Episode 3
Wow’ Demola gasped as he scanned the pretty light skinned woman who’d stood in their way.
‘Who’s that? I’ve never seen that face’ Funsho watched the woman’s face, she seemed like she was in trouble… He knew that look and something drew him to her.
‘Bro, you have over a thousand workers, there’s no way you can know them all’ Demola replied. As expected, Funsho had forgiven him and taken him back, he knew he had to be on his best behavior.
‘You’re right, Cheta, take a picture of her, do that discreetly. She looks like she needs help’ Funsho ordered his body guard.
‘You’re right, saving a damsel in distress is a gentlemanly thing to do’ Demola said. He had no reason to suspect his brother. Funsho was his opposite, he was a patient and faithful lover while he was a Casanova and loved to have fun.
‘Your assignment for the day is finding out who she is and bringing her to me, if you fail, your last chance is gone’ Funsho ordered him.
‘What? Bro you can’t do this to me, this company is so large, how would I find her again?’ Demola peered through the car window and noticed she was no longer there.
‘Well, if you’re serious about working with me, find her and I’ll make you Head of Graphics’ Funsho replied.
‘Stop the car’ Demola swallowed hard, he knew his brother meant every word and he wasn’t ready to fail.
‘I will find her’ Demola rushed out of the car.
‘God please don’t let me down, you can’t do this to me, we really need you now’ Uyai cried and started the car. She couldn’t go through with the interview anymore, she needed to see Ubong, maybe it was a dream, maybe she had not heard him clearly.
His family had abandoned him because he chose to marry her, he got this job on merit and something was now trying to mess with him. If Ubong lost his job, then that was the beginning of trouble.
She was so distressed that she’d forgotten about her own job interview. But she really didn’t care, all she wanted was to be sure Ubong was doing fine.
‘Honey, where are you?’ She parked the car neatly and rushed into the house. They had just one car, a blue camry and he had asked her to go with it because she was having an interview.
‘I’m here’ Ubong replied coolly. His thoughts had gone far. Now the company he worked for had laid him off alongside a thousand other workers, he needed to find another job and he knew just how difficult that would be. There were no jobs in the Nigerian labour market, even if one was qualified for employment, one needed to have a godfather.
‘Baby, are you drinking? It hasn’t come to this babe, you cannot drown in alcohol. Please you need to be strong for little Princess and I, we need you now more than ever’ tears stung her eyes as she took the can of beer away from him.
‘What else do I do Uyai? I am so lost right now, I don’t even know what to do’ Ubong hissed. His family had abandoned him, they’d left him to rot and now he was in so much trouble. He’d kept a grave secret from his wife, but all what he’d done was in their best interests.
He prayed it worked out for him.
‘Pray. We could pray and hope for a better tomorrow. You losing that job isn’t the end of the world for you. If it gets worse, we’ll have to beg your family, surely when they see Princess, they wouldn’t be so hardened’ Uyai settled in a chair beside him.
‘My family? That’s the last thing I’d ever do! I would never ask them for help, they turned their backs on me because I chose you, we are in this together and we would find a way to pull through’ he inhaled deeply. He knew just how hard hearted his brothers were, they wouldn’t help him and he wasn’t ready to ask for help either.
‘It’s okay, we will be fine’ she caressed his palms.
‘How was your interview? How did it go? Any sign you’d get the job’? he asked.
‘Uhmmm, about that, there was a little problem and when I heard you lost yours, I just needed to see you immediately’ she licked her lips nervously.
‘What little problem?’ He asked and excused himself as his phone rang. They had called him, he prayed the deal had worked out. If it did, he wouldn’t have to worry about taking care of his wife and daughter.
‘Lord help us’ she rose to change her clothes, she couldn’t tell Ubong about what happened at Cookies, she would lie to him else he would be terribly mad at her.
‘So when should I come for it? I really need it’ she paused and listened to the call. Whatever he discussed seemed very important to him but something worried her. Ubong had never received any call in secret, who was on the line?
She shrugged and left for their room, she’d find out later. All she needed now was to scout for another job, working at Cookies was completely out of the equation
Funsho still thought about her, her face still flashed in his brain and he wasn’t liking it. He hated losing focus, he hated it whenever he lost control. Worse still, he felt confused, why was she still on his mind? She was a very pretty woman, even prettier than his wife Cookie but he didn’t feel any sexual attraction to her, what he felt was something else, something different.
‘Are you assuring me that if I find this lady, you’ll offer me a job?’ Demola asked again to be sure.
‘I don’t lie Demola, you know me very well, now if you will excuse me, I have an important meeting to attend’ Funsho replied and increased his pace.
Funsho Williams was a boss in all ramifications, he was tall, dark and well muscled. His grey suit flattered his ebony skin and clung to his firm muscles tightly. He was a sight to behold, and whenever he walked, it was like a god taking a tour on the world that he created. It was hard not to look at Funsho,women swooned whenever they saw him but he was a very responsible man.
Dealing with his wife’s crooked ways had unfortunately pushed him into making Nelly his mistress but he decided that would end once Cookie was back to her old self.
Thinking of his wife, a smile curved on his lips, she seemed very different this morning, was she ready to work on their marriage? He decided he would buy her a gift, maybe they could make love that night, he missed having her in his arms.
‘Good morning sir’ Nelly smiled as he neared the office.
‘Miss Abia, send the files from the legal department to my office’ he acknowledged her with a nod. While in the office, they maintained a formal relationship, he couldn’t afford a scandal. He was a man of dignity, Funsho Williams was every woman’s dream.
‘Okay sir’ Nelly quickly arranged the files ready to step into his office, when a light skinned version of Funsho walked towards her and instantly she knew he must be his brother.
‘Good morning, are you lost?’ She flashed him a grin.
‘Hi honey, something close to that’ Demola eyed her wickedly, then winked. Unlike his brother, he was an extrovert and people liked him easily. Funsho on the other hand, was quite introverted and wasn’t really a good talker.
‘Wow, so who are you looking for?’ Nelly was liking him already.
‘Good question, see…’ he had gotten the woman’s picture from Cheta, Funsho’s body guard.
‘Huh? If that’s your girlfriend, she is very pretty I must say’ Nelly smiled, the woman that graced his screen was a prima dona.
‘Not really, I need your help, you see, that man inside the office is my brother and I love him so much’ Demola paused.
‘Yes, I can see that, you two look alike’ Nelly affirmed.
‘Good. Now, I pissed him off some years back and now I need a favor from him now. He wants me to find this lady, she works here, I can only get my job back if I find her’ Demola explained and suddenly regretted telling her too much. What if she was a gossip? That was what secretaries were known for.
‘Oh? The boss Is looking for her? Why?’ Nelly raised her brows. Was Funsho planning to get another mistress? Her heart churned jealously.
‘No, don’t put it like that, this woman bashed our car, and took off’ Demola lied. He couldn’t have rumors flying round the company about his brother.
‘Oh, I see. Truly, I have never seen her before, although over a thousand people work here. She seems very new’ Nelly clicked her tongue.
‘Wow, and I thought we were going to be good friends’ Demola made a puppy face.
‘Aren’t you just charming?’ Nelly smiled and grabbed the phone for him. Apart from being a secretary, she had skills in computer, you could call her a computer guru.
‘Let me see what I can do to help you’ she scanned the picture and pressed some buttons on her laptop and gbam!
‘Wow, how did you do that?’ Demola was excited.
‘I learnt how to work computers at a very young age’ she beckoned him over. “It turns out our mystery woman isn’t working here”
‘Now, that would be a problem cause I really need to find her’ Demola sighed.
There was little information on the woman. She was Uyai Davies, married with a kid and nothing more.
‘What I am about to do is dangerous. I would stalk her on social media and possibly hack her account so you can get her address, you have to give me something in return’ Nelly flashed him a grin.
‘Sure, name your price’ Demola was happy she was willing to help him.
‘A cup of coffee with lots of cream’ she said as she typed. He was truly amazed at her capabilities.
‘Deal’ he patted her head.
‘Done! Copy this down quickly, she lives at Baasey Crescent, N0 56, Uyo’ she called out the address.
‘Thanks honey, let me talk to my brother for a minute. I promise to make my stay here worthwhile’ without thinking twice he pecked her and rushed into his brother’s office.
Demola Williams was a free spirit and he enjoyed working with his brother, though he envied him very much. He had married his childhood sweetheart and now he could never have her back.
‘Yes can I help you? Don’t you knock?’ Funsho had been going through some paper work.
‘I found her. I need my job back’ Demola offered him the piece of paper.
‘Funny. Where is she?’ Funsho flung the paper away.
‘Where is she? This is her address, why are you so interested in her anyway? Is there something you’re not telling me?’ Demola was beginning to suspect his brother.
‘Maybe. That wasn’t the agreement, I need her in my office, I need to see her okay? Besides, this address may be wrong, how did you even come by this?’ Funsho scoffed.
‘Nevermind. I have some work to do now’ his phone beeped, a message had just come in from cookie. She was bored and at home and he looked forward to see her now Funsho was away.