Chapter 4

Amaka's POV.

"Sorry, sir. I was mistaken. I thought you were someone that I knew before," I said, as his blue eyes held mine.

"It's fine. Come ahead for your interview. Why do you want to work here with us?" He asked, clicking on his laptop like he was going through my credentials.

I was affected seeing him, but the fact that he acted like he didn't know me again or recognize who I was, made me tremble.

"Hello?" Joseph raised an eyebrow and looked at me. 

"Right. I am a digital marketing student, and I graduated with distinction. I think I will help your company in marketing their products and services online," I said, my gaze lowered as I tried not to look at his face.

Joseph had changed, and he looked more masculine and handsome. My son resembles him, only that Jason was light-skinned like me.

"I see," Joseph replied, and clicked on his mouse.

"We only employ staff that are committed to their jobs and doesn't breach our company agreement. If you dare to breach our company agreement, you will have to pay a fine for it. And you are not expected to quit until five years," he said, glancing at me.

"Okay, sir. I am an honest person, and you don't have to worry about that," I replied, lowering my gaze once more, and avoiding his intense blue eyes. Though he masked his emotions and maintained an expressionless face.

"Hmm," he agreed. "You can meet with Ms. Anita then, to sign up with her."

"Thank you, sir," I replied, standing up from the guest chair, as I looked at his face once more.

Joseph returned his gaze to his laptop and I cannot believe that he doesn't recognize me.

*Did I change that much?* My eyes welled up in tears and he looked at me.

"What's the problem, Madam?" He asked me, meeting my gaze, and I searched his dark face to see if he was affected by me. But none.

"Nothing, sir." I quickly replied, lookimg away and blinking my teardrop away.

As I move out of the guest chair. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't look back at him, as I left his office.

I wanted to resign working here. But this was the very first job that I would be getting after graduating. *How can my child's father be the owner of this establishment? Was that really Joseph Ericson?*

I looked back at his closed office door and saw an inscription: CEO- JOSEPH ERICSON OFFICE.

My eyes narrowed and looked away, and met with Ms. Anita Edwards, she asked me, "How did it go?"

"Oh!" I could see the other newcomers looking at me. 

"It went well, Ma'am. I was just a bit emotional. Can I see the document?" I asked and she replied, "Sure." She gave me the documents to look at, I quickly read the terms and conditions with working for them. 

It was an exclusive agreement, meaning I wouldn't get to work for another company or to tarnish their group name. 

I sighed and signed it, even though a part of me didn't want to. 

I wanted to know if Joseph had a memory loss for failing to recognize me.

It had only been four years, and he was acting like he never knew who I was. Why was I so affected seeing him?

I took my copy of the agreement, and kept it in my bag, while Ms. Anita informed me.

"You will have to wait to meet with your new coach."

"Okay, ma'am," I went to sit waiting. After a while, she came and said, "Come with me. You will be working under Simon Braxton. He's our marketing manager, so you can assist him with his job."

"Okay," I replied and followed her into Simon's office. The company was a four-story building, and I was surprised to see Simon was the same man who had paid my transport fare earlier in the morning. Unlike Joseph, Simon smiled and welcomed me, "Have your seat, pretty."

"Simon! You should know that such compliment isn't allowed here, except you want to lose your job," Ms. Anita warned him, but he laughed it off.

"Don't be jealous, Anita. I know her before, so move away. It's nice meeting you again, pretty lady. What's your name?" Simon asked me, ignoring Ms. Anita's threat. She grimaced, "Do not say that I didn't warn you."

She pulled Simon's office door opened and left us, leaving me alone with him. 

I braced myself forward to take a seat.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" Simon asked, looking concerned at me. I was sure that my face had turned crimson.

"Yes, sir. I'm fine," I replied, taking out my white handkerchief from my skirt pocket and wiped my face.

"Oh, please do away with the 'sir'. Just call me Simon, Okay? I am not that old and the boss is older than me, if you ask," he flashed me his nice set of white teeth, and I was forced to smile at his words.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. So we get to work today. How fate works," he smiled and I smiled back. 

"I will have one of the company's security men to set up your office here. You should know that we will be getting along, so that I can lecture you before you move to your personal space," he said, leaning against his chair and I looked around his office. Just like Joseph's office, Simon's office was painted in white too, and he had a large desk with his laptop before him.

"Alright. So my work starts today," I asked him and he replied, "Yes. Or do you want to go home?"

"No. I am fine," I replied and he smiled back. 

"Let me call the security man to come and set up your office, I think that will make our work easier," he said, picking up his telephone and placing a call, and a security man came in. 

The security man wore a white top and black trousers and black boots.

"You sent for me, Simon," he said, and Simon replied, "Yes. Get a new office desk and a chair, and a new laptop for my assistant," he told the security man who looked at me and replied, "On it."

"Oh! I forgot my handbag. Let me get it," I told Simon and he smiled. 

"Feel free."

Once I stood up from Simon's guest chair, I stepped out of it and exited his office. 

Simon's office was on the third floor and likewise the boss's office. 

Some staff work on the first and fourth floor and here. As the third floor was their meeting hall, while the second floor was the company's cafeteria.

Ms. Anita had lectured me about their company when I accepted and signed the contract with her. 

I went back to the locker to take my bag and kept the key.

As I turned to head back to Simon's office, Ms. Anita came out of the boss's office and smiled at me.

"How's your work with Simon going? You shouldn't pay any heed to him and know that the boss's office is just next to his. Most of the offices have glass walls, to keep watch of whatever is going on. And also CCTV footage."

"Oh!" My cheeks flamed.

"You don't have to worry about all that. Simon and I just coincidentally met today in a bus, and I have not really known much about him," I told her, and she gasped, "Oh! That's fine. You're free to reach out to me if you need further assistance. Take care, Miss Amaka." 

Ms. Anita walked away to her office, across from the boss's office, and I sighed and went back to Simon's office to join him.

I was consciously aware that the boss was watching us in his office. They had cameras and also, dark glass walls demarcating the offices from one another.

"Are you alright?" Simon asked, looking concerned as I stepped into his office to join him as the company's new assistant digital marketer.

"Yeah," I smiled, and he nodded.

"Here's your new chair and your small desk. It will keep you comfortable alright," he said, gesturing to the new chair and desk set up in his vast office.

"Oh! Thank you," I smiled at him and he rose from his chair, walking over to the new desk and chair to meet me. 

"You shouldn't thank me, Amaka. We are like partners now, so my duty is to make your work easy," he said, leaning beside me as I sat on the new chair.

"Alright," I replied and watched Simon turned up the laptop to test it. I shifted my focus on the screen loading and watched him set it up. 

"You will have to fill in your name and password and register. Any further assistance, reach out to me," he said, rising from my desk once he was done setting up the laptop and I smiled at him.

"Thank you," I told him, watching Simon move back to his chair and I focused back on the laptop. 

I looked around the office and at the glass wall, wondering what Joseph was up to. The glass was dark and I couldn't see the next office. However, I felt nervous knowing that I was under surveillance.