Chapter Thirty-two: Anjii's Rage, Rita's Fire
Jeremiah's Penthouse.
Tammy sat in the living room of Jeremy's house, her legs tucked under her as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. The weight of the last twenty-four hours pressed down on her, heavier than any mistake, any heartbreak, any insult she'd endured before. Pregnancy. Triplets. Families clashing. Her father's words still rang in her head like an echo chamber, every disapproving syllable stabbing at her chest.
The quiet didn't last long. The front door banged open like a warning shot.
"Tammy Coker!" Anjii's voice boomed through the hallway before her heels clacked like gunfire. She came storming in, face thunderous, earrings swinging like tiny weapons.
Right behind her, Rita followed, calmer but with that razor-sharp look in her eyes—the one that meant she was already plotting.
Tammy blinked. "Oh God… I forgot I texted you guys."
"Forgot?" Anjii snapped, hands on her hips. "You drop that bomb on us and think you can just forget? You better open your mouth and spill everything. Right now."
Rita shut the door softly behind her and leaned against it, folding her arms with unnerving patience. She wasn't going to scream. She didn't need to. Her silence was louder than Anjii's rage.
Tammy exhaled slowly, trying not to cry. "I didn't want to stress you guys. Everything's already too much."
"Too much?" Anjii barked a laugh that wasn't funny. "Babe, you've been carrying the weight of a whole soap opera and didn't think to tell us? Nah. We're not doing that." She dropped her purse on the couch and flopped down, legs crossed, fire in her eyes. "Start talking. Who drugged you? Who schemed this mess? Why is your family acting like you committed a crime instead of being the victim? Why are you married to the first richest man in the city but still suffering like a Nollywood heroine?"
Tammy groaned, covering her face. "I knew you'd go dramatic."
"Dramatic? Girl, I'm calm right now. I haven't even started."
Rita finally moved, stepping closer with a soft but stern look. She sat on the armrest near Tammy and touched her shoulder gently. "Tammy, no more secrets. We're your people. If you're drowning, we're supposed to drown with you or drag you out. Now tell us."
Her voice cracked under that weight. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was meant to be with Kunle. My sister—Tayo—she was pushing for that. Then the hotel night happened. I was drugged. Jeremy was drugged too you know all that. We… ended up together. Photos leaked. My family said there could be no annulment. His mother hates me. You know all this too and..and now—" She broke off, pressing her hands to her stomach again. "Now I'm pregnant. With three babies. And nobody's protecting me."
The room stilled.
Rita sat up straighter, fury written across her face. "Wait—your own sister pushed you toward Kunle? The same Kunle that's trash? And you're telling me she's innocent in all this? Nah. I don't trust her. Why haven't you confronted her with the evidence we have yet? What's stopping you?"
Tammy looked away. "I don't know what she's doing yet… but something feels off. She pretends to care, but her eyes—her eyes are always watching me like she's waiting for me to trip."
"Because she is!" Anjii shot up from the couch, pacing like a lioness in a cage. "Oh my God, Tammy, how did you not tell me this earlier? We could've destroyed Kunle and Tayo in one weekend. And whoever else drugged you and Jeremy? They don't even know what's coming. Just give the police the evidence first and we'll think about catching the third person except Tayo and Tony."
Rita's eyes narrowed. She wasn't pacing, wasn't shouting, but her aura shifted like smoke in a room—sharp, suffocating, intentional. "Names. I need names. Who benefits if Tammy is ruined? Who benefits if Jeremy's image collapses? Because whoever that is, they'll slip soon. And when they do, I'll make sure their careers, their money, their contacts—everything burns."
Tammy blinked at her. "Rita… you don't have to—"
"Oh, I do," Rita cut in smoothly. "See, I may not throw hands like Anjii, but I pull strings. I know people—lawyers, journalists, influencers. If anyone so much as whispers your name in the wrong way, I'll bury the story and them along with it. That's not up for debate."
Anjii clapped her hands together like a preacher. "Yes, Lord! This is why you're my best friend. See, Tammy, this is teamwork. Me? I'll fight them on the street. Rita? She'll destroy them in the boardroom. Between the two of us, we're untouchable."
Tammy let out a weak laugh, the first in days. "So you're both basically declaring war?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
Anjii crouched in front of her, eyes fierce but softening with sisterly love. "Listen, Tammy. You are not alone in this. We're not letting these people play you like a pawn. Whoever drugged you? I don't care if it's Kunle, Tayo, Jeremy's shady business partner, or some random hotel staff—they're finished."
Rita leaned closer, brushing Tammy's hair back. "And about the babies—don't think for one second that you're doing this alone. Those children? They're ours too now. Godchildren. I don't care if Jeremy's family or yours tries to shame you—we'll stand in front of you every time."
The tears Tammy had been holding back spilled over. She tried to speak, but Anjii pulled her into a hug so tight it knocked the breath out of her. Rita joined, calmer, grounding them.
For a few seconds, the noise of her world—judgment, family wars, hidden betrayals—faded. All she felt was warmth, loyalty, love.
Anjii pulled back, wiping her eyes furiously. "Okay, enough crying. I'm angry again. Tammy, you need protection. From now on, you don't go anywhere alone. If Jeremy's not with you, me or Rita will be."
"Damn right," Rita added. "And we'll start digging. Quietly. People always leave trails. Someone drugged you. Someone leaked those photos. Someone planned this. We'll find them."
Tammy sniffled, still overwhelmed. "You two are crazy."
"Crazy for you," Anjii shot back.
Rita smirked, deadly calm. "And crazy enough to make your enemies regret breathing."
Tammy leaned back against the couch, staring at her two best friends—the chaos and the calm, the fire and the blade. For the first time since everything fell apart, she didn't feel like a girl lost in the storm. She felt like a girl who finally had an army.
And that army was ready to go to war.