CHAPTER ONE

~Elizabeth~

I parked my car in the parking lot and threw the empty coffee cup in my hand into a waste bin as I walked into the organization. My heels clicked on the tiled floor as I made my way to the elevator. I wore a red pencil skirt that merged with my body perfectly and a white button up shirt that wasn't too tight but fitted my bust well.

I was beautiful, I knew that, everyone that set their eyes on me knew that. And I made sure to be outstanding where ever I went.

My name is Elizabeth Adeyemi, I'm 27 years old. I'm the personal assistant to the CEO of B-Corp. An organization in Africa for exporting Cocoa products. As a P.A, I'm in charge of the meetings my boss goes to, both home and abroad and also every appointment he is supposed to attend to. And many other boring stuffs like that.

Entering my office, I dropped the files that was given to me yesterday to finish up before this morning. It was hard work. Yes. But I earned a lot from it. So it was worth it.

I sat on my rotating chair and inhaled sharply. Then the telephone in my office rang.

My boss.

"Good day sir." I tried to make my voice as nice as possible even when anyone with eyes and ears can know how sarcastic I was being.

"You're late." He spitted and I almost rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry sir. I won't let it...."

"My office now!" He cut me off with an order and also cut the call.

I hate him.

My mum taught me that hate was a strong word and to mind how I used that word. But God I hated him. He was proud, stubborn,  just name it. Why wouldn't I hate him?

Fine I despised all men on earth. I mean they were all the same. Arrogant, stupid, cruel, rude and liars. But you see the CEO of B-Corp, his was just too much.

Adjusting my skirt, I left my office to his, which was just next door.

I exhaled sharply, a thing I did whenever I was about to have an encounter with him.  It was my way of trying to tell my mind to relax and not over react.

With a knock, I waited. Not so patiently, I mean I was already tapping my feet in annoyance.

"Come in." I heard him say and I immediately opened the door.

I walked in and my eyes met with the one and only David Badmus. A man in his thirties. Every girl thought he was the man of their dreams. But in actual life, he was the man that made my long hours at work a nightmare. Tall, brown skin, dark eyes that held probably many untold secrets.

I could go on forever with the descriptions.

He was on a call, but you could clearly see that he was less interested in what the person on the other line was saying. I just stood there like a statue, waiting for him to talk to me.

The coldness and ruthlessness in his eyes was visible to all. His jaw ticked every once in a while as he nodded his head at what the person was saying.

"Okay. Is that all?" His voice was low and filled with arrogance as his spoke.

Could he ever get over himself?

"Thank you very much." He finally ended the call and diverted his attention to me. He held a hard glare at me and it took just grace for me not to mirror the motion.

"That call was supposed to be for you." He said coldly, drifting his attention back to this computer on his desk.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"That was the secretary from South Africa. She called so you could schedule a meeting for me. But you were late, do you forget I don't tolerate lateness in this place?" His glare met me again and I almost scoffed.

"I'm sorry. I was up all night finishing the files you gave me to..."

"I don't want to hear your lame excuses. Stop acting like you're the only one with the hardest work in this place." He waved his hand in the air.

I had to bite my tongue to avoid the comeback lingering in my throat.

"Where are the files I gave you yesterday?" He asked and I remembered I was carrying a pile of paper works in my hands.

"Here." I placed them on his table, a little too rough, allowing it make a loud thud.

"Did you finish them?" His eyes went back to the pc on his table.

"Yeah...I mean, yes sir." I corrected myself.

He acted like he didn't care, well he didn't and neither did I. I only cared about my job. Getting a well paid job in Nigeria wasn't as easy as it looked, not even when you were a graduate.

I still stood there, waiting for the next thing he would say, but it was like he forgot I was there, I bet he wouldn't notice if I just turned and left his office.

"Is that all sir?" I asked and he snapped his eyes up to look at me for a brief moment then back at the computer.

"Um...yeah...get ready, we're going to pay a little visit to my brother's place." He said

"Y-your brother's place?" I questioned.

How does that have to concern the work I was doing?

"Yeah. The meeting we have scheduled there by one?" He said in a duh tone.

Oh. That. He meant his brothers work place.

"Okay. When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Right..." he kept typing on the computer, "now." He clicked something on the keyboard and abruptly got up.

Now?!

He didn't say any other thing, just walked right past me and left the office. It took me seconds to register what was going on, and the next thing I knew, I was running to catch up with him before he got in the elevator.

I got in just in time. Silently, I, my boss and Mary waited in the elevator. I stole a glance at Mary who was openly checking her own boss out.

He could fire her if he noticed. Or even kill her. But she still did it.

I squeezed my face in disgust at how she brought her dignity so low. Only if she knew what kind of a devil he really was

Ding.

The elevator opened and I rushed out, still walking behind my boss and trying hard to keep up with him.

We both got to the lot to see the driver already waiting for him, with his car's door open ajar. He got in and I followed suit.

The drive to Lotion Limited was really silent, and the silence was deafening. My boss was busy on his phone and I just stayed put. I didn't dare even touch my phone in his presence. That would be the end of my work with him. And with the years I had spent there, I wasn't so ready to let go.

"Sir?" I called as soft as I could.

"What?" He didn't look up.

"Didn't you say the meeting was scheduled for one?" I asked

"Yeah, why?" He still didn't look up.

"It's just ten in the morning." I told him.

"You think I don't know that?" He asked making my anger stir.

"But..."

"No buts, I decided to leave earlier, so what?!" He snapped his head at me with his famous glare.

I hate you.

I wanted to say those three words. Along with a bunch of other words.

With an intake of breath, I stared out the window. Just a look at his face and I wanted to send a knife into his eyes.

"This...this isn't the way to..." I began to argue again and he groaned angrily.

"Must you always talk this much?" He almost shouted.

"With all due respect sir I have the right to know my whereabouts." I said almost mimicking his tone.

He opened his mouth to say something, probably how he plans on writing my sack letter but stopped when the car pulled to a halt.

"We're here sir." The driver said.

But his gaze was still locked on mine. It was clear he was tired of my shits and would do anything to get rid of me.

A part of me almost wanted to back out and apologize but a stronger part of me stayed still and stared back at him.

"Stay here." He ordered.

You're not the boss of me.

I almost said but re-thought it. Cos, technically speaking, he was the boss of me.

He hopped out of the car and I watched him turn round and enter a boutique.

A boutique? With women's wear?

I saw a lady about my age approach him. And my eyes shot open when I saw her kiss him and he returned it.

With a scoff, I rolled my eyes and looked away.

"Why are we here?" I asked the driver and he smiled.

"I don't know. He asks me to bring him here most times." The driver shrugged.

I just didn't understand one thing. How would a girl with a right sense of mind want to be with him?

............

It has been an hour, thirty-five minutes and forty-two seconds since I had been in this car and this ....boss of mine hadn't left the boutique. Making me wonder what was going on there.

I couldn't take it anymore, my legs hurt and I needed to stretch them. I needed to get out of this vehicle. I turned the knob of the door, about to go outside, just then, in his all mighty arrogance, he walked out.

I was beginning to think he would never come out.

One of my legs was already out of the car and he saw me. Making that same glare plaster on his face again.

"Didn't I ask you to stay?" He shouted and I immediately put my legs back in the car.

Great, needles and cramps.

"Just how stubborn are you? Didn't you hear what I first said?" He questioned when he entered the car and for a minute I thought he would slap me.

He went on with his ranting and I just sat there, trying to easy the pain I felt on my legs with my mind. Him yelling at me wasn't helping me concentrate either. It annoyed me more to hear him shout like I was his slave.

"I'm talking to you! I gave you an order to stay put. Why don't you listen?!"

"Because my legs hurt!" I shouted back.

At first he had shock written all over his face. Even I was shocked at my own anger towards my boss.

Now I was sure I had lost my job, so it was pointless to back down?

"I'm a human being. If I stay in one position for too long I get cramps and I've been sitting on this chair for only God knows how long. I needed to stretch out!" I explained myself.

I just couldn't take it any longer. I was an employee not a slave.

"Do you know how much trouble you just put yourself into?" He raised a brow.

Now it was like reality hit me. Oh God I just yelled at my boss. Even when he seemed oddly relaxed after being yelled at, I still was going to loose my job.

"You want to fire me. Fine. Just know that it's going to be hard to find someone as accurate as I am. It took me years to study and understand how the organization works. So if you think hiring someone is going to be better for the business, go ahead. Waste your time in making a new comer try to understand what you built up with hard earned money." I glared daggers at him.

He stared at me for a while and I didn't look away. I could see he was battling within himself.

He knew I was right, he hated me as much as I did, but we both needed each other too. He needed me cos I had been with them for years and I understood what to do and what was good for the business. I needed him to earn money for myself.

"Driver let's go." He turned away from me with a tightened jaw.

I let out the breath I was holding and I swear a smile was beginning to form on my lips.

"By the way..." he started and I looked at him, adjusting the tuxedo he was wearing. "you're fired." He added and that smile on my face dropped.

So much for standing up for myself.