Reuben saw him running towards him and wondered what happened.“The boss said you should lend him your pen and paper.”“What is he writing?” He asked before he got the writing materials.“He wished to write something with them,” he explained.“Take. I will go with you,” he gave them to him and he moved.Reuben followed him but he got to the estate before him.“I have brought them, Boss,” he said to Valentine and handed the writing materials to him.“Thank you, for the help,” he said and faced everyone.“We have thirty apartments and we are thirty. I will …”“Are we included?” One of the foreigners asked him.Now, Reuben had joined them and Valentine answered, “Yes. Are you not one of us?” He asked him.“Pardon my misjudgment,” he pleaded and looked at his colleagues, who were as surprised as he was.Nevertheless, Valentine wrote one to thirty under their watchful eyes and folded the papers. Afterward, he shuffled and poured them on the floor.“Let us pick,” he instructed them.“You ar
After the greetings, he sat down and said, “Maj. Richard said that Valentine called him.”“What for?” Tim asked anxiously.“He said the foreigners were afraid to return to the hotel because they may be harassed.”“Ha! This is serious.”“Yes, Boss. He said they preferred to sleep on the floor of the mobile house.”“No. It has not come to that. What did you tell him?”“I advised him to ask him to take them to the Dome.”“The Dome? You would have talked to the manager of the hotel to accommodate them. It is just for the night.”“I thought as much but the trauma of their boss attempting to kill himself may demoralize them.”“It is all right.”“Concerning the Secretary, I think …?”“We will talk about it later,” Tim intervened and stopped him from going further.“I got it, Boss.”At The ClinicMichael swallowed hard and looked at Ambrose. Suddenly, the door opened and he was shocked. The drive to Rakaia relieved the foreigners and Valentine was happy. Meanwhile, he had sent a message to R
At The President's OfficeTim disagreed with George to sack her when he presented the matter to him the previous night and he did not argue with him. He was monitoring the progress of work at the steel mill when Capt. Abram walked in. After the salutations, he sat down and explained, “Mr. Kennedy wishes to order more precious stones. Do we have any available?”“That is a good one. I will find out from the supervisor.”“It is all right. I will give him the feedback before lunch.”“That is okay.” At RakaiaThe offer letters gave the workers a sense of belonging. Their satisfaction bled into their actions that morning because they arrived earlier than usual. They were waiting under the juniper tree as usual while Peter and his likes were planning how to attack them and ruin their joy. On Richard's arrangement, Valentine and his team arrived with two trucks. They looked at them in confusion but greeted them all the same, “Good morning, Supervisor. Good morning, driver.” “Good morning
Laura hit her head on the sharp edge of the wooden cubicle and had a cut."Ouch!" She screamed and placed her hand on the spot to stop the blood from staining her dress.Barbara ignored her and shifted away from her. Meanwhile, the General Manager had forgotten that she existed and did not look at her direction while George was interested in his destination.SaturdayAfter Mark assured Tim that the Palace was almost ready, he resolved to visit Mount Olive. The old man indicated interest in the outing but George tactfully stopped him."Dad, it is like you are not satisfied with the services of your dietician anymore."He shuddered instantly and wondered if he had done anything to put Ella in a precarious situation."I am. Is there any problem?""I wonder why you don't want to see her today.""Did I say that I don't want to see her?""You just said that you want to go out with us. It means you don't wish to see her. If you don't wish to continue with her, I can change her.""It is not w
At Mount Olive"This place is fine," Gerald complimented the town and woke Samuel up.He looked out and asked with a sleepy voice, "Are we at Mount Olive?""Yes," Gerald answered."Do you like the town?" Tim asked."Yes, Brother-in-law," he answered, and shortly they were at the palace."Wow!" George exclaimed when he saw the beautiful edifice.Tim was thrilled as well but he only smiled. Richard was awestruck because he had not seen the picture before."This is a masterpiece," he said and got out of the car.Tim and the boys got out of the car, but George developed cold feet when he recalled the state of the compound. He looked at the once bushy courtyard that was decked with beautiful exterior tiles."This looks like a palace," Gerald pointed out."It is a palace," Richard informed him."I guessed right, then," he replied with glee.Meanwhile, Tim noticed that George was still in the car and called his attention, "Why are you still here?"He smiled weakly, opened the door, walked up
Now, the youths were scared and looked at the shrewd elder for his response.Meanwhile, the compensation seekers were hanging around and patiently waiting for their reward without paying attention to them."Let us do as he said, Sir" one of the youths pleaded with George.Now, Elder Kefas was on top of the world after the youths accepted his proposal over George's and he resolved to flaunt it.He inched closer to him and boasted rudely, "They know who to obey."In a flash, George released his bottled-up anger on him, "(Slap. Slap) How dare you come close to me?" He asked him indignantly."Huh!" Tim exclaimed and looked at the elder.The others were not left out. The Duke was surprised and began to walk towards them. To prove that he was still the local champion, he tried to attack George with vengeance and vehemence but he got more than he bargained for. Richard blocked him and cleared his two legs off the ground and he landed on the floor."What does he want to do?" George asked cal
Previously, he was skeptical about the admittance of the act but when he perceived that they were harmless, he accepted, “Yes, Sir.”To amuse himself, he asked further, “I thought you exonerated yourself from the act previously.”“You are right but I just recalled that in addition to praying for him to die, I teamed up with Cecilia and planted a poisonous mushroom in his house. As you can see, I worked harder than everyone,” he admitted joyously.Nevertheless, his assertion did not augur well with the others and they murmured. Although they did not speak out, Tim could read their facial expressions. He looked at Elder Kefas' wife and inquired, “Is your name on this list?”“Yes, Sir. My husband informed me about it.”“I see. Why was your name on the list?”“I don't know, Sir,” she answered innocently.Now, George was emotional. He thought of how his father agonized in pain for several years with no medical help and walked back to the car. Tim watched him for a while before he faced th
At Tim's House The outing was a joyous one for the family but Tim wished to know why George was disrespectful and invited him to his study.“What happened in the morning, George? I told you that I don't want the boys to come with us but you were bent on having your way,” he asked him angrily.Tim regretted his actions when he saw his wet eyes because his confidence may be harmed. He locked eyes with him for a while and looked away without a word. They were silent for some minutes before he spoke.“I grew up without siblings and it was difficult for me. They are the only siblings I have and I can't see them sad.”Tim was calm but digested his words. Afterward, he declared, “We both suffered the same thing as children, but we should not over-pamper them because of our pasts.”Instead of answering, he looked askance at him, and he continued, “If not, they may never be independent, and that is not good for any of us.”“I got it, Boss. I will be careful next time,” he promised him.“That
That evening, they closed from work for the day and resolved to visit the estate and show their appreciation for their cooperation.Likewise, they brought some farm produce to them. To cap it all, the hunters among them brought five sizeable edible gray squirrels.“These are from our hearts. Kindly accept them,” one of them said cheerfully.The workers focused on Valentine who was thrilled with the gesture. The foreigners were thrilled with the neighborliness and waited for him to speak.“This is wonderful. We are happy to know that you found us worthy of your friendship. We appreciate it,” he said.“Thank you for accepting us.”“I hope no one is molesting?” Valentine asked.“No, Supervisor. We appreciate you for your presence.”“You are welcome,” Valentine said and they walked away.He turned and looked at Pa Suresh, who was smiling beside him, and asked, “What do we do with the gray squirrels? I have not eaten it for a long time?”Before he could speak, Tyler and his friends walked
“Thank you, Mark,” they responded one after the other.“Kindly take us to the pavilion,” George requested.“It is all right, President,” he answered and led the way. They moved with him and George was surprised to see Tim walking with the General Manager.'When did he arrive?' He asked himself.Some days are heavy but Tim had to grin and bear it. They checked the pavilion and took notes of the minor work they needed to do before Sunday. George did not have the chance to speak with Tim. However, he was confused when he got on the bus with them.When he looked around and did not see his clunker, he asked himself, 'Did he come with us?'Tim was obediently sitting beside the GM like a wimp and he had forgotten about him. They returned to the complex afterward and got out of the bus. To avoid missing out completely that day, he decided to take the plunge.He followed the General Manager back to his office. When they got to the door, he asked him, “What brings you, Driver?”Now, he had ope
At The Complex.A slave may also have slaves. Tim wished to see Stephanie and would not want to explain his purpose of visiting her to the General Manager. Instantly, he came up with a reason for him to leave the complex and called George.He picked up the call immediately and greeted him, “Hello, Boss. How may I assist you?”“Hello, George. Kindly get your managers to find out if the borough is ready for His Excellency to use it on Sunday.”“Huh! Sunday?”“Yes. It is urgent. We just got off an emergency meeting.”“It is all right, Boss. We will be there right away.”“Thank you for that,” he appreciated him and cut the call.George informed the General Manager of the development and he was on his toes. However, he was happy to hear that. He recalled the line of wisdom that said, to whom much is given, much will be required and attributed it to the recent promotion.He informed the other managers and they converged in the vestibule.Shortly, Tim drove in and arrived at George's office
At Tim's House They met the old man waiting for them in the parlor and felt bad.“We apologize for keeping you waiting, Old man,” Tim apologized when they walked in.He smiled and accepted, “Never mind, Young man. How was your outing?” He looked at the two boys and inquired.“It was fine, Old man,” they answered immediately.“Welcome back,” Francis who began to set the table when they returned, greeted them.“Thank you, Francis,” they responded immediately.Afterward, they settled down to eat. “Was she surprised to see the gifts?” The old man asked curiously.“Yes, Old man. She almost fainted,” Samuel answered.“I recorded everything," Gerald said and the old man requested to see it.He turned on his device and passed it to him. He began to watch the video and Tim studied his countenance.“Oh! She appreciated it,” he said when she hugged Samuel.“Yes, Old man. She is a nice person,” Samuel pointed out.“You are right. It is obvious.”Tim was happy to hear that and asked further, “Is
At The Lobby After Laura's father upset her the previous day, she had not fed well. She was hoping to do that at the canteen during lunch. Now, Barbara wished to impede that.“I can't wait for her anymore. It is my right to go for lunch and I won't miss it because she chose to be away from work for no good reasons,” she concluded. Although troublesome, she was justified in being upset. When she saw some workers returning from lunch with their bottles of sweet drinks and neatly packaged cake, her desire to be at the canteen increased.“She can explain her truancy to Capt. Jaja,” she said picked up her phone and walked out of the cubicle.She was walking briskly and bypassed George who was walking back leisurely with Jerry and his colleagues. He smiled inwardly and said, “You came too late.”Nevertheless, she got to the junior staff canteen and ordered her food before she sat down. While she was waiting, she saw the gigantic cake in the senior staff canteen and wished to have a taste
At The Canteen After the clerk left to get Stephanie, Tim walked back to his car which he parked at a vantage point so that he could see through the canteen's transparent glass window. He smiled heartily when he saw her walking with the two.“Oh, my God! She is pretty,” he said to himself.Meanwhile, George and the other managers had recovered from the shock of the decorations and were sitting on their seats. Samuel was with Bright and taking instructions from him. On the other hand, Bright had informed Barbara that she must work closely with him and return to her office after the celebration.“Ha! Miss Dickson will be mad at me if I fail to return on time,” she made clear.“Tell her that I delayed you,” he undertook for her, and she was calm.Meanwhile, the General Manager and clerk walked Stephanie to the door like a father who walked her daughter through the aisle on her wedding day. Stephanie glared at Bright and said, “You have done your worst. Right?”The GM overlooked her bic
“I'm here, Secretary,” he said when he got to the office.“That's good. I called you because …,” he explained.The clerk smiled happily and asked him, “What do you want me to do?”“Let's go. The cake will arrive soon.”“It is all right.”They got to the lobby and Bright gave Laura a hateful look. He smiled at Barbara and requested, “Kindly come with me, Barbara.”“Oh!” She exclaimed, got up from her seat, and adjusted her wears. Laura could not look at them but kept herself busy with her phone. When Barbara was set, she joined them and they moved. Nobody was surprised when she looked at them with an unreadable expression until they walked out of the door.Within her, she wished to be like Barbara who could relate freely with everyone.“Where are we going, Secretary?” Barbara asked.“To the canteen,” he explained and moved on.Instantly, his phone rang and it was the attendant. He stopped in his tracks and picked up the call. The two stopped, too, and waited for him.“Hello.”“Hello,
“My goodness. Mine was in October. I should have informed him so that he would return the gesture,” Bright teased.“Too bad. That will be in the coming year. I called you to plan it out. How will he surprise her?”“Does he have any gift for her?”“Yes. One of them is a cake. I will give you the contact of an attendant in the mall. You can ask her to deliver it.”“I see. Leave the planning for me. I will inform the General Manager and he will keep her busy until we are set.”“That is good. One more thing. I don't want the former secretary to be part of the celebration. You know the feud between them.”Bright smiled slyly and said, “I got it, Boss. I know what to do to her.”“I trust you. I want a seamless job.”“You can count on me, Boss. Congratulations once again on your well-deserved promotion,” he said sincerely.“Thank you for the compliment. Kindly share the pictures and videos with me.”“I will do that after editing them.”“That is good to hear. Thank you for always covering my
“Oh! I did not see it that way. We should do something different from Oliver's regime. I will invite the Head of State or his representative to the celebration,” the fake Duke said.“Yes. Then you will collect the certificate of recognition,” another elder said.“Also remind him of our allocation. We will use part of it for the celebration,” Elder Kefas stated.They wallowed in fools' paradise and they were happy to arrive at a consensus.At Tim's House They returned home happily and the old man was emotional. He looked at Tim and poured out his mind, “I would have been dead by now if not for you, Young man.”George, who was about to walk to his room, was touched and stopped in his tracks. He faced Tim and waited for his response.“Think nothing about it, Old man. We would all have been dead,” he said and faced Samuel.Samuel was emotional, too, but he smiled dryly and rested his head on Tim's chest. He crossed his left hand on his shoulders and the old man said, “I'm hearing this fo