Chapter 2- The New CEO

In the Benson Group headquarters, Mr. Taiye Jackson sat in the front row of the meeting hall, where the board members were gathered for the important session.

He leaned over and whispered softly to his personal assistant, "Introduce the new head to them now."

The board members sat waiting to meet the newly appointed CEO, whose name had been announced but whom none of the employees had seen yet.

Mr. Taiye Jackson had been the former CEO, while his late father, Mr. Benjamin Jackson, had been the first to establish the Benson Group of Companies—originally known as Benjamin and Sons Group of Companies.

They were there to witness the official handover of company ownership to Mr. Taiye's only son, Liam Jackson.

Liam was rumored to be cold, unfilial, and arrogant. The workers knew that once he assumed the position as the new CEO, they would face strict dealings.

Some had heard Liam was mean and unappreciative, but nonetheless, he was very hardworking. He ran several private businesses in the States, before his father announced his retirement plans and asked him to return to his home country to manage the multimillion-dollar empire.

Liam had initially refused, as he didn't want to return to Nigeria—he found nothing interesting there, except for his mother, a God-fearing Christian woman who dressed modestly and never missed church services, where she prayed for her husband and her only child.

Liam had been made to understand that his mother had endured many marital crises early in her marriage to his father, Taiye Jackson.

Mr. Benjamin Jackson, his grandfather, had refused to let his son, Taiye, marry her, Juliet. But because his father truly loved her—despite women flocking around him, trying to seduce him and calling her barren—he had insisted on marrying only her, without any extramarital affairs.

Taiye had remained faithful to his wife, Juliet, and stood by her, even though his family insisted she couldn't give him another child after ten years since Liam's birth.

His mother had suffered many miscarriages, and Liam knew it was because she worried so much about his father leaving her for another woman. That anxiety had caused her to lose all those babies she carried, except for him.

Liam had just turned 30, while his mother was 60 and his father 68. He loved his parents nonetheless, but his father had tricked him by lying about being sick.

Mr. Taiye had even arranged for a fake doctor to call Liam and inform him of his father's ill health over the phone, urging him to return from the States.

Liam had been furious upon arriving home to find his father hale and hearty, moving about and attending business meetings.

Liam was angry that his father had deceived him into returning and now refused to let him go back to the United States.

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Inside the headquarters of the Benson Group—which handled oil manufacturing, gas plants, steel production, and other basic amenities, making it well-known around the globe.

Liam was in one of the private rooms on the second floor. He adjusted his necktie while wearing a white shirt and black trousers; his black suit lay on the table.

His father had spoken to him about introducing him to the various board members and partners who managed their businesses.

Liam breathed out heavily and picked up his suit to put it on. Just then, his assistant, Brown Anderson—whom his father had assigned to him on his first day at the company—knocked on the door of the private room.

Liam responded, "Come in."

"Boss, it's time for the introduction to begin," Brown informed him. Liam nodded and properly donned his black suit.

As he stepped out, his father's spokesperson announced to the prominent men and women seated in the large meeting hall, "Welcome Master Liam Jackson, the new CEO of Benson Group of Companies Limited."

The hall erupted in a round of applause as Liam walked to the front and climbed onto the podium. His father sat in the front row, and his father's assistant, Mr. Silas Greystone, handed him the microphone to deliver a few words to the staff.

"Thank you all for accepting our invitation and witnessing my assumption of the role as the new CEO of the Benson Group. I would like us to continue with our integrity and work hard to build our company into an even brighter symbol of transparency and quality products. Thank you all for being part of this new journey. Thank you."

Liam handed the microphone back to Mr. Silas and stepped down from the podium. The applause grew louder as he walked to his seat. A few top executives stood immediately to shake his hand as he approached the seat prepared for him.

Liam shook hands with them before sitting down, and they returned to their seats. His father, Mr. Taiye Jackson, smiled faintly at him, then stood to give his own speech before Silas delivered the closing remarks.

"Thank you all for honoring my invitation and witnessing this new beginning with our new CEO, who is none other than my son, Liam Jackson. I appreciate all our past workers who have worked tirelessly to uplift our company's name and establish the transparency that makes us one of the best production companies in Nigeria."

"I ask all of you—old and new workers, as well as those in retirement—to respect and collaborate amicably with our new CEO. Follow whatever decisions he makes to help our company grow globally. As you can see, he brings a global perspective and has just returned from the States to be with us. Thank you all once again. Silas, I hand it over to you to close the meeting."

Mr. Taiye returned the microphone to Silas, who read out a brief on new products and prices. After that, he closed the meeting with his final remarks. The invitees and workers stood and exited the hall as the session with their new CEO concluded.

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Liam remained in the meeting hall with his father after the number of guests and members dwindled, leaving just a few still discussing. He stood and walked over to his father, who was chatting with his friend, Mr. John Patrick, one of their managing accountants.

"Father, I want to have a word with you," Liam told his father, so he could wrap up his conversation with Mr. John Patrick, who handled the company's funds and was highly trusted.

"Okay, son. I'll be with you shortly," Mr. Taiye responded.

Mr. John then turned to face Liam. "Oh, Master Liam, congratulations on your new position," he said with a faint smile.

"Thank you, sir. It's an honor to meet you and work here with everyone," Liam replied.

"You can count on us always. Your father is my boss and a very good friend. I'm so happy to see you taking over his position. I know you'll lead us to even greater growth than your father and grandfather did," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Liam replied with a faint smile. He loved words of praise from friends, colleagues, and elders—they motivated him to work hard.

"You're welcome, Liam. Mr. Taiye, I'm leaving. My daughter will be very upset with me for not showing up at her school convocation today, even after she called and asked me to come with her mother to the university," he said.

"You know I couldn't miss your son's introduction as the new CEO. So, I asked her mother and her elder brother to attend on my behalf, and she'll be very annoyed with me for that."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, Mr. John. I hope she understands," Mr. Taiye apologized.

"Yes, she will," Mr. John nodded with a faint smile, eager to leave.

"How about I make it up to you? I could introduce her to my son and perhaps extend our family friendship into marriage. I'm sure she'd be happy about that," Mr. Taiye proposed. But Liam frowned immediately from where he stood beside his father, waiting for the conversation to end.

"Oh, thank you, boss, but that's only if my daughter will accept," Mr. John quickly demurred, knowing how stubborn his daughter was. He didn't want her to cause any issues between him and his boss.

"Why wouldn't she accept? Liam is handsome, and every girl wants him. What did she study at the university?" Mr. Taiye asked.

Liam's frown deepened as he glanced from his father to Mr. John.

Women weren't in his interest, and Liam didn't like how his father was trying to pair him off with a woman he hadn't even met—and doubted he would like—just because he was friends with her father.