"Sh... should I take this one back to them?", the new secretarial assistant stuttered in confusion.
Leo said nothing; he simply turned to her with an "are you okay" look on his face. This was the office and the familiarity between them was for the house alone."Sorry. I'm sorry, sir," she apologized, gathering the papers with trembling hands and dropping them on the floor in the process. It was her first day on the job - her first job ever - and she was so nervous."Will you pack this stuff and take your clumsy ass out of here!", Marks roared, startling her and nearly making her trip. But Leo raised his hand immediately to quiet his friend.One fuming and the other patient, they both watched as the trembling Mara struggled to gather the sheets of paper on the ground. When she was done, she held them to her chest and bolted from the office as fast as her legs could carry her.Marks exhaled deeply as soon as she'd left the office. He had been holding onto his temper all the time she had been there and if she had stayed a few more minutes, he could have kicked her. Such a clumsy idiot!"This won't do, you know," he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "This one has to be fired immediately! For crying out loud, how do you end up with such clumsy fools as assistants?""She's just a few days on the job. Give her time to adjust," Leo sighed."What time? There is no time! There's a reason why she was trained in the first place. It was to be efficient, not to mess things up in... in... and how are we so sure that she received any training at all? These low-class people are always criminal minded, you know. If you really want to succeed, you must make sure they have no room for freedom or they'll take it for granted.""Hmm," Leo smiled and shook his head, staring at his friend with his head laid back on the headrest. "You seem to have forgotten that we were all 'low class' at some point.""What do you mean?", Marks demanded angrily."I mean nobody was born rich. We were all born tiny, naked and penniless. There's no difference between her and me. All this was inherited from my grandfather. If she had a rich grandfather, she'd be sitting in this chair today. It's just chance and fate, my friend.""Who cares? It's her loss that she doesn't have a rich grandfather. But you do, so you are ahead of her. Nothing anyone can do about it.""Anything can happen tomorrow," Leo retorted. "I could lose everything and she could inherit billions from a previously unknown uncle.""Look, what's your point exactly?", Marks asked in exasperation."My point is," Leo said, leaning forward, "she's a fellow human being and deserves to be treated as such. She deserves at least some level of respect like anyone else."Marks suddenly burst out laughing. "Respect, eh?", he gasped between laughs. "I pity you, Leo. If you continue like this, you will destroy this company. The poor are meant to work for the rich. They deserve nothing, except their wages. Respect, my foot! How can a CEO respect a common messenger?!""Exactly. I am the CEO. And I have decided to go no further with this conversation. My decision stands. The girl deserves respect and there's an end of it."Marks opened his mouth to respond, but Leo held up his hand to signify that there was to be no further discussion. He was forced to keep his mouth shut and after glaring at his friend for almost a minute, he stomped out of the office in anger.Leo sighed as Marks shut the door with a deafening bang. He had not meant to offend his friend, but he just couldn't stand the way the new secretary was being treated. For crying out loud, she was new and therefore prone to make mistakes, so what was the crime in that? He wondered if Marks would like to be treated in the manner he had treated the girl if he had been in her shoes. He knew his friend wanted the best for him and the company, but there was no excuse for being harsh. None at all.***When Leo closed from work later that afternoon, he was driven home alone. He had asked the bodyguards to take the rest of the day off since it was Friday. He could have long since put an end to their services, but everyone around him had convinced him that they were very necessary. Necessary in what way exactly, he still didn't understand. Almost a year in charge of the business and he was yet to meet with any threat to his life, so why keep employing bodyguards when there was nothing to be guarded from? But his friend had assured him that the presence of the bodyguards was what kept trouble away. Well, well, so be it then.As usual, the moment he stepped into the house, his wife was there to greet him."Welcome honey," she cooed, giving him a long kiss on both his cheeks and his lips before divesting him of his suit and his briefcase."So how was work today?", she asked as she helped him unbutton his shirt."Work was great... as usual," he shrugged."Hmm," she smiled.Normally, she would take his things and go in. Few minutes later, she would return to remind him to shower and come down for the evening meal, but this time, she was lingering in the parlour as if she had something to say which she really didn't know how to explain."Something wrong?", Leo asked, detecting her hesitation."Yes... I mean, no... not really," she stammered in confusion. "It's just... Marks is not really happy with the way some of your staff are behaving.""Really?", Leo's eyebrows shot up immediately. "So why didn't he come to me?""Well, he said you didn't understand and you are being a little too soft with them. It could affect productivity, you know.""Is that what you think?", he asked, blinking in surprise. "That being harsh on people will make them more productive?""Well, I think the feelings of people are not really more important than the life of a huge company like yours, but then, you are the boss, so I guess you know best."With a smile, she turned and walked away with his clothes before he could say anything in response.Leo slumped down on the sofa and sighed deeply. It was as if the world all around him was going mad. Why were they all thinking in the exact same way? He was used to them speaking to him in one voice and usually, he took their advice, but this time, it was impossible! The staff were what kept the company running, so treating them like slaves was a total no-no. Such an action was actually what would surely destroy the company.When Dalia reached their bedroom, she threw her husband's briefcase down on the bed and went to dump his clothes in the washer. After that, instead of running the bath and asking the cook to serve breakfast, she simply went to grab her phone and speed dialed a number.As it rang, she paced up and down the room impatiently, wondering if he'd ever answer his fucking phone on the first ring for just once in his life!Finally, he picked up."Yeah," he said gruffly."It's beyond salvage," she said shortly, her lips drawn in a tight line."I told you," he sighed at the other end of the line."Whatever. Just go ahead with it.""Okay. Got it."Then the call was disconnected.Leo hummed a tune as he brushed his teeth vigorously. He was late for work and he was so much in a hurry. Being late was not his usual MO but somehow, he had overslept last night. So much that Dalia who usually went to work after he did had already left before he woke up."Hmm," he sniffed as the bell on the front door rang for the second time. Wouldn't someone go answer whoever the hell was ringing??He continued brushing until... the third ring of the bell. This time, it was long and obviously anger-driven. Furious at the inefficiency of the domestic staff, Leo slammed his brush on the sink and hurriedly washed his mouth before rushing over to the front door. He expected to see one of the staff also rushing to open the door, but none of them were in sight! What mad inefficiency and stupidity! He would give them a piece of his mind before leaving for work this morning."Yes?", Leo questioned almost angrily as he pulled open the door to find a young man in a ironed white shirt standin
Leo made himself comfortable, or at least he tried to. To avoid suspicion, he ordered a cheap drink with a part of the money he had on him - currently the only thing he had in the world. Even though he shifted anxiously in his seat just outside the coffee shop, he was determined to wait patiently till he achieved his goal. He tried not to think of his current predicament; it was a conspiracy or maybe just a huge misunderstanding. Maybe his friend, Marks, had not seen him and was mocking someone else. No matter which it was, it would be fixed. He was sure of that.Even when he had finished his coffee, Leo kept sipping at the empty cup to give him enough excuse to remain in the shop. He certainly would not dare to buy another cup of coffee, not till he was sure of his future. Hour after hour passed. He had no watch, but the clock in the shop served him well and when noon struck, he kept all his attention on the building - his building.The staff filed out in pairs and trios, to enjoy th
He was deep in thought as he climbed off the taxi, planning and arranging his next line of action. He knew that his enemies were determined to put him down and keep him there. With all that had happened, it was clear that this was no warning or a dry run either. Whew! What a tough life.Absentmindedly, he pushed the gate so he could get in, but to his surprise it didn't budge. Woah. He didn't remember locking it, so what was the problem? With a quick sweep of the eye, he found what the problem was: he had been evicted."Huh?", Leo gasped as he went closer to read the notice pasted on the gate. What on Earth was all this? Surely, this had to be against some laws? He had rights, didn't he??He looked around to see if he could find anybody who could give the slightest clue as to who had pasted the notice and locked the gate, but the entire place was quiet. Christ! This was the biggest blow yet. Where would he live? From a billionaire to a homeless beggar, in less than 24 hours?Confused,
"Please make yourself comfortable, sir," Mara said, showing Leo to a sofa as they stepped into the house he had given her back when they first met."Thank you," Leo nodded with a smile and he couldn't help but sigh in tiredness as he slumped on the soft piece of furniture. That walk from his house to the coffee shop was a long and tedious one under the hot sun. He could use some cool water now, but he felt it would be disrespectful to ask for it so soon."Here, sir," Mara said, bringing him a glass of cold water in anticipation of his need.Leo didn't even remember to say 'thank you' before he grabbed the glass and downed its contents in a few gulps. He was that thirsty! When he was done drinking, he looked up to find that Mara was holding out a jug, offering to refill the glass."Thank you," he rasped as he held out the glass to her and she filled it for him. Whew. His wife never did this for him. He wondered where Mara had learned to be so nice and attentive. He never really did get
Leo walked fast, casting his eyes all around him at the quiet and peaceful environment. It was very much unlike the city. No noise, no crowd of constantly moving people, vehicles and stationary buildings. It was all sunny, calm and quiet with the occasional chirping of insects and birds. This was why he had chosen this spot to have a secret retreat. He had been looking forward to surprise his wife with it before Mara came into their lives and he had to put that plan on hold. Good thing he did. If his wife had known of the house, he would have lost it too and both he and Mara would have been completely homeless now.Shading his eyes to see better through the glaring sunlight, he caught sight of a house up ahead. It was a house on a farm. It would do for what he had in mind. Doubling his steps, he made straight for the building.When he bought the bungalow that now housed Mara, he had not had the time to take a detailed tour of the area to know his neighbors. Back then, he had thought i
As Mara celebrated the retention of her job, Leo was there at the farm stumbling through his. It was no easy task for him. He had been saddled with the task of digging out stumps of trees from a small area of land. All the trees had been cut down and chopped into bits and all the grasses had been burned too, but the roots of the trees were still in the ground. These were the roots Leo had to take out.The area he had to cover was just less than half the size of a football field and the sun was blazing hot. So, shovel in hand, sweat streaming down his body, grunting and huffing with exertion, the former CEO was hard at work doing something he had never thought he would ever do, at least before he lost everything. Once in a while, he took a glance at the old man who was seated in front of the farm house and staring at him with the ghost of a smile on his face. He didn't need anyone to tell him that the old man was quietly mocking him, and it made him even more determined to prove himsel
When Mara returned home, she had no idea she was beaming until she walked in to find Leo in the kitchen. At the sight of her happy face, he gave her a bright smile and then turned back to his work. But somehow, something felt off to her. His smile though bright did not seem to reach his eyes. Involuntarily, her own happiness dropped a few notches and she found herself dying to know what was wrong or what had happened in her absence. As far as she knew, he was much happier when she left him in the morning.Mara could ask him what had gone wrong, but she knew he would deny it. Not that she could prove that he was unhappy or bothered by something. There was just no concrete proof. All she had to go on was a gut feeling. She just knew in her heart that everything was not okay."Whew," she sighed and put the sleeping Little Leo down on the couch."How was work? Busy day today?", Leo asked, thinking she had sighed from exhaustion."Hmmmm. Not much," Mara shrugged, keeping her eyes on him to
"You came back."It was half-question and half-statement. The old man was very much surprised to see Leo back on his farm, ready to do more work. He just stood there staring at him in disbelief. He thought he had been broken and defeated the previous day!"Well, uh... I guess you want more work?", the old man stammered, finally recovering from his initial shock. In response to the question, Leo nodded eagerly. He was all smiles and confidence.The old man looked at him from head to toe again, thinking perhaps it was his twin brother. Was this not the same person who had limped out of here just yesterday??Even though he found all this very amusing, Leo was beginning to feel a little embarrassed from all the staring and shock the old man was displaying."I'm wondering if there's any work to be done?"The sound of Leo's voice seemed to knock him back to reality and he shook his head as if to clear the fog from his brain. "Yes... yes, of course. There's work... there's always work. But a