CHAPTER 2

In the Benson Group headquarters, Mr. Taiye Jackson sat in the front row of the conference hall, having a meeting with his board members from his various companies, all registered under his name.

He spoke softly to his personal assistant, almost like a whisper, "Introduce the new head to them now." The board members were waiting to meet the newly appointed CEO. His name had been announced, but no staff had yet seen him, as Mr. Taiye Jackson was the former CEO, while his late father, Mr. Benjamin Jackson, was the founder of the Benson Group of Companies, which was originally known as Benjamin and Sons Group of Companies.

They sat in the conference hall, awaiting the transition of company ownership to Mr. Taiye's only son, Liam Jackson.

Liam was rumored to be cold and unyielding, and the employees feared that once he took over as the new CEO of the Benson Group, they would have to face a harsh reality.

Some of them had heard that Liam was arrogant, mean, and unappreciative. Nevertheless, he was hard-working and had a private business in the States.

Liam's father had announced his retirement to him, asking him to return home and take over the company.

Initially, Liam had refused; he didn't want to come back to his country. He didn't find anything interesting there, except for his mother, who was a God-fearing Christian. She dressed modestly and never missed a church service, praying for him and his father, as he was her only child.

Liam needed to understand that his mother had faced many crises at the beginning of her marriage with his father.

His paternal grandfather had disapproved of his son, Mr. Taiye, marrying Ms. Juliet because she came from a poor background. However, his father truly loved her, even though other young women had attempted to seduce him in the past and accused his mother of being barren.

Mr. Taiye insisted on marrying only Mrs. Juliet and never had any extramarital affairs.

Mr. Taiye stood by his wife, despite his family’s objections, stating that she couldn’t give him another child after ten years following Liam's birth.

Liam knew his mother had endured many miscarriages due to her fear of losing his father. She lost all those babies she carried in her womb, except for him, as he had just turned 30 years old. His mother was 60, while his father was 68.

Liam loved his parents; however, his father had tricked him into returning home by lying about being sick and hiring a fake doctor to call Liam and tell him about his father's supposed ill health, urging him to return from the States.

Liam was taken aback when he arrived and saw his father moving around healthily and even attending business meetings. He was furious that his father had tricked him and refused to let him return to the States.

*****

Inside the exquisite headquarters of the Benson Group, they had operations in oil manufacturing, gas, steel production, and the production of basic amenities. Their company was globally recognized.

Liam was in a private room on the second floor, adjusting his necktie and cufflinks. He wore a black tuxedo and black shoes. His father had spoken to him about introducing him to their board members and partners managing their businesses.

Liam sighed and picked up his suit to wear. Just then, his assistant, Brown Anderson, whom his father had first assigned to him on his first day at the company, knocked on the door, and he responded, "Come in."

"Boss, it’s time for the introduction to begin," Brown informed.

Liam nodded as he finished adjusting his appearance. He stepped out of the room and into the hall. The spokesperson announced to the staff sitting in the large meeting hall, "Welcome, Master Liam Jackson, the new CEO of the Benson Group of Companies Limited."

Liam walked on stage, and the hall erupted with applause as he stepped out and climbed onto the podium. His father was sitting in the front row, while his father’s assistant, Mr. Silas Greystone, handed him the microphone to give a few words to the staff.

"Thank you all for acknowledging our invitation and witnessing my appointment as the new CEO of the Benson Group. I would like us to continue our commitment to integrity and work diligently to build this company into a beacon of transparency and guaranteed products. Thank you once more for being a part of my new journey," Liam said, handing the microphone back to Mr. Silas Greystone.

Liam stepped down from the podium, and the applause grew louder as he walked to take his seat. Some of the top staff stood up to shake hands with him. As Liam approached the front seat designated for him, he shook hands with them before sitting down. They returned to their seats while his father, Mr. Taiye Jackson, smiled faintly and stood up to give his own speech before the final remarks from Silas.

"Thank you all for honoring my invitation and witnessing this new beginning with our new CEO, who is none other than my son, Liam Jackson. I appreciate all our past workers who have worked diligently to uplift our company's name and create a sense of transparency, establishing us as one of the best production companies. I would like all old and new employees, as well as retirees, to respect and collaborate amicably with our new CEO and to follow whatever decisions he makes for our company to grow globally. As you can all see, he has just returned from the States to be with us. Thank you all once again. Silas, I hand it over to you now to close the meeting for today," Mr. Taiye said, handing back the microphone to Silas.

Silas read out some new briefings about the new products and their prices. After that, he closed the meeting with his concluding speech while the staff stood up and exited the meeting hall after the meeting with their new CEO.

Liam remained in the meeting hall with his father after most of the guests and staff had left, with just a few still discussing. He stood up and walked to join his father, who was speaking with his friend, Mr. John Patrick.

"Father, I want to have a word with you," Liam said, waiting for his father to finish his conversation with Mr. John Patrick, who worked as one of their top managing accountants and was very trusted with the company’s funds.

"Okay, son, I will be with you shortly," Mr. Taiye replied while Mr. John Patrick turned to face Liam.

"Oh, Master Liam, congratulations on your new position as our CEO," Mr. John said, smiling faintly at Liam.

"Thank you, sir. It’s an honor to meet you as well and to work here with all of you," Liam replied.

"You can always count on us, Liam. Your father is my boss and a very good friend too, and I am happy to see you taking over his position as the new CEO. I know you will lead us to better growth than your father and grandfather ever did," Mr. John said.

"Thank you, sir," Liam smiled faintly, as he loved receiving praise from friends, colleagues, and even elders; it motivated him to work harder.

"You're welcome, Liam. Mr. Taiye, I’m leaving now. My daughter will be very upset with me for not attending her school convocation, even after she called me to come with her mother to the venue," Mr. John Patrick stated, facing Mr. Taiye.

"You know I cannot miss your son's introduction as the new CEO, so I asked her mother and her older brother to attend her convocation ceremony on my behalf, and she will be very annoyed with me for that," Mr. John told Mr. Taiye.

"Ah, I apologize for that, Mr. John. I hope she understands," Mr. Taiye responded.

"Yes, boss, she will," Mr. John offered a faint smile, keen to leave as Mr. Taiye continued speaking. "How about I make it up to her and introduce her to my son? Perhaps we can extend our family friendship into a marriage? I’m sure she would be happy about that."

Liam frowned from where he stood beside his father, waiting for him to finish talking with Mr. John Patrick, but Mr. John quickly rejected the offer. "Oh, thank you, boss, but that’s only if my daughter would accept."

Mr. John knew how stubborn his daughter, Temisa was, and he didn't want her to cause any problems between him and his boss. Mr. Taiye quickly said, "Why wouldn't she accept? Liam is handsome, and every lady wants him. What did your daughter study at the university?"

Liam's frown deepened as he shuffled his gaze between his father and Mr. John. Women were not of his interest, and Liam disliked how his father was trying to court him with a lady he hadn't even met, doubting that he would like her just because his father was friends with her father.