the kind of man who forgot.