Chapter 0003

AMAKA RICHARD:

Once I was through having my breakfast in the kitchen, I stepped out of the house and made my way outside the compound.

The house was a rented apartment, and it wasn't owned by Mrs. Ann.

Luckily, as I got outside and onto the busy road, I saw a bus and got in. I sat beside a man who wore a black suit, and he smiled at me.

I was too preoccupied to smile back, and after what Joseph had done to me, I limited my smiles with any man. It was very painful that Joseph would break up with me. He should have told me that he wanted only sex and not that he wanted to marry me.

I was a very decent girl in my area, which was why I became a laughingstock among my peers, who hadn't expected a good girl like me to become pregnant.

I wiped my sobs away and kept my gaze focused on the road. The man who sat beside me spoke, “Hi, dear. I have paid your fare.”

“Huh!” I looked taken aback that a total stranger would help me clear my bill. As I looked at this man's face, I gulped. He was very fair like me, and he had short brown hair like my son. Although he wasn't Joseph Ericson, he was handsome and masculine.

“Thank you, but you shouldn't have done that. I don't need any favors from anyone,” I said as the bus continued to drive towards our destination.

“I understand, but I can't help but appreciate your beauty. Do you live around here, or where are you heading now?” he asked, and I grimaced.

Gross! I hated it whenever a guy poked his nose into my affairs.

“I am sorry, sir, but I cannot tell you anything about myself. These days, people easily get kidnapped, and trusting a stranger is a risk,” I said, my voice lowered so I wouldn’t embarrass him as we had other passengers seated behind us.

“Fine. I will keep that in mind,” he said, while I looked away.

“Industrial estate. Anyone getting down?” the driver of the yellow bus asked, and I responded, “Yes, sir.” 

I dropped down from the bus, and the man in the black suit came down too. My brows furrowed, wondering if he didn't have a job at this early hour of the day.

I wanted to pay the bus conductor, but he told me, “Your husband has paid.”

“Hmph, he’s not my husband,” I warned the conductor, who gasped, “Oh! Sorry, madam. But you two resemble each other.”

“Whatever!” I turned and quickly made my way to the company I was heading to: J.E Globals.

I didn't speak to the man who walked along with me. I believed that by the time I got into the company, he would find his way.

However, as I got to the gate, he checked in with his identity, and the security let him in. I was surprised that the man was already working there, but I wasn't allowed inside.

“What do you want, madam?” the security man asked, and I replied, “I'm here for my interview.” I showed him the email, and he finally allowed me into the company.

We had to wait for our interview with the boss, as the company was very strict, just as Maureen had told me. I didn't research this company, believing I would secure the job.

We were told to sit and wait for the boss to arrive, and it was already 9 a.m. before he showed up.

I didn't raise my head to look at the boss who walked into the company. I heard whispering from the other new members who came for their interviews. I think there were about 10 candidates who came for this mouthwatering job opportunity.

Soon, the lady in charge of ushering us came with her folder to introduce herself to us, as she had previously told us to sit and wait.

“Hi. Welcome to J.E Global Enterprises. We do not entertain cheating or breaches of contract. We expect our staff to uphold our company name so we can motivate other brands out there to partner with us and for our goods and services. So we will proceed with a quick introduction. I am Anita Edward, your new coach. I will give out this consent form to each and every one of you. Once you sign it, it shows that you have agreed to our company's terms. Then I will assign you to your partner, who will mentor you on how our system operates. But before that, you will have to go in one by one for your interview with our boss. Once he approves of you and why you’re here to work with us, then you can sign this form. Agreed?” she asked, and I swallowed hard.

We sat in the lobby on the long guest chairs, waiting. We could see clients coming in and going out of the building. I was nervous, wondering who that man I had seen earlier was.

There was no way the boss of J.E Globals would be entering a bus like I did. Although I had the money to afford a small car, I didn't want to show off.

I was earning more money than Maureen, who taught me how to blog. So if I purchased a car now, it would seem like I was trying to compete with her. I didn't know if that's how Maureen felt, but that’s how I thought she might feel, so I limited doing anything to upset her.

She doesn't get upset easily, though, but I didn’t want to show off.

“Amaka Richard. It’s your turn to go in for your interview,” Anita Edward said.

“Oh!” I quickly snapped out of my trance, rose from the guest chair, and adjusted my red top and black skirt properly.

“Ma’am, can I go in there with my handbag?” I asked, unsure if I could carry it in.

“Of course. Come with me,” she ushered me to follow her into the elevator and we rode up to the fifth floor. She showed me a safe where I could keep my bag and hold the key until I returned to get it.

“Thank you, ma,” I told her, and she smiled.

“Hurry up and don’t keep our boss waiting,” she said, pointing at the boss's office for me to enter.

“Okay,” I gulped and walked to the boss’s office.

I took a deep breath and entered the expansive office on the fifth floor, and my eyes landed on the black-skinned man in the black suit seated behind the desk.

“What?!” I gasped, shocked to see Joseph Ericson as the boss of this new company. Why didn't I do my research on him? How did I forget to check about the new company I was coming to work for?

I tried to look away from him and leave his office. He appeared indifferent, as if he didn't know me.

“Are you Amaka Richard?” he asked, pretending not to recognize me.

Did I change that much? How could he not recognize me just after four years of our relationship?

My lips trembled as I tried to respond to him. “Jo... Joseph. You own this company?” I asked, tears welling up in my eyes.

“Excuse me, have we met before?” he asked me. I shook my head. Since he was pretending not to know me, then I would pretend that I didn’t know him either. We dated for three years plus before he ran away. How could he not recognize me?