The CEO
Everybody in the office is running helter-skelter. The new CEO is on his way. Luckily, I've met my sales quota for the month.
"I heard he's strict," Nnedi said as she filed her documents in an orderly fashion.
"Where did you hear that from?" Timi asked. She's never been the type to take an interest in gossip.
"A friend from the Owerri branch. He said the CEO even fired some of the workers," she replied, shaking her head.
"I guess we'll all find out today."
What I heard about him scared me. I hope they're all just exaggerated rumors because I don't want any more hassle in my life. I need this job for the sake of my family. Jobs like this are hard to come by, especially for someone like me with no background.
I was in a hurry this morning, so I didn't talk or chat with him. Right now, I need him to calm my nerves. I pulled out my phone from my bag to call him. We now have regular phone calls, and I'm enjoying it. I remember how much he laughed when I suggested he might be an angel.
"Are you my guardian angel?" I asked, bracing myself for his reply.
"Angel?" he asked, then went into a fit of laughter, and I felt ashamed.
"Missy, I may be handsome, considered heavenly perhaps, seen as an angel by some people, but I assure you, I am no angel."
I hissed as he managed to praise himself, even in this situation.
"I guess a devil like you can't be an angel."
"Let's forget the fact that your imagination is out of this world. What made you think God would send a guardian angel for you? What did you do to deserve such an honor?"
"Well, I've never stolen a pin or made someone feel bad. So, I guess He decided to send an angel to help me cope in this difficult situation," I said, my tone softening.
"Flower, we offend people just by being alive, so don't think you've never made anyone feel bad." Funny how what he said was an absolute truth, making me wonder what he has seen in life.
"Well, I can be your personal guardian, just don't call me angel. Angel seems so sissy." I laughed at his statement; well, girls are mainly the ones called angels.
"My angel," I said just to annoy him. It's good to find something that irritates him.
"Stop that."
"Angel."
We kept going back and forth. He has no idea how happy I am that he isn't an angel; that means he won't disappear after making me happy. I'd be empty if he did. I really have a weird imagination.
I smiled after remembering everything that happened that day, word for word. I always have a clear memory of everything between us. It's as if I want to cherish every moment and replay it in my mind over and over. If the annoying human being wasn't so insistent on hiding his identity, I would've suggested we meet up and spend some time together. If I dared do that, he wouldn't let me live it down.
"Come, he's here," Nnedi said, and I tensed up. I dropped my phone, since there was no time to make the call, grabbed everything I needed, and followed Nnedi. We were the first to make our presentation, which also meant we would be the first to be judged.
We stopped and took a deep breath before knocking at his door. I could sense how tense Nnedi was. Thank God for Timi, who remained calm and gave us a sense of comfort.
"Come in," we heard Mr. Akin's voice. I guess the CEO is not much of a talker since Mr. Akin is doing all the talking. We stepped in and stood in horizontal order. I was standing first, which meant I would be the one to make the first presentation. I gulped.
"What's holding you up?" The CEO's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. He really means business.
I cleared my throat and stepped forward. Here goes nothing. I did my presentation neatly, though I couldn't see his reaction since his back was turned. He didn't utter a word but occasionally took a sip of the brandy he was holding. Judging by Mr. Akin's smile, I guessed I did well.
I stepped aside, leaving the floor for Nnedi. About 30 minutes later, we were all done. Mr. Akin told us to leave the documents before we left, but we stopped halfway to the door when we heard his voice.
"How did people react to the new product?" he asked. We turned to answer but were left speechless as he was now facing us. He was nothing short of handsome. He rendered us immobile, like he had cast a spell on us. He was handsome, but what struck me was the fact that he was the CEO. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt as if he had the final say, and as such, I had to do everything to earn his favor.
"They reacted well," I said confidently, and I was sure it must have shocked my friends.
"From your presentation, you're the one with the most sales, so I'll take your word for it," he said, still devoid of emotion. We bowed and left the office.
"Now I can breathe," Nnedi said after we were back in our office.
"He seems to rule his world," Timi said. It was clear that the new CEO had left his mark on her, which is very rare. Timi is the type of girl who's hard to impress, so I was surprised.
"Well, he's the CEO. He has to be serious about business to earn our respect," I said, picking up my phone to call my mysterious guy. Since my friends wouldn't stop talking about the new CEO, I decided to leave the office to make the call. I was heading to the veranda when I bumped into someone because I wasn't looking at where I was going.
"Sorry," I said, raising my head.
"Be more careful next time," I heard the CEO's voice. I had just bumped into him. I bowed and apologized three times in a row. He was already walking away by the time I raised my head. I turned to look at his back as he walked away. He was tall, dark, and handsome. His girlfriend is lucky to have such a rich, handsome guy. He put his phone to his ear.
"Hello," he said. I barely heard what he said afterward since he was already far away. I took a deep breath and returned my attention to my phone.
"What, he already picked up?" I muttered, realizing I had dialed the number the moment I bumped into the boss.
"Hello, angel," I said as I brought the phone to my ear.
"For the last time, I'm not an angel," he hissed. And just like that, he released all my tension. All I had to do was bank on him to brighten my day.