In the centre of the cafeteria sat a young lady radiating joy amidst a sea of classmates, all wearing smiles. They laughed at something Naomi had said, but Sylvia couldn't quite catch it as she approached their table.

"Good afternoon, beautiful ladies. I hope you're all doing well."

One of the girls at the table looked at Sylvia with curiosity, admiring her well-dressed appearance. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Who I am isn't important right now," Sylvia replied, redirecting her gaze to Naomi. "May I have a moment with you outside, Naomi Peprah?"

"For what?" Naomi questioned, puzzled.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Naomi nodded and followed Sylvia outside.

"Alright, we're outside now. Please tell me who you are and why you want to talk to me," Naomi said, crossing her arms.

Sylvia cleared her throat. "Okay, Naomi, I'll introduce myself. I'm Miss Sylvia Benson, a lawyer from MarAdams and Associates Law Firm. I'm here to discuss your friendship with Miss Charity Asamoah."

Naomi frowned. "What about it?"

Sylvia gestured to a bench along the wall. "I think we should sit for this; it's going to be a lengthy conversation. I've already obtained permission from the principal for this discussion, so you needn't worry about being late for class."

Though Naomi's expression showed her irritation at the interruption to her class, she nodded, yielding to the situation. She couldn't shake the feeling that her friend might be in trouble again.

As she settled onto the bench, she asked, "Why are you interested in my friendship with Charity, Miss Benson?"

"We were close, but we're not anymore," Naomi replied tersely.

"What happened?" Sylvia inquired.

"Personal reasons, Miss Benson," Naomi answered, her tone clipped.

With a smirk, Sylvia reflected on how quirky young girls could be. "I understand you're hesitant to share details about your friend..."

Naomi cut in, "She's a fallout friend now."

"Right, previously a close friend. I assure you, I mean no harm; I genuinely want to understand her better. What caused your friendship to end?"

Naomi sighed heavily. "She changed completely after summer break. It was like she was a different person, constantly wanting to skip class to hang out with guys and engage in inappropriate activities. I tried to tell her it was wrong, but she wouldn't listen. I finally had enough and ended our friendship."

"I see," said Sylvia. "What do you think might have triggered that change during the summer?"

Naomi shrugged. "How the hell would I know?"

"Watch your language, child," Sylvia warned. "That's not how a lady should speak, especially a Ghanaian lady."

"Sorry," Naomi murmured, a hint of regret in her voice.

Sylvia sighed in exasperation. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just trying to make sense of Charity's actions for a case involving her father."

"She filed a case against him."

"She did what?" Naomi asked, taken aback. At that moment, the school bell rang, summoning the students back to class.

"Sorry, I need to return to class. I can't afford to fall behind in my studies. I wish I could assist you."

As Naomi stood to leave, Sylvia noticed an air of secrecy in her demeanour, as though she was withholding something important.

"You can go, but remember, if Mr Asamoah ends up in jail for something he didn't do, and you have information that could help him but did not divulge, you'll share part of the blame."

Naomi abruptly halted. "What do you mean I'll be blamed? I'm not the one who reported him; it was his daughter."

"True, you didn't report him, but withholding information could be seen as obstructing an ongoing investigation. If you have something valuable to say, just share it. I promise I won't disclose your name as the source."

Naomi weighed Sylvia's words carefully.

"Fine. All I know is that Charity mentioned she had been looking forward to spending some time alone with her father during the summer since he was always busy with charity work. That's something he turned to after her mother passed away. He barely had time for her, and she was upset about it. At first, her mother was the one involved in all the charity work until her passing."

"When Charity returned from summer break, I asked her how it went with her father. She started crying and cursing, saying her father had left her at her uncle's place, and it was awful there. I tried to get her to explain what happened, but she refused to say anything."

Naomi turned to walk away. "If you want to figure out what changed about Charity, look into what happened at her uncle's house that led her to act the way she does now and the reasons behind her behaviour toward her father. I believe the answer lies there." With that, she walked away, leaving Sylvia deep in thought.

***

Back at the MarAdam's and Associates Law Firm, a heated argument was unfolding in the corridor.

"What on earth are you doing here, Scott MacLen?" a sharply dressed man snapped, irritation etched on his face. "I thought this business venture belonged to Ben Adams. Why is a MacLen working here?"

Scott retorted, "I don't owe you any explanation for my presence. If you need to speak with Ben, I can show you his office. But if you're just here to stir up trouble, then I suggest you leave."

"The only person who needs to leave this place is you, MacLen. Your father has caused enough issues for the Adams family; do you really need to add to them?"

"ENOUGH, George!" Ben interjected as he approached, clearly annoyed by the commotion and the crowd that had gathered around them.

He shot a disapproving look at his cousin. "What brings you here, cousin?"

"What brings me here? Is it because your illegitimate brother is around that you question my presence?" George shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You never seem to learn, do you? After everything your father put your mother through, you welcome his illegitimate child into your life." He let out a mocking laugh. "I wonder what grandfather would say if he knew about this. A MacLen certainly does run in your veins," he added with a smirk.

"I couldn't care less about what my grandfather thinks. This business was built with my own money, not on trust funds from him. I decide who works with me, and you and grandpa better get that through your thick skulls," Ben asserted, stepping closer to George. "Now leave."

"Are you actually throwing me out?" George asked, disbelief written all over his face as he caught Scott's knowing smirk.

"You heard me clearly. I won't tolerate any disrespect toward my brother."

"You mean this bastard?" George spat, but was interrupted by Mr MarQueen's authoritative voice.

"I told you to wait in the car, didn't I?" Mr MarQueen said firmly.

Ben's eyes widened in shock. "You knew he was in the country and didn't tell me? Does Mom know, too?"

Mr MarQueen turned his gaze to both Ben and Scott. "We'll discuss this later, but not here in front of these people. As for you, George, go wait in the car. I'll deal with you after this."

The colour drained from George's face as he exited the building in a huff.