Laura looked at the direction too and saw Bright smiling shyly. She was right to eat there at first but she did not present herself well as senior staff. That means, her first impression to George was not acceptable and it boxed her into a corner. She ignored them and ordered her food.After the food was served, she ate it leisurely as though she had nothing bothering her. She was a loner and no one asked her why she was dullish. When she thought that the food was finished in the kitchen and lunch was over, she walked back to Barbara.Nevertheless, she was with a visitor when she arrived and took her seat. Likewise, Barbara was embittered when she saw her walking back without her food. She held her peace and directed the visitor to his destination before she faced her.“Where is my food, Laura?” She stood akimbo and asked.Laura gave her a hateful look and asked her, “When did I become your food vendor, Barbara? I guess you were not hungry otherwise, you would have found your way to t
The three visitors did not expect anything less and were happy to see Laura in fear. Instantly, Barbara appeared from nowhere.“I'm here, Sgt Young,” she answered.“What is going on here?” George asked angrily.“I would not know, Sgt. Young. I waited for her to have her lunch before me. After she returned, I went for mine,” she explained innocently.George was furious. He faced Laura and asked indignantly, “If you can't give the right direction, can't you apologize for your mistake?” She looked fearfully at the visitors and apologized, “I'm sorry.”Although it was not sincere it was better than nothing if only George would see it that way.“It's all …”“What are you sorry for?” George interrupted them, hit his left hand on the desk, and revealed his wristwatch.Now, she shuddered and looked at the visitors like a moron. They giggled and waited for her to correct herself. Collins and the others waited patiently as well while Barbara smirked happily.“I'm sorry that I …”“Gentlemen, pa
“How would someone wish to kill innocent orphans who are trying to survive without their parents just to hurt their benefactor?” He grumbled and stared at the wall.After ten minutes of meditation, he concluded, “I will roast all of them.” He chatted him up again and appeared more desperate. (My contact said that the Third in Command is interested in anything that would make Gen. Richmond lose his integrity.)(Wow! Then the project will interest him.)(Yes. If your payment is encouraging, the Third in Command will encourage him to organize a first-anniversary for the orphanage.)(Oh! It is a good idea. Kindly find out if he can convince him to make the event bigger and invite the Heads of State of some Nations.)“Why does he want them?” He asked himself in wonderment and continued to chat with him. (Why do you want it bigger and their presence if I may ask? It will help me in my negotiation.)(My sponsor has got a beef with them and that would be the chance to eliminate them.)(I s
The Next Day - At Laura's House.Based on her parents' advice, she dressed modestly. When she was set to leave, she walked to their apartment to announce her departure.“Good morning, Mom and Dad. I hope you slept well?”“Good morning, my dear. We slept well,” her father responded.“I hope you slept well too?” Her mother asked.“Yes, Mom. I'm leaving. Take care of yourselves.”“It is okay, dear.”“Remember my advice. Don't disrespect Barbara. She is your boss,” her mother cautioned her.“Yes, Mom. I will be careful. Goodbye.”“Goodbye,” they responded and watched her as she walked away.“From her dressing, you can see that she will be careful,” her father pointed out.“Yes. She is ready to work peacefully with her.”She got to the bus stop and greeted everyone cheerfully. Her dressing and attitude of consideration stirred some staff members especially those who were unaware of her demotion. All the same, they responded, “Good morning.”Soon, the bus arrived and they boarded. Bright a
They never expected that their opinions would be read publicly and exposed before Reuben.“Secretary, collect their petitions from them and read out what they wrote,” George ordered when they hesitated.“Okay, Boss,” he said and stretched out his hand to them but they were reluctant to release their papers.“What are you waiting for?” Capt. Bruce barked and collected the papers from them angrily.He handed them over to the secretary at once and he began to read.“Three months without salary. One year deduction in salary by fifty percent. Sack him. Pardon him. Outright dismissal. Lock him up in the guardroom for one month.”“Ha!” The two Captains exclaimed and faced George.Bright was astounded and wondered if they would ever be leaders in their lives. He looked at Reuben who was already weeping and had compassion on him.“I'm innocent, General. I have a pregnant wife and children. I don't know how they will survive. Please …"“Who wrote 'Pardon him'?” George interrupted him and asked.
At The Auxiliary Armory PLCAt The Car ParkAfter they left the President's Office, the five liars were led to the guardroom while Capt. Bruce and the two returned to the car park. They sat at the drivers' shed in silence. For whatever reason, Capt. Bruce felt that he was responsible for all the trouble.“Maybe I should have believed Reuben and followed up on his complaint. But I didn't ask them to lie against their colleague,” he thought after mulling over the whole issue and got up.He walked to the bus and looked at it again. Meanwhile, Barnabas was regretful and did not know what to say to Reuben.“I did not mean to implicate him. I don't even know that it was his bus,” he tried to justify his act.However, he was relieved when Reuben spoke and exonerated him from his haters.“Why did they hate me so much? I can't remember having any conflict with them.”“It baffles me too. How can they attest to what they know nothing about?”“If I may ask, was it the General who drove the bus? W
At that point, Laura stood up too out of fear of being reprimanded.“Yes,” he answered and walked away.Now, Barbara had collected all the envelopes and apologized to the Cadets, “Thank you for your patience. It is not in our characters.”The Cadets were more interested in submitting their applications than the apologies. They walked away happily at once.Nevertheless, Bright joined George and they left.“What happened? Where were the officers?” He asked.“She went to the Personnel Department to drop the applications that she collected previously,” he answered.George was not aware of who he was referring to but he asked, “They were supposed to be two, where was the second person?”Even though he would not like to create more problems for Laura, he had to protect himself.“She was there.”At The Production DepartmentPresently, they were at the department's entrance and they walked in. George forgot about the front desk and saluted Capt. Miles. After he returned the salute, they began
Now, Barbara was inquisitive when she heard Jerry's voice and wished to know what happened in her absence. She searched their faces for a clue but got none.“I will find out from the Lance Corporal later,” she resolved.Laura returned and sat down. She never bothered to go to the canteen because she was aware that there would be nothing for her.Not quite long after, George came out of the elevator and they closed for the day.At The GuardroomThe five liars were sitting on the bare floor and waiting for Capt. Bolton's next action. They were too shocked to speak with one another especially when they knew that they brought the calamity to themselves. To their amazement, Capt. Bolton's instructions, some staff members from the Media Department arrived with the cameramen to record their confessions.“Why were you locked up in the guardroom today?” A Media Team Member asked one of the culprits.One cannot be wrong and bold at the same time. Their guilt bled into their expressions at once.
At The Mining Field Valentine and Fabian returned from Birmingham the previous night after ensuring that Ann had settled down. They were at work when Richard arrived and they welcomed him warmly. After the greetings, he informed Fabian that he would perform at the event and he was excited.“Thank you, Major, for finding me worthy to be at the occasion.”“You are welcome. Kindly give me your stage photograph and name,” he requested and he did.“Thank you, so much for accepting the invitation despite the short notice.”“It is my pleasure, Major. I haven't been to Mount Olive before. How do I find my way?”“The supervisor will bring you. You will arrive incognito so that the youths will not overcrowd the event.”“I got it, Major.”“Good. Kindly share your bill and payment details with me,” Richard requested.Valentine who was smiling happily all the while said, “I'm happy for you, Fabian.”“Thank you, Supervisor,” he said and faced Richard, “I appreciate the gesture, Major. I will do th
The General Manager believed him and said, “The manual is there. You should have read through it.”“I did. But I had a problem along the line.”“I see.”He stood up immediately and appreciated him, “I'm grateful,” he said and returned to the Secretary's office.To avoid exposing himself, he brought out his phone and the manual. Then, he looked at the clerk and requested, “Kindly put me through on how to use the phone.”He smiled and walked to him. He sat beside him and began to teach him. As a good student, he learned faster, and appreciated him afterward, “Thank you for your assistance.”“It is my pleasure,” he responded and returned to his seat.Then, Tim got up, looked at Stephanie, and said in a low tone, “It's remaining one a half day.” She smiled softly and he walked away. Meanwhile, the edited jingle of the ceremony was on air. The posting of news was not as domineering as it was the previous day.At Mount Olive The edited jingle left much to be desired. Instead of including
“Huh!” He exclaimed and laughed euphorically.Tim was infested and laughed as well.“How can I invite them?” He asked him.“Are they not your friends? Let me have the names of the friends you wished to invite.”“It is all right,” he said and gave him the names of eight Dukes and he walked away.He got to his room and contacted the fake Duke and asked him to invite them.“Sir, we have invited them but they declined the invitation,” he answered.Tim was surprised and asked him, “Why? Did they give any reason?”“Not at all. They arrogantly turned the invitation down.”“It is all right,” he said and ended the call.At Lt. Col. Ben Smirnoff's Office He has been as happy as a lark and dancing with all his might since the breaking news.“They are no longer searching for the poster of the scandalous post. Maybe they searched and could not get me," he said to himself and continued dancing. Unfortunately, he had no friends to share his joy with nor did anyone call to rejoice with him. Not bec
Tim walked into George's office and they locked eyes. He noticed that he was sad and inquired, “What's up, Boss?”“I don't know how the boys would cope with a new Commandant,” he sat down and responded.“You just said my mind. You should have advised the Second in Command.”“The Head of State distorted his work after he submitted the list to him.”“Ha! He must have his reasons.”“What could be his reason? That was the man responsible for the scandal against him,” Tim blurted out.George was bewildered and he locked eyes with him. After a while, he spoke, “Maybe he wished to disgrace him by sending him to where he cannot function well.”Tim looked at him for a while before he said, “You may be right. I have not thought of that. But he should not joke with the children's studies.”“Let's watch out.”Tim wanted to speak but the door opened and he halted. George smiled when he saw the visitor. Tim turned and saw the General Manager. He got up at once and greeted him, “Good morning, Maj.
Kay did not want to argue further with him and concurred, “It is good, Your Excellency” “Good. Publish the postings and the take-off date and time at once.”“I will do that, Your Excellency.”“It is all right. You can leave.”“It is all right, Your Excellency,” they appreciated him simultaneously and walked away. At The Second in Command's OfficeThey got to Kay's office and he asked Tim, “What kind of posting is this?”“Huh! Can Ben manage the school?”“It baffles me. I thought he would punish him because of that scandalous post against the school and the government,” Kay stated.“I thought so as well. Does it mean that he is compensating him for working against his government?”Kay walked to his swivel chair and sat down while Tim sat on the visitor's seat and waited for his response.“That is the challenge. He will assume that his act was not discovered.”Tim noticed that he was angry and pacified him, “Don't let it bother you. Just publish the postings.”“Thank you for your conce
At The President's Office Bright and Gilbert have observed that George laughed exceptionally aloud whenever Tim was with him and that day was no different. He walked in after he left the General Manager's office. Nevertheless, George had been curious to hear the outcome of his visit.He looked at his hand and grimaced his face, “What did he give to you?” He asked him anxiously.“I have not checked it,” he answered and sat down.He brought the gift out of the shopping bag and a smile beamed across his face, “It is a handset,” he announced happily.“Wow! What did you do for him to attract this? I mean what attempted deceit did you foil during the Widow and Widowers Empowerment Program?”Tim laughed and narrated the story. George laughed aloud and pointed out, “Oh! They don't value you but wish to enrich themselves through you.”“Just imagine that but he regretted it. Seeing a supposed ghost will disturb him any time he remembers it.”“You are right. Congratulations on your New Year gif
Tim shook his head and asked her, “What is remaining? Just make it five times a week.”“No. I'm not selfish. Four and a half are all right by me.”“Not selfish indeed. If I do, what will I tell your boss is my reason for frequenting his office?”Now, the die was cast and she looked forlorn. They locked eyes for a while and saw the burning desire they had for each other in their eyes. Tim looked away and his eyes fell on her phone.“Your phone is fine,” he complimented her.She smiled happily and said, “Thank you for the compliment. It was my birthday gift.”“Wow! That birthday cake was one in town and now this.”“I was shocked as well. Even the former President's wife had not celebrated her birthday with such size of cake,” she explained.“I see. What is the brand of the phone? Let me take a look.”She innocently gave him her phone and he pretended to be studying it. He kept her busy with compliments while connecting her phone to his. When he was done, he teased her by asking, “Can w
At The Complex Soon, he was in the complex. He got out of the car and Richard drove off at once.Tim walked into the lobby, greeted his men with his head, and walked to the elevator. He pressed the button of the last floor and waited. When it opened, he walked in.The unfriendly-looking security team answered his greetings and let him in. He walked in and greeted Bright and Gilbert accordingly before walking into George's office.He was happy to see him and asked him immediately, “How did it go?”“It went well. They have started planning how to visit the house.”“Huh! So early?”“It baffles me too. Samuel reminded me of the Waitangi Day holiday.”George laughed aloud and Tim was infested.Nevertheless, Major Bolton came around earlier to have a private meeting with George before the Weekly Meeting. He heard them laughing and wondered if another manager was there. He opened the door and walked in and was surprised at their familiarity. “Good morning, Major,” Tim got up from the visit
Likewise, he sent a message to Richard and informed him that they arrived safely. He pleaded for an off on Monday. Afterward, he began to wait for his response.He had been busy since he disembarked and had not gone online. Now that he had settled in his hotel room, he could do that. He was shocked to see their story and pictures trending.He furrowed his forehead and asked himself, “Who is doing this?”Presently, he was panting and sweating despite the January cold. He sat up from the bed and read the details of the story quickly. To his delight, the post was not harmful and his details were not explicit.He tossed his phone aside and breathed in and out before lying back on the bed.“What will she do if she finds out about my past?” He asked himself.“What about her parents and brother? They are too morally upright to accept me as their son-in-law,” he lamented.The fear that he would lose her gripped him at once and he began to cry like a baby. At that point, he could not think of