CHAPTER 2

At the Benson GROUP, Mr. Taiye Jackson sat on the front seat in the conference hall. He was having a meeting with all his staff, different boards of members, and he spoke to his personal assistant softly in his ear like a whisper, "Introduce the new head to them now."

They sat in the meeting hall waiting to meet with the newly appointed CEO. They had announced his name, but none of the workers had seen him yet.

Mr. Taiye Jackson was the former CEO, while his late father, Mr. Benjamin Jackson, was the first to establish the Benson group of companies, which means Benjamin and Sons group of companies.

They sat waiting to witness the new handing over of company ownership to Mr. Taiye's only son, Liam Jackson.

Rumor branded Liam cold and unfilial, and the workers knew once he resumed the position as the new CEO, he would deal with them.

Some had heard that Liam is arrogant, mean and also unappreciative. Nonetheless, he is very hardworking and runs some private businesses he does in the States, before his father finally announced his retirement plan to him, asking him to return to his country to run his multimillion-dollar companies.

Liam first refused. He didn't want to return to his country, Nigeria, as he didn't find anything interesting. Well, except for his mother, who is a God-fearing Christian mother. She dresses holy and doesn't skip attending church to pray for her husband and him, as he is her only child.

Liam came to understand that his mother underwent a lot of marital crisis at the beginning of her marriage with his father. His paternal grandfather, Mr. Benjamin Jackson, had refused his son, Taiye, from marrying Juliet.

But because his father truly loved Juliet, even though women flocked around him, trying to seduce him and calling his wife barren, his father still insisted and married only his mother, Mrs. Juliet, without having other extra-marital affairs.

Taiye stuck to only his wife, Juliet, and stood by her even though his family refused and stated she couldn't birth him another child even after 10 years of Liam's own birth.

Liam's mother had a lot of miscarriages, and he knew it happened because she worried so much about his father leaving her and marrying another woman.

That made her lose all those babies she had carried in her womb, except for him. He just turned 30 years in age, while his mother is 60 years and his father 68 years old.

Liam loves his parents nonetheless, but his father had tricked him by lying to him that he was sick and even arranged a fake doctor who called him and told him of his father's ill health over the phone, asking him to return from the States.

Liam felt so annoyed to return home to his homeland and saw his father hale and healthy, moving around and even attending business class meetings.

Additionally, Liam burned with anger that his father had tricked him into returning and refused him from going back to the United States.

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Inside the headquarters of the Benson group of companies, where they have the oil manufacturing product, steel production and other production of other basic amenities, their company has earned fame around the globe.

Liam was in one of the private rooms on the second floor, adjusting his necktie. He wore a long white shirt and black plain trousers, and his black suit lay on the table.

His father had spoken to him about introducing him to their different boards of members and partners managing their businesses.

Liam breathed out heavily and finally picked up his dark suit to wear. Just then his assistant, Brown Anderson, whom his father first had assigned to him on his first day of joining the company, knocked on the private room door, and he responded, "Come in."

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

Just as Liam stepped out, his father's spokesperson announced to the rest of the prominent men and women sitting in the large meeting hall, "Welcome Master Liam Jackson, New CEO of Benson Group of Companies Limited."

The hall immediately erupted in a round of applause for Liam. He stepped to the front and climbed on the podium as his father sat at the front seat. His father's assistant, Mr. Silas Greystone, handed him the microphone to give a few speeches to their staff.

"Thank you all for acknowledging our invitation and being a witness to my submission as the new CEO of BENSON GROUP. Well, I would like us to continue with our integrities and work really hard to continue building our company into a much brighter recognition of transparency and guaranteed products."

"Thank you all for being a part of my new journey, thank you," Liam handed the microphone back to Mr. Silas and stepped down from the podium, and the round of applause thundered louder as he walked to take his seat.

Some few top heads stood up immediately to shake hands with Liam as he approached to sit on the seat made available for him.

Liam shook hands with them before sitting, and they returned to their seats, while his father, Mr. Taiye, smiled at him and stood up to give his own speech, before the final closing speech from Silas.

"Thank you all for honouring my invitation and being a witness to 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 really hard in uplifting our company's name and creating transparency that we are one of the best production companies here in Nigeria."

"I would like you all, both old and new workers and those in retirement, to respect and work amicably with our new CEO and follow whatever decision he implies for our company to grow globally. As you can all see, he is global and just returned from the States to be with us."

"Thank you all once again, Silas, I give it to you to close the meeting for today." Mr. Taiye handed the microphone back to Silas, and he read out some new briefs about the new products and prices.

After that, Silas closed the meeting with his ending speech, while the invitees and the workers stood up and exited the meeting hall after the meeting with their new CEO ended.

Liam remained in the meeting hall with his father after the number of guests and members reduced, leaving just a few discussing. He stood up and walked to meet his father, who discussed 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 round up his conversation with his friend, Mr. John Patrick, who works as one of their managing accountants and was very trusted in their company funds.

"Okay, son, I will be with you shortly," Mr. Taiye responded, while Mr. John turned to face Liam.

"Oh, Master Liam, congratulations on your new position," Mr. John smiled faintly at Liam.

"Thank you, sir, it is an honor meeting you too and working here with you all," Liam replied.

"You can count on us always, Liam, your father is my boss and very good friend, and I am so happy to see you taking over his position. I know you will lead us well to a much better growth than your father and grandfather ever did."

"Thank you, sir," Liam smiled faintly. He loves praise from his friends, colleagues and even elders, as that motivates him to work hard.

"You're welcome, Liam. Mr. Taiye, I am leaving. My daughter will be very upset with me for not showing up at her graduation ceremony today, even after she has called me to come with her mother to the university," Mr. John said, as he turned to face Mr. Taiye.

"You know I cannot miss your son being introduced to us as the new CEO, so I asked her mother and her elder brother to attend her graduation ceremony on my behalf, and she will be very annoyed with me on that."

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

"Yes, she will." Mr. John nodded with a faint smile on his face, wanting to leave.

"How about I make up for that and have her introduced to my son, and maybe extend our family friendship to marriage? I am sure she will be happy about that," Mr. Taiye proposed, but Liam frowned from where he stood beside his father, waiting for him to finish his conversation with Mr. John.

"Oh, thank you, Boss, but that's if only my daughter will accept," Mr. John quickly declined, knowing how stubborn his daughter is, and he doesn't want her to bring any problem between him and his boss.

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

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

Women didn't interest him, and he disliked how his father tried to court him with a lady he hadn't even met and doubted he would like, just because he is friends with her father.