He went into ordinary communities in disguise, watching, observing, learning how people treated those they believed had nothing.
And in Zima Town, only one person passed his test.
Soma.
“You helped me when you thought I was nothing,” Baba Akutu said gently. “Not for gain, not for attention, just because of who you are.”
Soma’s eyes filled with tears.
“I didn’t know.”
“That is why it mattered,” he replied.
Her voice shook.
“But the marriage… why did you agree?”
Baba Akutu’s expression softened.
“Because it gave me the right to bring you here without interference.”
Soma stared at him, her emotions colliding.
“And now?” she asked.
He stepped aside slightly, gesturing toward Alfred.
“Now the real reason reveals itself.”
Alfred stepped closer—not too close, just enough to meet her eyes.
“I have been watching as well,” he said calmly.
Soma swallowed hard.
“Watching?”
