Monday was a dreary day for Sara. She didn't want to come in for work. Heck, she wished she didn't have to work but dereliction of duty probably meant getting the pink-slip and she couldn't afford that.
Last Saturday night had been awful. That party, meeting Lucas, getting embarrassed and making her dramatic escape. If Donald hadn't found her when he did, she would have been stuck in that estate till she could catch a ride, seeing that Jeremy wasn't eager to leave the party just yet.
Speaking of Jeremy, she eyed the office floor and let out a breath of air when she didn't see him. She had moved her desk to sixth floor last week, immediately they finished their mansion contract to foster better working conditions. Since they were working behind old man Benson's back, Jeremy didn't want information falling into the wrong person's ears.
She adjusted her maroon knee-length gown before settling down into her chair. She pulled out a catalog, deciding to focus her mood on incorporating lovely designs for various home decors. She had been at it for barely thirty minutes when Jeremy came striding in. Unlike her, he was in a very good mood, smiling exuberantly as he walked. His gaze found hers just before he reached his office doors and he motioned for her to come see him in his office. Sara had to oblige, knowing what it was about.
He was dressed in white shirt and black trousers and sitting in his swivel chair while glancing through a magazine, his black coat hanging behind his chair when she entered. He asked her to seat, and immediately she did so, he dropped the magazine in front of her.
"This party was the talk of the town. It was supposed to be our major break in this business. Tell me why this is not so anymore?" He demanded, scowling at her. His happy mood long gone.
She flinched, before reaching for the magazine. Lucas was pictured on the front page, looking dashing as always, and memories of that awful night came crashing back.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. There was really nothing else she could say.
Jeremy obviously wanted more as he raged. "Sorry? You're sorry? How does you being sorry help us here? I told you how important this party was to us. You knew it, and yet you take off midway leaving me to do all the work. What type of assistant are you?"
She gaped at him, judging if he had been privy to her humiliation. Half the guests witnessed that. "I had no choice but to leave. The host didn't take too kindly to having me come to his party uninvited."
He scoffed. "I don't understand women sometimes. He's barely been back in town for a month and you guys already have a history. Shouldn't you have told me this before I took you to that party?" He sneered.
Her brows lifted at his words. This man was unbelievable.
"Did you think if I knew it was his party, I would have attended? I do not enjoy humiliating myself you know. Besides all this is your fault for sneaking us into a party!" Really, all this started with him.
He shrugged, admitting ruefully that he may have behaved irrationally on Saturday. "That is all bygones now, really. Tell me, how do you know Caspian-Asiegbu? Don't tell me he's a fling. Your presence affected him a lot seeing as he left the party after that little drama with you." His eyes were alight with mischief, looking for gossip.
She admitted she didn't like him at this point. His ploy to get recognized was forcing him to throw business etiquette to the wind. She'd be damned if she let him use her again.
"It was a long time ago and we parted on a bitter note. I expected that reaction from him, and I'd have loved to not be in his airs as long as he's in this city," she explained vaguely.
"But there is more, isn't it? I mean, you can use your past connections to him to invite him to lunch. With him, we don't need all those petty rich people anymore." Jeremy looked like a kid asking for a lollipop stick and she would be the mean adult that will deny him his wish.
She shook her head sadly. "Like I said, he and I are enemies. You don't dine with someone you loathe. I'm sorry I'm not the best person to bring you closer to Caspian-Asiegbu, Jeremy."
She stood up immediately from her chair, trying to escape this inquiry. Jeremy wouldn't let this go and she didn't want to be used again.
"I'll be at my desk if you need anything else," she stated clearly and then exited the office.
Jeremy watched her leave and wondered what she was hiding. Clearly, there was something between her and the billionaire. It didn't matter if their relationship had ended terribly but this was business. Couldn't she put aside her pride and feelings for the guy and just invite him to lunch? He wasn't asking for anything else. Once the billionaire arrived, he would be in charge of convincing him to link them up with his circle. How hard was that?
Frowning, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through a number. He didn't want to talk to this guy anymore but he was desperate, and who better to help him than the guy who did it the first time around.
"Hello?" Came the voice at the other end of the line.
"I need your help."
+++++++++++++++++
Lucas scrolled through his tablet, searching through the various petroleum products his father had planned to get into the market for this year. The CAPPEL petrol and diesel consumption rate in the country had slightly improved, but they couldn't continue with that line. His father had proposed a partnership with their petrochemical arm to help boost the quality of their engine oils and lubricants and Lucas had been put on a tight schedule to get it done before April.
Last Saturday night had been a disaster, he thought widely, briefly pausing in his search. When he planned a house warming party, he had purposely left out the Amadi family. Heck, he had purposely left out people he had entanglements with in this town five years ago. It was supposed to be a private affair with minimum guest. He didn't want to meet her yet, not while he was residing in this town, but seeing her at that party had affected him more than he cared to admit.
She still looked more or less the same, beautiful and slender with the curves that moulded her body perfectly. Her shoulder-length hair had been braided and packed into a bun atop her head. Her oval face which he always knew to be blemish-free and natural was accentuated with light makeup that had her face glowing but it didn't hide her doe-like eyes with their characteristic toffee coloured pupils that always held him spellbound. Her small, flat nose gave way for her puckered, pink lips that despite the years still looked delectable and very kissable. Her lashes were long and curly as always and her brows had been streamlined delicately to fit her face following the recent fashion trends.
Even with the time space between them, she still looked exactly like the girl he met seven years ago. There was nothing in her behaviour to indicate she had been married to a billionaire, and to realize she had snuck into a party had irked him more than the fact that they met. What kind of lifestyle would force her to make such desperate attempts? It wasn't like the girl he knew, but then he agreed almost immediately that he probably never really knew her.
He looked up instantly as James walked into his office, followed by a younger man Lucas remembered was called Donald. His eyes found James who stood a few minutes from his desk trying to appear serious.
"What is it? I'm busy," he quizzed, attempting to dismiss the pair.
"Well, this is merely protocol. Since your assistant was fired, Martin had a replacement for you. He used to work for Martin but you're here now, so he'll be working for you," James explained.
James Duran was a 5'10" fair-skinned young man that has been Martin's bestfriend and his partner for almost a decade. He was sharp-witted when it came to the petrochemical business not necessarily about life in general. In fact, his juvenile tendencies tend to appear when he was with friends. Lucas, James and Martin always worked together to push the company to greater heights and before he left five years ago, James was his right-hand man. He hoped it remained the same as he worked better with him.
He moved his gaze to the other man and frowned. Donald had been assigned to him by Martin immediately they heard he was returning to Lagos. Heck, Donald had helped him get his house refurbished.
Donald produced a palm in greeting. "It's nice to officially meet you, sir."
Lucas eyed Donald fully, not exactly sure he wanted to work with him. "Are you not on my team, James?"
James nodded. "I am, but Donald is very good at converting chemical imbalances and reactions into stable products. He comes highly recommend. This is Martin's offer, of course."
Lucas nodded, glancing at Donald. "I expect the best from you, then."
"Yes, sir." He nodded, smiling.
Then they exited the office, and Lucas went back to his search.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some chapters are long, some are short. This is one of the short chapters. My apologies.
Jeremy is getting sly, heh. I knew he couldn't be trusted, especially not after that party stunt he pulled.
Who do you think he called to help him?
Remember to keep the votes and comments rolling in.
Thank you 😙😘