Chapter 4

Amaka's POV:

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

"It's fine. Come on in for your interview. Why do you want to work here with us?" he asked, clicking on his computer as if he were going through my credentials.

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

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

"Right. I am a digital marketing student, and I graduated with distinction. I believe I can help your company market its products and services online," I said, lowering my gaze as I tried not to look at his face.

He had changed; he looked more masculine and handsome. My son resembled him, only that Jason was fair like me.

"I see," he replied, clicking his mouse.

"We only employ staff who are committed to their jobs and don't breach our company agreement. If you dare to breach our company agreement, you will have to pay a fine for it."

"Okay. I am an honest person, sir, and you don't have to worry about that," I said, continuing to avoid his eyes.

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

"Thank you, sir," I replied, standing up from the guest chair as I looked at Joseph Ericson once more. He had returned his gaze to his laptop, and I could hardly believe that he didn't recognize me.

Did I change? My eyes welled up with tears as he looked at me.

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

"Nothing, sir." I quickly replied, blinking my tears away as I moved out of the guest chair. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't look back as I left his office.

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

I looked back, but his office door was closed with an inscription: CEO - JOSEPH ERICSON OFFICE.

I 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. I was just a bit emotional. Can I see the document?" I asked, and she replied, "Sure." She handed me the documents to look at, and I quickly read the terms and conditions of working for them.

It was an exclusive agreement, meaning I wouldn't be able to work for another company or tarnish their group's 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 by 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 your new coach."

"Okay, Madam," I said as I went to sit and wait. After a while, she returned 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 that he 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 compliments aren't allowed here, unless you want to lose your job," Ms. Anita warned him, but he laughed it off.

"Don't be jealous, Anita. I know her from before, so move aside. It's nice to meet you again, pretty. What's your name?" he asked, ignoring Ms. Anita's warning. She grimaced, "Do not say that I didn't warn you."

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

I braced myself and took a seat.

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

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

"Oh, please, drop 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 start work today. How fate works," he smiled, and I smiled back.

"I'll have the company security set up your office here. You should know that we will be getting along so that I can teach you before you move to your personal space," he said, leaning back in his chair as I looked around his office.

Just like Joseph's office, Simon's office was painted in white, and he had a large desk with his computer in front of him.

"Alright. So my work starts today," I said to 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 to come and set up your office; that will make our work easier," he said, picking up his telephone and placing a call. A security guard came in.

The security guard wore a white top, black trousers, and black boots.

"You sent for me, Simon?" he asked.

"Yes. Get a new office desk and a new laptop for my assistant," Simon told the security guard, who looked at me and replied, "On it."

"Oh! I forgot my handbag. Let me go 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. His office was on the third floor, as was the boss's office.

Some staff worked on the first and second floors, while the top floor was their meeting hall.

Ms. Anita had already 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 drop 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; remember that the boss's office is just next to his. Most of the offices have glass walls to keep watch over whatever is going on, and there are also CCTV cameras."

"Oh!" My cheeks burned redder.

"You don't have to worry about all that. Simon and I just coincidentally met today on a bus, and I don't really know 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, and I sighed as I went back to Simon's office to join him.

I was consciously aware that the boss was watching us from his office. They had cameras and also glass walls separating 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 digital marketer.

"Yeah," I smiled, and he smiled back.

"Here's your new chair and your small desk. It will keep you comfortable, alright?" he said, gesturing to the new table 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 easier," he leaned beside me as I sat in the new chair.

"Alright," I said, and he turned on the laptop to test it. I shifted my focus to the computer loading and watched him set it up.

"You will have to fill in your name and password and register. If you need 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 said as I watched Simon move back to his chair, and I focused back on the computer. I looked around at the glass wall, wondering what Joseph was up to. The glass was like a mirror, and I couldn't see into the next office; however, I felt nervous knowing that I was under surveillance.