Chapter 3

••Amaka's POV••

After I finish having my breakfast in the kitchen, I step out of the house and make my way outside the compound.

The house is a rented apartment, and Mrs. Ann does not own it.

Luckily, as I get outside and onto the busy road, I see a bus and get in. I sit beside a man who wears a black suit, and he smiles at me.

I am too preoccupied to smile back. After what Joseph does to me, I limit smiling at any man. It is very painful that Joseph breaks up with me. He should have told me that he wants only sex and not marriage.

I am a very decent girl in my area, which is the reason why I become a laughingstock among my peers who do not expect a good girl like me to get pregnant.

I wipe my sobs away and keep my gaze focused on the road. The man who sits beside me speaks. "Hi, dear. I have paid your fare."

"Huh!" I look taken aback that a total stranger helps me clear my bill. As I look at this man's face, I gulp. He is very fair like me; he has short brown hair like my son. Although he is not Joseph Ericson, he is handsome and masculine.

"Thank you, but you should not have done that. I do not need any favors from you," I say as the bus continues to drive toward our destination.

"I understand, but I cannot help appreciating your beauty. Do you live around here, or where are you heading now?" he asks, and I grimace.

Gross! I hate it whenever a guy pries into my affairs.

"I am sorry, Mr., but I cannot tell you anything about myself. These days, people easily get kidnapped, and trusting a stranger is risky," I say, my voice lowered so as not to embarrass him—we have other passengers seated behind us.

"Fine. I will keep that in mind," he says while I look away.

"Industrial estate. Anyone getting down?" the driver of the yellow bus asks, and I respond, "Yes, sir."

I drop down from the bus, and the man in the suit comes down too. My brows furrow, wondering if he does not have a job at this early hour of the day.

I want to pay the bus conductor, but he tells me, "Your husband has paid."

"Hmm, he is not my husband," I warn the conductor, who gasps. "Oh! Sorry, madam. But you two resemble each other."

"Whatever!" I turn and quickly make my way to the company I am heading to: J.E. Global.

I do not speak to the man who walks along with me. I believe that by the time I get into the company, he will find his way.

However, as I get to the gate, the man checks in with his ID, and the security man lets him in. I am surprised that the man already works there, but I am not allowed inside.

"What do you want, madam?" the security man asks, and I reply, "I am here for my interview." I show him the email on my phone, and he finally allows me into the company.

I have to wait for my interview with the boss, as the company is very strict like Maureen tells me. I do not research this company, believing I will secure the job.

I sit waiting for the boss to arrive, and it is already 9 a.m. before the boss arrives.

I do not raise my head to look at the boss who walks into the company. I hear whispering from the other new members who come for their interview. I think we are up to ten candidates for this mouthwatering job interview.

Soon, the lady in charge of ushering us comes with her folder to introduce herself, as she previously tells us to sit waiting.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to J.E. Global Enterprises. We do not entertain cheating or breach of contract. We expect our staff to keep our company name high to motivate other brands out there to partner with us and our goods and services. So we will proceed with a quick introduction. I am Anita Edward, your new coach. I will give out this consent form to each and every one of you. Once you sign it, it shows that you agree with our company's agreement. Then I will assign you to your partner, who will mentor you on how our system operates. But before that, you will have to go in one by one for your interview with our boss. Once he approves of you and why you are here to work with us, then you can sign this form. Agreed?" She asks, and I swallow hard.

I sit in the lobby on the long guest chair, waiting. I can see their clients coming in and going out of the building. I am nervous, wondering who that man I see earlier is.

There is no way the boss of J.E. Global enters a bus like I do. Although I have the money to afford a small car, I do not want to show off.

I earn more money than Maureen, who teaches me how to blog. So if I purchase a car now, it will seem like I am trying to compete with her. I do not know if that is how Maureen feels, but that is how I think she might feel, so I limit doing anything to piss her off.

Though, Maureen does not get pissed off, but I do not want to show off.

"Amaka Richard. It is your time now to go in for your interview," Anita says.

"Oh!" I quickly snap out of my trance, rise from the guest chair, and adjust my red top and black skirt properly.

"Ma, can I go in there with my handbag?" I ask, not knowing if I can carry it in.

"Of course. Come with me," she ushers me to follow her, and she shows me a safe where I can keep my bag and hold the key until I return to take it.

"Thank you, ma," I tell her, and she smiles.

"Hurry up and do not keep our boss waiting," she says.

"Okay," I gulp and walk to the boss's office.

I take a deep breath and enter the expansive office on the fifth floor. My eyes land on the man in the black suit seated behind the desk.

"What?!!" I gasp, shocked to see Joseph Ericson as the boss of this new company.

Why do I not research about him? How do I forget to check about the new company I am coming to work for?

I try to look away from him and leave his office. He appears indifferent, like he does not know me.

"Are you Amaka Richard?" he asks, pretending not to know me.

Do I change that much? How can he not recognize me just after four years since our relationship?

My lips tremble as I try to respond to him. "Jo...seph. You own this company?" I ask him, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Excuse me, have we met before?" he asks me. I shake my head. Since he pretends not to know me, then I will pretend that I do not know him too. We date for a year before he runs away. How can he not recognize me?