“How much for this Ankara?” she asked.
“4,000 naira,” Chidinma replied.
“Ah, that’s too expensive.”
“Okay, okay,” Chidinma said with a friendly smile. “How much do you want to pay?”
The woman grinned. “3,000.”
Chidinma shook her head dramatically. “You want to make me cry today?”
They both laughed. Moments later, the customer walked away happily with the fabric. Chidinma counted the money and slipped it into her purse. Business was not bad today.
Still, as the afternoon sun grew hotter, she felt a strange uneasiness. She couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was just one of those days.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Oena arrived at the construction site. But something felt wrong immediately. Instead of the usual busy activity of workers carrying cement and climbing scaffolding, small groups of workers were standing around whispering. The atmosphere felt tense.
Oena walked toward a group of workers. “Why is everyone standing around?” he asked.
No one answered immediately. Finally, one of the older workers sighed.
“Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“The company…”
Oena frowned. “What about the company?”
“The project has been stopped.”
Oena felt confused. “Stopped? What do you mean stopped?”
Just then, the site manager stepped out of the office building. His face looked serious.
“All staff, please gather here,” he called.
Within minutes, dozens of workers gathered around him. Some looked worried, others looked angry. The manager cleared his throat.
“I’m afraid I have bad news,” he began.
Oena felt his chest tighten.
“The company has been facing serious financial problems for months.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
“Unfortunately, the situation has gotten worse. The company is shutting down all operations effective immediately.”
Silence fell. The words felt unreal.
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