CHAPTER 3

Mr. John smiled and replied, "My daughter studied business administration at the University of Nigeria."

"That's fine. You should submit her CV to us once she's home. I’m sure we have more vacancies for new bees like her. I will be expecting to see her," Mr. Taiye replied.

"Father!" Liam quickly cut off his father's speech as his frown deepened.

"You cannot just recruit me with her yet," Liam said, and his father smiled at him, replying, "I know, son. I’m only trying to compensate Mr. John Patrick for his goodwill and commitment to working with us for over twenty years."

Mr. John smiled as he bowed slightly to leave. "I will be taking my leave now, boss. Thank you, and congratulations once again, Liam," he said as he excused himself from them.

Liam sighed as he heard Mr. John's last words. He walked with his father to the front of the meeting hall while they stood near the exit door, and he spoke, "Father, I don't like what you just did. There are many other ways to compensate Mr. John Patrick that don't involve me."

"What do you mean by that, Liam? Mr. John has been a committed worker here. I know you won't understand because you're new here, but it's okay. Besides, he said if his daughter agreed. She might not even consider working with us, so there's no need for you to panic about what was just said," Mr. Taiye replied, turning to leave the meeting hall.

Liam remarked, "I hope she doesn't, Father. Women aren't of my interest for now."

"Liam," Mr. Taiye paused and stared back at his son. He shook his head, saying, "You shouldn’t say that to your mother. Someday you'll find a good wife, but that's beside the point. Let's focus on business and forget about what we just discussed."

"Okay, Father," Liam agreed, watching his father exit the meeting hall, leaving only him in the room. His assistant, Brown, walked back into the meeting hall to meet him immediately after his father left.

"What should I do now, boss?" Brown asked, standing in front of Liam.

"Prepare the car. I will be going home for today. All official duties start tomorrow," Liam said.

"Okay, boss," Brown replied, exiting the meeting hall on the second floor. He went downstairs to inform Liam's personal driver, Israel, to prepare the car.

"Israel, get the car ready. The boss is about to leave now," Brown said.

"Okay," Israel replied, waiting for Liam to step out. He stood watching the Benson Group, a five-story building filled with staff.

*****

Liam stepped out of the elevator and walked toward his car in the driveway. Some workers stood outside discussing that it was a free day and no work was available to be carried out since Liam's father had given them the break the previous day to witness him being introduced as the new CEO.

Liam hopped into his car, settling in the back seat while Israel started the car's engine and drove home to the Benson villa.

Upon arriving at the edifice, Israel parked while Liam stepped out of the car and walked into the mansion. He entered the living room of the one-story duplex.

His mother wasn’t in the living room; she was in the kitchen cooking. Even though they had maids, Mrs. Juliet Jackson preferred cooking as she loved preparing their local African dishes.

A maid stepped out to welcome Liam as she heard the sound of the car arrive. She greeted him, "Welcome back, Master Liam."

"Thank you," Liam replied, looking away from her as he made his way into the kitchen to find his mother. The aroma of the food she was preparing filled the entire living room with its delicious scent.

Mrs. Juliet was making the delicious Egusi soup garnished with beef and dried fish.

"Good afternoon, Mom," Liam greeted his mother as he entered the kitchen. The two maids assisting his mother immediately greeted him, "Welcome back, Master Liam."

"Thank you," Liam replied. His mom washed her hands in the kitchen sink and dried them with her short kitchen towel. She walked up to give him a warm hug.

"Welcome home, son. How was your day at the office?" Mrs. Juliet asked.

"Fine, Mother. Hasn't my father arrived home?" Liam asked. His mother replied, "No, son. He's probably with his friends. You know he's happy that you finally returned home to resume your position as the new CEO."

"I know that, Mom," Liam smiled faintly at his mother as he stepped out from the kitchen while his mother instructed the cook on what to do since her meal was almost done.

"Just keep an eye on it so it won't get burned. Once it's ready, serve it right out," Mrs. Juliet instructed a maid.

"Okay, Ma'am," Nora responded. She was the cook and head of all the maids and servants in their home.

Finally, Mrs. Juliet walked out of the kitchen to meet her son as he sat on the long couch in the living room, stretching his long legs. She wore a brown gown and removed her apron, handing it over to a maid who stood next to her.

"Here, take this to the laundry room and wash it," she said.

"Okay, Ma'am," the maid replied.

Mrs. Juliet walked up to sit across from Liam.

"Mom, why are you stressing so much about cooking when you have maids and cooks at your service?" Liam asked his mother, watching her sit across from him.

"I know that, my son, but cooking is part of my exercise, and I enjoy it too. I cannot leave all the work to the maids and cooks alone. I might end up becoming lazy and sick, especially since I have recently retired from the nursing home before you returned," she said.

"Hmm," Liam hummed. "It's okay, Mother. As long as you're not stressed about it, I'm fine with that."

"Not at all, Liam. Tell me, how did the event go?" she asked.

"Fine, Mother. It was just a simple meeting with the new staff, but I didn't like how some of the female staff dressed," Liam stated, his face twisting in irritation.

"What do you mean by that, son? Weren't the women wearing clothes, or how did you expect them to dress?" Mrs. Juliet asked, confused by her son's claims.

"Decently, Mother! That's how female staff are supposed to dress for the office. Decent, not trying to seduce anyone at work," he replied, and his mother gasped.

"Oh, Liam!" Mrs. Juliet had a faint smile on her face.

"They're young female staff and probably searching for husbands. You don't expect them to dress like married women, covering up everywhere at work. Besides, they might want you to admire one of them," she added.

"No, Mother! That's not something I will allow. Tomorrow, I will issue a new dress code order to Brown, and any of the new female staff and old staff who cannot follow it will be expected to quit," Liam stated, his face twisting in irritation.

"Liam! You cannot do that. You just resumed the CEO position, and you shouldn't be harsh on your workers and colleagues just because you're their boss," Mrs. Juliet frowned.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but that’s how I want them to start dressing from tomorrow onwards. I will have them inspected at the gate before they're allowed into the company, and I've already prepared the dress code. Brown will provide them with the information tomorrow," Liam stood up from the couch while Mrs. Juliet was dumbfounded.

"Liam," she finally called him, and he stopped.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but if my father interferes in this, then I will have to resign from the company. One must keep his or her focus, and I don't want to be distracted or tempted by any of my female staff," he added.

"Alright. If that's how you want it, I just hope it won't affect the company's growth," Mrs. Juliet replied.

"Not at all, Mother," Liam smiled at his mother, pleased that she had agreed.

"I will have to go upstairs now and freshen up. The aroma of the soup is inviting; let me freshen up first and come back downstairs to join you for dinner," Liam said.

"Okay, son. I will be expecting you," Mrs. Juliet replied, watching her son climb the stairs in the living room to the second floor.

Their house was a standard duplex. Even though her husband had the funds to purchase a multimillion-dollar mansion, Mrs. Juliet still preferred living in the Benson Villa, as it kept many of her past memories alive.

She sighed as she stood up to prepare the dining table with the maids. Just then, her husband arrived home with one of his friends, Mr. Tunji Martin, and she walked back to welcome them.

They walked into the living room and met her.

"Welcome, honey," she said as she hugged her husband. Even though he was 68 years old, she didn't fail to call him honey.

"Wow, the aroma of the soup is inviting," Mr. Taiye praised his wife as he kissed her cheek affectionately.

"Where's Liam? Isn't he back yet?" he asked.

"He's back; he went upstairs to freshen up," Mrs. Juliet replied.

"Okay, meet my friend Tunji Martin; we have a little business discussion, but that will wait until after dinner, as Tunji will be joining us for dinner," Mr. Taiye informed her.

"Okay, honey. Welcome, sir," Mrs. Juliet smiled at Mr. Tunji, and he greeted her, "Well done, ma."

"Thank you," she replied.