THE LAST ENVELOPE ✉️ - by Peter Laurina

Maya trusted only two people in the world—her mother and her best friend, Tola. Everyone else was kept at a careful distance. Life had taught her that loyalty was rare, and secrets were dangerous.For five years Maya worked as the personal assistant to Chief Adewale, one of the richest businessmen in the city. He treated her like family, paid her well, and often said she was the most reliable person he knew. She believed him. Until the envelope appeared.One rainy Monday morning, she found it on her desk—thick, sealed, and marked CONFIDENTIAL. Inside were documents proving that Chief Adewale had been secretly stealing money from his own charity. Millions of naira meant for orphans had gone into private accounts. At the bottom of the papers was a note typed in bold letters: “You deserve to know the truth.”Her hands shook as she read. If these papers reached the media, the Chief would be ruined. But who had placed them there? And why?That evening Maya told Tola everything. Tola listened carefully, eyes wide, and advised her to report it anonymously. “You can’t protect a criminal,” she said. Maya agreed.Two days later the scandal exploded on the news. Journalists swarmed the company. The police began investigations. Maya felt terrible, yet relieved. She had done the right thing.Then the impossible happened.On Friday afternoon, security officers walked into her office and arrested her for fraud. Evidence had suddenly appeared—emails, bank transfers, and signed forms—all in her name. Someone had perfectly framed her.In panic she called Tola. The phone rang and rang with no answer. Later that night, as Maya sat alone in the interrogation room, a police officer dropped a file in front of her. Inside was a photograph of Tola shaking hands with Chief Adewale’s rival, Mr. Danjuma.Everything became clear.The envelope, the advice, the evidence—it had all been planned. Tola had used her, turned her into the perfect scapegoat. The friend she trusted more than anyone had betrayed her without mercy.As the rain poured outside the tiny window, Maya whispered to herself, “Why, Tola?”At that moment her phone beeped with a final message from an unknown number: “I’m sorry. Business is business.”Maya closed her eyes, realizing the cruelest truth of all—that betrayal never comes from enemies. It always comes from the people closest to your heart.And sometimes, by the time you discover it, it is already too late. I hope this insight teaches us that sometimes the people we trust most are the ones who end up betraying us 😊

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