At home, the question of Korede remained more delicate than any workplace problem. Temi told her son's counselor that she had been rehearsing an explanation for weeks and was frightened of choosing the wrong words. Tobi asked whether it would help to meet the boy as a family acquaintance first, and the counselor cautioned against creating another misleading story that might later have to be dismantled. The adults agreed that any introduction should be honest enough not to require a second confession later, while also respecting what Korede could reasonably understand at his age. Nothing about the situation would be solved by rushing.
The child already knew the photographs of Deji on the shelves and understood that his father had died. Temi had worked hard to preserve those memories, taking him to visit relatives and telling him stories about the man who read to him, comforted him when he was ill, and carried him on his shoulders. The thought of biological paternity did not make those memories less real, but Temi feared others would speak as though it did. She asked Nkiru whether her anger made it impossible for her to care about the boy's emotional safety. Nkiru answered that she had been thinking about Korede since the first report appeared, and that protecting him was the one responsibility none of the adults had the right to surrender.
"I can't promise to be part of his family," Nkiru said. "I don't yet know what my marriage will become. But I can promise not to make him pay for any of this."
Temi nodded, tears gathering despite her effort to remain composed. "I wish I'd known how to speak like that years ago."
"You knew how to speak," Nkiru replied. "You were frightened of what an honest answer might cost you. Those are different things."
The women parted without embracing, and Nkiru considered that a form of progress. Neither had been asked to pretend affection where it did not exist. They had agreed on something more important: Korede's welfare would not become another instrument in the adults' arguments. The child would have access to the people responsible for him, professional guidance where needed, and a truthful account introduced with care. Anything beyond that would depend on his needs and on relationships built over time.
Amina Yusuf's investigators, meanwhile, confirmed that the latest anonymous file had passed through a route different from Ronke's earlier messages. The source had used a separate account, and although the material appeared connected to Kunle's archives, the team could not yet establish who obtained it. There were signs that several people had retained access after their corporate responsibilities changed, a weakness the group had not addressed until the fraud review began. Amina warned Tunde that the information should not be used to make another public accusation before it had been verified. He agreed, remembering how much damage the first false accusation against Tobi had done.