Nzubechi Queen Ozabor 2

11/02/2026

Mr. Smith just came back from his trip. After having his meal, he decided to have a discussion with his wife concerning Joyce.

"I hope the girl you talked about is ready because I have already invited the native doctor that will administer an oath on her.

"Yes she is ready," Mrs. Smith answered.

" Let me see the document you gave her to sign."
The wife got up to go and bring it.

"Did She read it before signing it?" Mr. Smith asked.

"No she didn't read it."

"That is how they do. Many of these poor people are desperate like you. They want to reap where they did not sow."

His wife handed over the document to him, he glanced at it and his countenance changed dramatically.

"Linda what is this?” He flinged the paper to his wife angrily.

"What did I do?"

"Why did you enter into a 3 year agreement? I expected nothing less than 5 years."

"This was the exact document we gave to Nnenna, you did not tell me to change anything. Besides, she might not agree to serve for 5 years. When the time elapses, we can renew the agreement if she so wishes."

Mr. Smith stood angrily from the bed. His wife understood what he wanted to do, so she ran to the door.

"Linda, you are an idiot. I don't know why I am using my hard earned money to feed and clothe a fool like you. I thought that you would learn a lesson from Nnenna' s case but you have remained adamant. If nobody is available to do the work, you will do it and bear the consequences. I am going to the sitting room. You better go and call the girl out."

The native doctor was already sited before Mr. Smith got to the sitting room. As they were exchanging pleasantries, Mrs. Smith and Joyce joined them.

"Good afternoon sirs," Joyce greeted them.

"Good afternoon young lady. Have your seat," Mr. Smith told her.

Mrs. Smith quickly excused herself.

"Straight to business. Before we proceed, I want to remind you of some of the contents of the document you signed. It's just a reminder, in case you have forgotten any. The contract is for 3 years and you will be paid salary on a monthly basis. If you are diligent and obedient you will surely enjoy being here. The initial money given to you is for empowerment. It is not part of your salary."

"Thank you sir," Joyce said nervously.

"You don't have to thank me. Let's continue with the content of the document. You are not allowed to be with a phone, you have to hand over your phone to my wife."

"Please sir, I cannot stay without my phone," Joyce told him bluntly.

" Young lady!" Mr. Smith barked. " Be civil, don't interrupt my speech again. This was written on the document that you signed.
Don't you ever play pranks with me. The next is that from henceforth, you are not permitted to leave this compound until after 2 years..."

"But sir..." Joyce tried to protest but stopped abruptly when Mr. Smith thundered the name on one of his bodyguards.

" Tiger!" The sound vibrated on the whole building.

"Yes sir," Tiger answered. He rushed in immediately.

"This small rat is trying to play smart. Give her code 101"

"It's done sir," Tiger replied.

Joyce's heart was pounding vigorously as Tiger approached her. She tried to get up and run but Tiger quickly caught her and gave her a slap across the face and she blanked out.

"Take the idiot out and resuscitate her. Don't allow her to waste my time," Mr. Smith commanded.

Tiger carried Joyce out and poured water on her. After a few minutes, she got up and they brought her back. However, the slap broke the blood vessel in one of her eyes.

"What happened to you now is a tip of the iceberg of what you will experience if you make noise again, while I am talking. If you die, I will bury you and compensate your family. If at this point or at any point before the expiration of the agreement, you feel that you are no longer interested in the job, no problem. You will pay 300 percent of all the money that was given to you.
This was also written on the paper you signed. I'm I telling lies, " he asked Joyce.

Joyce didn't know what to answer since she didn't even read the document, so she kept quiet. Then she heard Mr. Smith shout,

"Lion!"

"I read it sir, it is in the document," Joyce answered with fear.
Immediately Joyce sighted the second bodyguard, she blanked out again.

***************************

Nnenna was so worried because of Joyce but she tried to control her emotion. She moved around trying to eavesdrop. However, at the point that Joyce fainted and Tiger brought her out, she broke down totally.

After Joyce was resuscitated and taken back, Nnenna retired to her room and soaked her bed with tears. Kate was shocked at what she saw when she entered the room to give her food.

" Nnenna, what is wrong with you," Kate asked.

Nnenna looked at her , sighed but didn’t utter a word.

" I hope you are not crying because of that girl. I will advise that you allow her to carry her cross. After all, nobody helped you, when you were suffering yours."

"I can't help it. I'm really worried about her," Nnenna said.

"Anyway, I understand. You feel this way because she is your friend."

"Joyce is not my friend. I don't know her."

"What do you mean by that? You are so funny. Were you not the one she came to see before your madam offered her the job?" Nnenna asked. She was amused that Nnenna was trying to deny her friend.
Nnenna had no choice but to explain how she met Joyce.

"Joyce met me on the way one day and told me that she admires me and wishes to be in my shoes. I told her that she cannot do the kind of work that I am doing. She begged me to introduce her to madam but I refused. I couldn't really tell her much because of the oath. A few days later, she appeared here, claiming that she is my friend. I was surprised."

Kate busted out in laughter, "Was that what happened? So she came in search of a job that day. She has gotten the job, let her happily do it."

"Aunty Kate please stop laughing, it is not a laughing matter," Nnenna told her and started weeping again.

PAINFUL WISH
Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
PART 5

11/02/2026

The moment Mike’s flight landed, he switched off airplane mode before the plane had even fully taxied.
No messages.
No missed calls.
His chest tightened.
That wasn’t normal.

Lina always texted. Landed?What would you like to eat?I miss you already. Something. Anything.

He called her once, twice. Five times.
It rang and rang… then went unanswered.
Mike was disturbed. “That’s not like her…” he muttered, gripping his phone tighter.

“She hasn’t even tried to reach me since morning.”

A cold unease began to spread through him.He hurried out of the airport, barely noticing the crowd, and jumped into the first taxi he saw.

“Fast, please,” he told the driver, voice tight. “I’ll pay extra.”

The driver nodded, speeding off into traffic, but Mike barely saw the road. He kept redialing Lina’s number. Each unanswered call made his heartbeat louder in his ears.
Maybe she is busy or she is sleeping
Maybe…
But the dread wouldn’t leave.
When the taxi finally turned into his street, Mike frowned. There were cars parked everywhere.
People standing in clusters.
Whispers. His stomach dropped.

“What’s going on?” he asked the driver, but the man just shook his head slowly.

Mike stepped out of the car, eyes scanning the crowd gathered near his house.

“Is there… an occasion?” he asked a man standing near the gate.

The man looked at him for a while really l then looked away without answering.
That silence was louder than any words.

But as he walked toward the door, the crowd parted and then slowly followed behind him.
Like a procession. Like witnesses. His pulse began to pound.

He pushed the door open.
“Babe, I’m back!” he called, forcing cheer into his voice.
Silence answered him. Not the comfortable silence of a quiet house.
This one felt heavy. Wrong.
His eyes adjusted and then he saw them.
Lina’s twin sister.
Seated on the couch, surrounded by a few family members. All of them looked at him.Not with relief nor with welcome.
But with something that made the hairs on his arms stand up.
Fear prickled down his spine.

“Lisa…” His voice came out dry. “Where is your sister?”

Lisa’s eyes were red, but there were no tears now. Only fire.
“I should be asking you that question,” she said coldly.

Mike blinked. “What?”

“What is going on? Where is my wife?” His voice cracked. His hands had started trembling without him realizing.

Lisa stood slowly.
“This is your house,” she said, each word sharp. “We are the visitors here. So you should be able to tell us the whereabouts of your wife.”
Mike couldn't really tell what was going on. The house has been cleaned and there was no traces of blood.

Mike stared at her, stunned. “You know I traveled! I just landed!”
He pushed past them, panic rising fast now.

“Lina!” he shouted, rushing into the bedroom.
The bed was neatly made, too neat.
He checked the bathroom. Empty.
Kitchen. Empty.Guest room. Empty.

His breathing grew ragged.
He ran back to the living room, eyes wild. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny! Where is my wife? Lisa, tell me where she is before I lose it!”

Lisa stepped forward, fury blazing.
“If you lose it,” she said, voice shaking with rage, “I will tighten it for you, Mr. Mike.”

The room went still.
“For your information,” she continued, her voice breaking at last, “someone came into this house… and k!lled my sister.”

The words slammed into Mike like a physical blow.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
“No,” he whispered.

“I need an explanation,” Lisa said. “Right now.”
Mike looked around the room, his vision blurring. The walls felt like they were closing in.
“K–k!lled?” His knees buckled.
A neighbor lunged forward and caught him before he hit the floor.

“No… no, no, no…” Mike shook his head violently, tears spilling now. “That’s not possible. I just spoke to her yesterday. We were planning dinner for when I got back. She… she was fine!”

Lisa’s face twisted. “You are just acting a drama.”
Mike looked up at her, shattered. “Lisa, how can you say that?”

“When you are done performing,” she snapped, “you will tell me what happened to my sister.”

“Lisa, are you out of your mind?!” Mike cried. “How dare you?!”
His grief exploded out of him. He covered his face, sobbing openly now, shoulders shaking.
But no one moved to comfort him.
They only watched. Some with suspicion.
Some with anger. Some with quiet judgment.
And in the middle of the living room, surrounded by accusing eyes and unbearable silence, Mike realized something far more terrifying than grief was creeping in.
They didn’t just think his wife was dead.
They thought he had something to do with it.
And for the first time since he walked in, Mike felt truly afraid.
Not just of losing Lina.
But of what was coming next.

Hidden Agenda
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Chef Blessing has done another one

10/02/2026

Thank you Jesus

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Your light will shine.

10/02/2026

The night Lina got missing, the rain would not stop.
It fell in slow, heavy sheets against the glass windows of her small but beautiful apartment, the kind of rain that made the world feel distant and alone. Inside, the lights were on. The television was playing softly. A half-eaten plate of food sat on the dining table.
And Lina was on the floor.
Her phone lay inches away from her hand, the screen cracked, one missed call flashing at the top.
Mike ❤️
Her husband.
Miles away in another city.
Unaware that his world had already shattered.
Three hours earlier. Mike concluded that she has slept.

Before that time, Lina was
Inside the apartment, everything looked normal.
The lights were on.
The television murmured softly in the living room.
She was eating food and her phone rang. She checked and it was her husband

Lina smiled into her phone as she tucked her legs beneath her on the couch.
“You better not forget,” she teased. “You promised you’d be back tomorrow,” she told her husband

Mike’s laughter crackled through the speaker. “I have a morning flight . By this time tomorrow, I’ll be home, disturbing your peace again.”

She rolled her eyes affectionately. “As if you don’t already.”

They talked a little longer about small things , what she cooked, how boring his meetings were, how much she missed him. It was an ordinary conversation. Warm. Loving. Safe.

“I should sleep,” Lina finally said, glancing at the clock. The rain had already started tapping at the windows. “Ride safely to the airport tomorrow.”

“Lock your doors, don't open for anyone” Mike replied gently. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Good night, love.”

“Good night, my dear.”Mike responded.
She ended the call with a soft smile still on her face.

That smile faded when the knock came.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She froze.
The sound was firm. Not loud. Not gentle either.

Lina glanced at the door, heart beating a little faster. It was late. Too late for visitors.

“Who is it?” she called out.
A familiar voice answered from the other side. Calm. Normal.
Relief washed over her face.

“Oh! One minute!” she said, hurrying to unlock the door.
She didn’t look through the peephole.
She opened the door.
And let death walk in.

The Next Morning
The rain had stopped, leaving behind a gray, tired sky and puddles that reflected broken pieces of the clouds.
Adamma, Lina’s next-door neighbour, stood outside Lina’s apartment holding a small bowl. She needed sugar

“I just pray that Lina has sugar” she muttered to herself as she knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again, louder.

“Lina! It’s me!”
Silence.
Frowning, she pulled out her phone and dialed Lina’s number. She could hear the ringtone… inside the apartment.
Her unease grew.
She tried the door handle absentmindedly.
It moved.
The door creaked open.

“Lina?” she called, stepping inside.
The bowl slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
The living room was scattered There was a dried pool of blood, but Lina was not there.

Adamma’s scream tore through the building.
Within minutes, neighbors flooded the hallway. They searched every where for her but couldn't find her
The security personnel was ill and was admitted in the hospital. No body was manning the gate so no one could really tell what happened.
Someone else called the police.

They tried to reach Mike on the phone but his number was switched off. They decided to call Lina’s twin sister.

Lisa received the call just after 9 a.m.
At first, she didn’t understand what the voice on the other end was saying. The words sounded scrambled, unreal.
“…your sister… Lina… I’m so sorry…”

The phone slipped from her hand.
By the time she reached her sisters housel, her eyes were swollen with tears and disbelief.
She pushed past people and ran inside

“Lina…?” Her voice broke.
She searched every where but could not find her.

Lisa let out a cry that seemed to come from somewhere deep and ancient.
Then, slowly, her tears hardened into something else.
Something sharper.

“I will find who did this,” she whispered. “I swear. I will not rest.”

The detective got close to asked,”It's like you suspect someone,”

“Yes and I have a proof”

“Who is that?”

The detective rolled his eyes in disbelief when Lisa mentioned the name.

“But then, the first woman that entered her house is a suspect too. She is an accomplice. Arrest her, ” Lisa demanded.

To be Continued

Hidden Agenda
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor

Part 1

07/02/2026

Joyce had been seeing her in the area. She always looks smart, cheerful and happy. She hardly wears any clothes twice. She also makes new hair every week. Joyce secretly admired her and wished to be in her shoes.

She kept nursing the feelings until she summoned courage to approach her.

"Hello sis!"

"Hello!" She answered.

"My name is Joyce, what of yours?"

"I'm Nnenna."

"I have been seeing you around. It's like you work for the rich couple, living down there."

"Yes, I work for them."

"Wow! They are really doing you well. I wish I had such an opportunity."

"Don't you have a job?" Nnenna asked.

“I have a job. I work as a secretary in an organization but the pay is low. It’s not paying my bills. If I can get rich people to work for, who will pay me well, I won't mind."

"There is actually a vacancy. The couple I'm working for need someone to employ because I'm leaving them very soon. But I will not advise you to apply. You might not be able to do the work."

"Why did you say that?" Joyce asked.

"I'm sorry sister, I might not be able to tell you more than what I just said."

"What about payment? Are they not paying well?" Joyce pressed on.

"They are paying well. In fact, before I started the job, they paid me two million naira to enable me to offset my mother's hospital bill. That notwithstanding, the job is not easy."

"The job is not easy but you are able to do it."

"Yes I am doing it because I have no choice. The contract is for three years. As the contract is ending, they wanted to renew it but I told them that I am no longer interested. They also pleaded with me to recommend someone to them. The truth is that I cannot recommend anyone for that job."

"Don't be offended please, I have one more question to ask you. After the initial payment, have they not been paying you?"

"They are paying me monthly and handsomely too," Nnenna answered.

"Is okay, thank you so much."

As Joyce was going she kept murmuring to herself, "People are so wicked. The job is not easy, but you are shining. You have gotten enough money to establish yourself but you don't want other people to enjoy what you have been enjoying. Since you don't want to recommend me, I will do it my own way."

To be continued....

Part 1