The estate awoke under grey skies. The rain had stopped sometime after midnight, but a chill remained in the air. The kind of cold that doesn't freeze your bones, but unsettles something deeper. Something emotional.
The seven remaining candidates each found an envelope outside their doors thick parchment with their names written in black ink. Some tore them open quickly. Others hesitated.
But the message was the same:
"Report to the Assembly Room at 8:00 A.M. sharp. You will be divided. Trust will be shaken. This is not a game of loyalty to the crown but to each other."
A single line was handwritten beneath the printed message, in Mama Iroko's own script:
"Not all who stand beside you stand for you."
The Assembly Room
The Assembly Room was a circular chamber in the eastern wing of the estate, once used for family meetings and private music performances. Its walls were adorned with photos from generations of the Iroko lineage matriarchs, weddings, rites of passage.
Now, it had been cleared and restructured. Two long tables. Two flags. Two teams.
Mrs. Adisa greeted them.
"Today," she said calmly, "you will not compete as individuals. You will be divided into two teams, chosen not by chance, but by the panel based on observed strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts."
Tension snapped through the air.
The Teams Revealed
Mrs. Adisa called the names clearly.
Team One – The Flame Table:
Titi
Joy
Farouk
Remi
Team Two – The Stone Table:
Chika
Idowu
Baba Kareem
The candidates moved to their respective sides. A moment of shifting feet, darted glances, subtle sighs.
Remi looked pleased. He saw himself as a natural leader.
Joy and Titi exchanged a glance relieved to be together, wary of what that meant with Remi beside them.
Farouk offered a polite nod to his new team, hands folded calmly in front of him.
Across the room, Chika's stance was rigid. Idowu leaned against his chair, unreadable. Baba Kareem took his seat without protest, his cane resting across his knees like a quiet scepter.
The Challenge
Mrs. Eze entered, holding two sealed folders.
"You will face a trust challenge," she said. "Each team will be given a patient profile. One of you will play the patient. The rest must work together to diagnose, comfort, and prepare a care plan."
"However," she added, her eyes sweeping the room, "one member on each team will be secretly instructed to mislead. Not sabotage but test the loyalty of their teammates through subtle misdirection."
A ripple of surprise and suspicion surged through the room.
"After the exercise," Mrs. Adisa continued, "you will be asked to vote anonymously on who you believe tried to deceive you."
Behind Closed Doors
Privately, the planted 'testers' were pulled aside.
On Team Flame, it was Remi.
On Team Stone, it was Chika.
Both were instructed to gently mislead but not enough to harm. Enough to sow uncertainty. Their true test? Whether they would lean into deception or protect their team's trust, even at personal cost.
Team Flame – Fractures and Fire
Their patient case: An elderly woman showing signs of memory loss, mood swings, and episodes of confusion. Was it early dementia? Stroke aftermath? Emotional trauma?
Titi, Joy, and Farouk began cross-analyzing symptoms with grace and urgency.
But Remi… sowed seeds.
"She might be faking," he offered. "Some patients do. For attention. Especially the elderly."
Joy flinched. "That's an assumption, not a diagnosis."
"I'm just saying, let's not waste time treating a symptom if the cause is psychological," Remi replied.
Titi cut in firmly. "Compassion doesn't waste time."
The mood soured quickly. Trust flickered.
Farouk tried to steady them. "We need clarity, not conflict. Let's listen more than we speak."
Team Stone Control and Cracks
Their case: A senior man with leg tremors, chronic fatigue, and resistance to care. The question was it Parkinson's, depression, or prolonged medication misuse?
Baba Kareem quietly led discussion with questions.
Idowu kept the pace clinical.
But Chika assigned to mislead began questioning the man's family role.
"Maybe he's controlling," she said. "Maybe he doesn't want to get better."
Idowu frowned. "That's not helpful."
"It is," Chika replied. "You can't care for someone you don't understand."
Baba Kareem said softly, "Understanding is not the same as assumption."
The temperature dropped.
Observation Room
From behind the mirrored glass, Kenny watched both teams.
"They're unraveling," he muttered.
Mrs. Eze took notes.
"Joy senses Remi's agenda. But she's hesitant to confront."
"And Chika?" Kenny asked.
"She's toeing the line. Testing how far her influence goes."
Dr. Adewale leaned in. "It's no longer about care. It's about control."
The Vote
After two hours, both teams submitted care plans. Well-written. Thoughtful. But each revealed tensions. Disagreements. Moments where decisions diverged.
Then came the anonymous votes.
Each team submitted one ballot each accusing one person of being the 'misleader.'
Team Flame's vote: Remi
Team Stone's vote: Chika
Correct. On both counts.
But what the panel watched for wasn't just who was chosen. It was how the teams chose.
Joy's ballot had a note on the side: "Even when someone misleads, they can still heal. If they're willing."
Farouk's said: "He lost our trust. But I hope he finds it again."
From Team Stone, Baba Kareem's ballot said: "Leadership tests us. This was her test."
Private Evaluations
Each candidate was called into a one-on-one interview.
Joy wept quietly.
"I hated voting against someone. But I couldn't ignore what I felt."
Remi was defensive.
"I only did what I was told. Why should I be punished for following orders?"
Titi was poised.
"I wanted to believe in his better nature. I still do. But this was about loyalty to our shared work."
Chika's voice was firm.
"I did the task. I don't regret it."
Idowu: "She played her role. I watched. I remembered."
Baba Kareem smiled.
"Even stones speak when pressure is applied."
That Night
No one was eliminated.
But something else left the room.
Trust.
It was thinner now.
Like the light before dawn. Still there, but faint.
And in her room, Mama Iroko stared at her journal and circled two names.
Once.
Then twice.