Brian folds his fist…
Why was Emeka saying all this, why now..why was he doing this now?’
I turn to see Brian, he closes his eyes briefly, i look down as i see the strain from his neck, following it to see that he has folded his fist..I wish i could reach out and touch his hand, like the way i did before. To calm him down in my office…
”Sir?” i begin
”You be quiet Adora!!” Emeka cautions
”But Sir, Brian has actually been better this few days, since we began working at the housing project, you see it, you watch it, if he is as bad as we think he is, he wouldn’t even sit through it, he would fight me on it, but maybe, just maybe …we all started on a wrong foot and everyone deserves a chance to right that wrong and i believe Brian deserves as much”
”So you defend him now Adora?”
”No Sir, i would hope that someone gives me second chance when i mess up, that is all. ” i lean into the phone ”Sir, please… if you must punish, punish me too because it is as my fault as much as his, we both acted irresponsibly and i promise it won’t happen again, even if it means me putting him in check..please sir, but i don’t need to, Brian is a wonderful designer, you can’t afford to lose him now that this project is underway, the ratings are top off the roof, the client is happy about the progress it is going to give us the profits, the audience and the contracts we need especially since we would be working on the peace park soon in port Harcourt, and who is a better designer than Brian, i have seen his designs they are great..you can’t fire him sir, please. He says he is better and he is better, please” i plead
Emeka gets up as he flares in anger, ”How dare you Adora, you complain bitterly about him and now you are pleading for him, what is the matter with you? Plead for yourself because you have no idea what the Boss would do to you both and i am sure with this, he can fire you. But Trust me, he would be firing Brian, and there is nothing you can do about it. He would rather let go off him than allow more damage to be done to his name, company and all that concerns him. By the way, wasn’t it you that was gaining to get him to be fired? Now you are pleading, if the Boss wants to fire him he-”
”Who said anything about Firing Brian?” the voice cuts Emeka’s halfway.
”What?”
”What?” it was Emeka and I who exclaim. Brian is quiet.
”But Sir, with all this, its only appropriate that you send him elsewhere-”’
”I have listened to all of you and this is what i hear, a man who is remorseful about his irresponsibility and i only hope that is true and that he truly is tied and makes something good out of this, nothing changes Brian, nothing. As for Adora, for a woman of your position and class, i expected better, but if you as his boss sees the changes in him, then that is fine, i hope not to ever hear of something like this again if not i will sign your letter of dismissal of you and faxed directly to you. And Emeka, i am disappointed to your approach of this, i expected better, to groom, that is the whole point of this, not to help the toss him under the bus, especially when he is willing to make right to his wrong.. and for you Brian, one more slip, we would be having a different conversation and i am sure you do understand what i mean. Good day everyone “‘
”Thank you Sir, it won’t!” i finally let out the breath i was holding, i actually even smile.
Mr Emeka begins to protest ”But Sir, Sir!! Sir Brian-” The line cuts.
Emeka stares at us with dagger shooting out of his eyes.
”Sir?” I begin
”Get out! Both of you get out from my office right this minute. Out. OUT!!” He thunders
Brian was already out of the door before i reached it..I frown as soon as the door shuts behind me, wondering what the hell just happened.
I hear something smashing , i knock on his door ”Sir, if everything alright?”
”I said get out!!!!” I shift anyway from the door, staring down the hall i see Brian walking away, towards his office..
”Brian?” He didn’t answer,
I walk down to meet him, stopping him ”Brian?”
”I just want to have a little breather okay, please”‘ he says hardly stopping, he continues to walk, instead of going to his office he takes his leave leaving the departments, maybe he was going outside.
I sigh, i didn’t blame him, after what happened in there, i guess he needs a breather. I shake my head walking back into my office. As for Mr Emeka, this didn’t just seem like Brian’s police issue, more like a personal vendetta.
John hates him, now he gets in the black books of Emeka. John he can handle, but how do you handle the acting MD when he hates your guts, mine included now for defending him.
I sink into my chair, that was a clean safe, the Boss not firing me or him, Emeka on the other hand was eager to get him out? Okay fine, Brian was an ass to everybody, okay just me, John and Mr Emeka, the ladies loves him obviously, the way Tombra was hugging him was evidence enough and the way the lady’s allow their eyes roam over his body with no shame.
Yes she sees them, and she felt irritated, even disgusted, he was just a man like every other man. Yes he was fine, too fine for a man but..he was a man never the less and—
i sigh, there i go again, thinking about what i shouldn’t be thinking about.
I have to be careful, Mr Emeka seemed really pissed, even surprised i wasn’t on his side, especially when he had asked to run to him incase Brian slips..and there i go siding Brian, the one i wanted fired by all mines when i came and the one i don’t want to leave, wasn’t it ironic?
I check my time, it was almost 2pm, i grab my documents and head to the conference room, round up with the team in an hour. An hour was probably enough to allow him a breather, right? I didn’t see him as i come out, ”Lucy, has Brian come back in?”
Lucy was the new intern to the technical departments,
”No Ma’am”‘
”Okay, please let John know that i am waiting in the conference, he should get the team and meet me there in a few minutes since i am out of time today, thank you”‘
“Ókay Ma’am”
I enter the conference room and shut the door behind me, and wait.
It’s another few minutes when they troupe in, John comes in last, ”Good after noon Ma’am, how would you like to proceed?” he says standing while everyone seats
”from the custom analysis please and we work our way up from there, who will go first? I already have the secretary pull up our charts, i took the liberty to get a copy for everyone, John please”‘ i hand it to him, he takes them without looking at me.
Strange, it felt as though he was angry,.
Wait!! Was he still angry about the incidence this morning? I could feel his frown and anger like heat radiating off his body and the worse thing was that i don’t understand why.
”I will Ma’am” Tomiwa rises up
”Great, let’s hear it,”‘ i turn to John ”Please, head over to Mr Emeka’s office, he has to sign off on these funds to be released to us”‘
I pass him the documents, he take sit without saying anything and leaves, i nod to Tomiwa to continue, the others are attentive. Tomiwa begins.
****
Emeka is backing his door, staring out of the window. In his anger he had flung the mug to the door causing it to shatter.
”Damn you Kenekan, damn you! Your son gives you a pity sob repentance and you forgive him, you forgive him? Damn you!! ” he had slammed his hand on the desk. And Adora, she defended that maggot, she was supposed to help me, not defend him. She hated him, they hated each other ..but today, today, she was defending him, even wanting to take responsibility for his stupid actions. If she had opened her stupid mouth and just admitted the way she admitted to the police whether she admitted it or not that she was harassed and that Brian was just as annoying, and as irresponsible and that he is toxic as ever, Kenekan would have had no choice than to have pulled him out today, today!!.
But as usual, blood comes over common sense. Blood or no blood, there is no way he would sit back and allow him soar. If Brian soars, if he excels in whatever he is being made to do, in this..this supposed training, he would soar, higher, and higher, and then he gets the president seat here, and then he becomes head everywhere under his father. And that won’t just do, not for him.
He can be head anywhere else, not above him, he can’t sit back and allow a child, a very stubborn child who has no respect for him, regard for his authority, who knows nothing about running a company except running money into the ground be his president while he remains in this position of acting MD, he isn’t even given the MD status proper. It was annoying, it was ..
Argh!!!
He hadn’t worked so hard, come this far and let a child take what belongs to him, whether it’s the child’s right or not, he can be right in his father’s house and continue to bask in wealth and ignorance far far away, not here, not in port Harcourt, not where he intends to succeed.
Getting to president, would be a major achievement, it would be the major achievement for him, from here, he gets to move, the Abuja company is where he hopes to be sent to, that would be him controlling the affairs of things, just imagine, if he was transferred to the Abuja heading all, it would be an everlasting high, a pleasant high.
But if Brian makes his father proud, if he does, there would be no president position, no transfer, no high, and he wouldn’t want that, he wouldn’t want that at all. Change? Brian change? Ofcourse he could see through his lies. He knows his father’s weakness that is why, act and pretend remorseful, apologise for your wrongs and he believes you and gives you another chance, oh he sees through Brian’s lies. He is just pretending to be better because he doesn’t want his father to take everything else, maybe like the car, maybe like the house and that would leave him lesser than a church rat. Brian doesn’t want that, hence..pretend to be remorseful, there is no genuine bone in his body, none. But the most surprising is how he got Adora to suddenly rush to his rescue, like a puppy who needed saving. And she saved him, today, just for today.
”You wouldn’t be saving him any more Adora, especially when i would be the one making sure he fails again and again in everything he does until his father is fed up and until he is gone, and if you dare disrupt my plans from here on out, you would be gone too faster than the blink of an eye, whatever that was today, whatever thing he said to you to help him out today or whether his pretend remorse got to you to feel sad for his predicament, i don’t care, but if you try to butt in next time, you would be sent parking first with no benefits while i send your obnoxious PA stroke Son of the Boss out too, far far far away, where he wouldn’t have to be an impediment to my success, “‘
He sighs, he needs an ally, someone who wouldn’t go soft, someone who doesn’t like Brian as much as he doesn’t like him. He thought Adora would do but if today was any indication of how wrong his perception of her was, he needed someone whose hate for the boy was as strong as an offence shit shooting up to the high heavens. And the only other person that comes to mind is-”
There was a knock on the door, ”I said i do not want to be disturbed”‘ he calls out
”Sorry Sir, it’s me John Efegor, Miss Adora asked that i give you these to sign, but i will come back later”‘ John says behind the closed door.
Emeka turns ”Come in John, you are the person i want to see” he takes a seat as John opens the door entering..
”Good day Sir, ” he places the documents on the desk ”Please sign these, it’s for funds release, Miss Adora sent me”‘
Emeka pulls the files towards him, going through it, he grabs a pen and signs , ”Take a seat John, i want to discuss something delicate with you”
John frowns sitting , what has he done now
”Something delicate?” he knew they were in here, did Miss Adora tell him about his confrontation with the fool? Is that it? Would he get queried? Well, he too would report his own side to him too, Brian isn’t fit to be here, he needs to be far away, away from here, away from Adora and his face. But not to worry, when his plans pulls through, Brian wouldn’t show his face here anymore.
Why hasn’t Tony called him with information concerning him, how hard was it to pull up personal information over one man, it takes minutes not hours, yet Tony keeps saying he gets nothing other than what he knows, Brain Andrews, with parents who don’t exist and his only reference link was some Kenekan..doesn’t make any sense. But he waits still.
”John?” Emeka calls his name for the second,
”Yes Sir?” Emeka shifts on his seat.
”Good, now that you are back to earth, you didn’t answer my question”
”What question was that sir?”
”I asked you, what is your grievance against Brian?”
”Sir,” he pauses
”Before you answer, i want you to know that, between me and you, he is a common thorn in the flesh, but go ahead”
Emeka smiles ”Then Sir, i will tell you just how a thorn he is, and why i think he being in the company is bad for the company’s image as well as for the staffs, see my eye?” he points to it ”He did this because i was trying to help Miss Adora when he caused so much trouble for her, he actually attacked me, he is an animal, and everytime he threatens me. Also, i believe he is threatening Miss Adora too, since that yesterday, she hated him so much, but today, today, i see them in the office, and she even shouts on me because of him, he even begged me not to report his animalistic behaviour when we had the fight in his house, and today too, she was eager to chase me out of her office, why? Because the bastard is claiming he wants to turn a new leaf, be a good person, he is even acting calm, but i know him, he is just a snake, a poisonous snake that needs to be put down, since he came he has caused one trouble or the other, me, me that used to be the GoToGuy for everything here, even for Miss Adora, now she was too willing to cast me away. And to top it off, i think he is hiding something ”
”Hiding what?”
He wonders if he should tell him, but he said, he is their common thorn ” I don’t think he is legit, i mean, look at everything around him, ever since i worked here, a PA never had a personal car and driver attached to him but he does, they never get a special office but he does, and he lives in a gigantic house, how is that possible, who is he, and ..and…i checked his file, empty, just his name and his reference name, Kenekan Lolo. Maybe you can shed light on that one Sir, because i fell this guy is some illegal cunt, sent here to hide away from the law. Don’t you think so too Sir, i mean you employed him surely he would have raised a red flag?”
Emeka is staring at him, surely the hate for Brian must run deep in John to have him snooping, but if he tells him, it wouldn’t be good for him, yet.
John might be too scared; Brian was the Boss’s son after all. He chooses his words carefully ” John, you see, most employments came from normal recruits, others by referrals, and the go ahead comes from the Boss in those referrals. Kenekan Lolo is a business associates of Boss, maybe he owed him favour i have no idea, and Brian isn’t related to this Kenekan Lolo, i do not know who he is per see, The Boss calls and tells me someone would refer someone to me, he is great at designer, would be here for a year and he answers to me, what do i do, i am just an employee, i sent his name to the Hr, and his referral, and me as his direct contact, because that was only the information i was given. ”
”And the car, office and the house?”
”I have no idea where he stays John, you don’t think it’s his do you?”
”Well ofcouse, i mean, that place was gigantic, like a five star hotel but it was a house, surely even if it were his he would have to be in some illegal stuff, illegal, police watch worthy…maybe he is hiding from the law, you never know sir, he might be a criminal, he attacked me, he molested Miss Adora,”
”You and i know that isn’t true”
”No Sir, i believe she is scared because he threatens her, and even if he didn’t exactly sexually harass her, he was rough with her, flinging her over his shoulders and spanking a lady who isn’t your wife or girlfriend, who isn’t your friend and your guys were planning to be freaky, no, this is his Boss, his Boss! He has no regard for authority, he gives us a bad name and having him in this company wouldn’t do. I know he is hiding something and i would find out, but i will deal with him, i promise him i would for all he has done to me, i promise”
He really didn’t care what John wants to do with Brian, he just cares about what he wants to do with him ” So John, what do you suggest we do?”
”We?”
”Yes We, you and i don’t want him here and the only way he gets out is if he falls flat on the ground as a failure, so, keeps doing bad and all that jazz he is good at”
”But, how will he do bad when he says he is turning a new leaf?”
Emeka gets up walking to the edge of the desk and sitting down
” Make him, if that doesn’t work, how do you squash a man’s success?”
Emeka frowns
”By sabotaging his efforts?”
”Atleast you aren’t as dumb as you look”
”So we are going to sabotage his efforts?”
”Not me, you!! I make things happen up here while you do all the work down there,. If he slips..be the first to loud it, when he succeeds, makes sure it’s ruined, at the moment they are carrying out a design project for a client, it’s going well, and if it goes better, he soars. You can start with that”’
”But, the company would also be affected Sir?” Emeka rubs his jaw
”Necessary damage for a good cause. You seem to like this Adora don’t you, i see the anger in your eyes when you talk about Brian greeting friendly with her”
”Yes Sir i do, i know we can”t have relatiobnshios with people in the office but-”
”No, for you, you get a pass, make hot fire for Brian and he leaves, i will help ofcourse and i will promote you, into manager of a department, she wouldn‘t say no to you then”
Emeka is smiling, this, this was sounding good to his ears, should he also tell him about the party he has planned for Brian? No, that was for his own personal enjoyment, he smiles ”I will do that Sir, now that i have your backing”
”Sure, let me know what you need, access, anything, and be discreet, this is between two of us, yes?”
”Yes Sir!!” Emeka gets up with a broad smile on his face and then takes his leave.
Emeka is smiling, what best way to have a job done if not by using a gullible fool? if it backfires and it goes south, John would be the fall guy and he would pretend not to have an idea what his staff dared to do to another, especially the son of the Boss.
He laughs and laughs.
****
Leaving the conference room, i see Brian heading back to his office, his face void of smiles, hardly acknowledging the ladies who greet him and the guys who hail him.
I enter my office and grab my bag, it was time for us to leave. Should i call his office, should i send them to call him or just go wait in his car?.
Sighing i leave my office, instead of turning right and heading out, i head to his.
***
Brian sits quietly in his office for a few minutes, pensive, angry, sad, all emotions mixed up at the same time.
One thing was definite, he was done being dependent on his father and letting people like Emeka swing it over his head like something he should be ashamed off. Starting today, starting today, like he decided yesterday, he has to make a change..
Today, having Emeka do this to him, make him little before his father, make him feel more useless than he has ever been, make him feel like a child who has no bearing and only eats because of the silver spoon in his mouth and make him feel ashamed of himself for being the irresponsibly man he has been. He was done with all that. He would survive, and he would do it on his own, for himself, not for his father or anyone else. For himself. All this has to stop.
As from today, he is no one other than Brian Andrews, another employee, a designer, a tech expert, software engineer and coder, and managerial skilled personnel. They don’t know the others but…he can’t be entirely useless with this skills he has, he refused to be Brian Andrews, son of the billionaire J.K.Andrews who does nothing other than spend money lavishly.
He was a man, not boy, and he has to start acting and thinking like one.
Emeka, there wouldn’t be anything you can use against me, there isn’t nothing you will find to hit me and my father’s head against each other again.
I am here to do my Job, and i would do i well, i am here to be a better person for once in my life, not for him but for me, and i won’t let you jeopardize it.
No i won’t.
The knocking on the door pulls him out of his thoughts ”Yes? Come in!”
Í push the door open entering inside, he is staring at me, and there was curiosity in his eyes, surprise and then something else. I swallow stepping in and shutting the door behind me.
***
TO BE CONTINUED.
