CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 260

His chest rose and fell heavily as he spoke. "Just imagine if Cora finds someone else. Someone she actually loves. That’ll be the end of it for us. No more luxury. No more privileges. Nothing. All the doors she opened for us closed."

He paused again, letting the words settle in the room.

"That’s not just failure, Dad. That’s a slap in the face. And I can’t let that happen. I can’t let my friends here start mocking me. And my friends back home when they hear that I had it all and lost it? They’ll laugh at me for the rest of my life."

Clinton leaned back in the chair, his jaw clenched tightly.

"I don’t want to lose this chance. We’ve come too far for this."

Again Clinton leaned back slightly, still fuming about the potential loss of everything they had built around Cora. But before he could continue, his father raised a hand and gave him a pointed look.

"Listen to me," Festus said firmly, his voice low and serious. "It is better we don’t return home at all than to go back and face humiliation."

Clinton’s expression tightened, but Festus didn’t stop there.

"Who told you we’re going to be humiliated?" he asked, his voice laced with certainty now. "You think I’ve just been sitting here sulking and doing nothing? I’m working on something big. Something massive, Clinton. I just need time."

Clinton looked at him, his brow slightly furrowed, but the fire of hope slowly started to light in his eyes.

Festus continued, "Yes, I’ll admit it. It took me a long time to convince Cora’s father. I had to put my pride aside just to make him believe that giving Cora full freedom was the best thing for her future and his legacy. I knew the moment she had that freedom, we would be able to control her from the inside. But now... I’m very sure that he won’t listen to any more of those ideas. He saw something. He’s pulling back."

Festus leaned forward now, his eyes locked onto his son’s.

"That’s why we have to change our game. We can’t play rough anymore. We need to move smart. That’s why I need you, Clinton."

Clinton sat up a little straighter.

"You need to be close to Cora. Not just act like her brother be her friend again. Get her to trust you. Get her to feel like she still needs you. Make her laugh, make her angry, make her confused if you must but don’t let her forget you. And most of all, don’t let her find another friend that will replace you."

Festus’s voice dropped, almost like a whisper, but it carried the weight of a threat.

"Because the moment she falls in love with someone else... we lose everything."

He leaned back, sighing.

"Play your cards right, Clinton. This isn’t about emotion. It’s about survival. Go back to her. Be what she needs even if it’s all a lie. And when the time is right, we will finish what we started."

At that moment, Festus leaned forward again, his voice dropping lower and heavier, like he was handing over a secret weapon.

"Just pretend," he said slowly, "as if everything that happened between you and her in the past never existed. You’re not that boy anymore, Clinton. You’ve grown. You’re smarter. You’ve seen the world. Now act like it."

Clinton stared at his father, silently taking in every word.

Festus continued, "Now that you’ve matured, what I need is for you to make her believe that you’re no longer playing games that you’re serious. Make her think that this time, all you want is peace. Make her believe you just want to be family again. To rebuild what was lost."

He gave a slight, sinister smile. "You don’t need to rush. Just play your cards right. Wait until she drops her guard. And the moment she does..." Festus paused and clenched his fist slowly, "...we swoop in. We hit her with something she would never expect."

He stood up, walked slowly around the room, then turned to face Clinton again with a colder look.

"We desperately need her gone. Completely gone. Remember what we did to her father? You think that didn’t leave a mark? That man, he’s fading away slowly. I see it every day. That pain,it’s eating him alive."

Clinton’s face darkened, realizing the gravity of what his father was saying.

"Just imagine," Festus said, his voice bitter now, "if he dies before we take care of her. What do we do then? We’ll be carrying that failure forever. It’ll be too late. And I will not let that happen."

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "So we need to move. And fast."

Clinton nodded, his jaw tightening. He understood now. This wasn’t just about anger or revenge. It was about pride. It was about survival. And humiliation was not an option.

"No problem," Clinton finally said, his voice firm. "I’ll do it. I’ll do anything required of me, just as long as we don’t go back to where we used to be. I won’t let us fall back to that level again. Never."

He looked straight at his father. "I’ll make sure of it. I’ll do everything possible."

At that moment, Festus gave a slow, approving nod. He placed his hand firmly on Clinton’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.

"That’s my son," he said with a sharp smile. "Now you’re ready. Ready to be a man. Ready to do what needs to be done. Since you’re prepared to dirty your hands in all of this, then you’ve got nothing to worry about."

He took a step back, his voice steady and strong.

"We’re going to play our cards right. And this time, we win. Once and for all."

Clinton nodded again, this time with a stronger, more determined look in his eyes. No fear. No hesitation. Just quiet agreement with the mission ahead.

There was a cold silence between them, like both father and son were syncing into the same wicked rhythm.