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The CEO'S syndrome PROLOGUE
Joseph raised his hand to knock on the gate only for the gate to move effortlessly.Who had left the gate unlocked?He wondered as he opened the gate wider and walked into his house.Ever since things became tough for his father financially, he could no longer take a bus to school but trekked home from school. It is not a really far distance so he did not see anything wrong in walking after school.He loves his father very much and he is willing to understand his situation.He remembered when his father walked into his room that fateful afternoon, looking so tired and sweaty all over. On seeing his father, he abandoned his books -littered on the desk and bed- and hugged his father warmly.His father laughed, scattering the young boy's perfectly permed hair. "My boy. How was school today?"Smiling like a 3 year old when he was nearing sixteen, Joseph replied as he sat beside some textbooks opened to different pages on his bed, "Fine. Big man, you are home early, is everything okay?Jo
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER ONE: Best friends are always Partners in crime.
Fifteen years later, Joseph put his phone on speaker, placed it on a stool close to the tub and pulled off his underwear as he sank into the warm water. This was one feeling he loved, letting the warmth of the water calm him.Closing his eyes for a second as he listened to his friends speak about their experiences last night.Just like every Friday night, the boys partied. Taking cocaine till they were beyond high, sleeping with countless girls till they had let out all the trauma their families put them through, once they were sober enough, they'd become high again and look for more women to fuck."Mehnnnn, the blondie could not resist a little teasing. Few minutes laters and she fucked the redhead wildly." One of his friends narrated.Chuckling, he responded to his friend, "I told you already. Those bitches would do anything for only two things: Dick and some dollar bills" "True bro. True". His other friend agreed.Grabbing a washcloth, he began to wash himself thoroughly. He had
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER TWO: Party! Party!! Party!!! That's what the CEOs does.
The brothers rode to the party in Omar's Porsche 911 sports car and all agreed to meet at the car at exactly 4am to go to their respective houses. After sharing the cocaine they had come to the party and separated with the intention to get as wasted as they could. They approached any lady who just wanted to get wasted as they wanted as well.The party was lit up. The three brothers had enough drinks to leave them high for a whole week but surprisingly, came down from their high barely three hours after drinking to stupor.With the music booming and the LED lights flashing through. Girls are seen grinding their ass hard against men's crotch. Some are seen in groups taking drugs like Amphetamines, cocaine. Joseph moved to the bar, waiting patiently for a lady or ladies- if he was lucky-to approach him.Beating his fingers repeatedly to the music currently being played by the Dj. He ordered a very strong drink and raised his glass to his lips to take a large gulp when he felt a hand on
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THREE: A second time might be a second chance.
Monday was hectic and hot. It was just eleven am, yet Joseph had attended five meetings already. Walking up to his table, he took a sip of his coffee and removed his jacket.Omar came in without knocking, looking handsome as usual in a suit that fitted him like a second skin."Woah, bro what if I was with a woman?", Joseph jested."You don't sleep with women when you are completely sober. And you don't have sexual relationships with your workers", Omar stated proudly. He playfully pushed Joseph and sat on his seat. Joseph laughed and occupied a seat at the other side, reserved for visitors.Omar raises Joseph's cup of coffee and takes a sip but immediately grimaces and asks, "Damn. Bro, ever heard of sugar before? Your drink tastes like something the devil made". Joseph raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why are you here?""I was window shopping and decided to tease you a little bit", Omar jokesJoseph, shaking his head, replied, "Last time I checked, you don't play around during working
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER FOUR: Proper birthday dress for a birthday girl
Angela murmured some curses as she struggled to push the heavy doors. The security man was not there, this time to do the pushing.She murmured a few greetings to some workers she's familiar with, as she covered the short distance to the elevator. She pressed the number four and patiently waited for the short ride to end.She got to her apartment and entered her passcode, before cussing again for being so forgetful. She hated the dark. How could she have forgotten to switch on the light in the foyer? Again."Happy birthday!!!", Angela is taken by surprise by the large congregation that squeezed themselves to fit into her little living room.Her house in entirety is not small, she enjoyed the space she called her habitat, even though people had frequently called it a studio to offend her.But it seemed too tiny for the many people in the room. Sophia was at it again. She had invited the whole news station for her birthday.Her best and only friend, Ali Sophia, hails from Nigeria, whose
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER FIVE: Mistakes and consequences.
"Were you able to persuade him?", Mr Benjamin asked as he sliced his steak with his knife."Maybe. Maybe not. I cannot tell what that boy thinks in his head", Hilda replied to her husband's question.Mr Benjamin chuckled and wiped his mouth clean before sitting in a more relaxed position."We did this to him. We shouldn't have married so soon. Maybe we rushed things too much", He stated the obvious.Hilda got married to her lover, immediately the divorce procedures with her former husband were concluded. She did not think for a second, the pain her decision inflicted on her poor son."Psst. He is no longer a child. We made decisions that gave him the life he is living today. Tomorrow, he will be making decisions that might be tougher. He has to grow up"Hilda grumbled before taking a sip from her drink. Mr Benjamin looked at his wife in pure amusement. Even though they are fifteen years older now, she still had the same effect on him. With those green eyes that secretly called to him
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER SIX: Shopaholic Angie
"Babe, let's go shopping after work." Sophia started with a small smile on her lips as soon as she got to Angela's desk."What for?" Angela raised her head as she questioned. She was taking a short nap as she had nothing else to do for the day."My Auntie is at it again. She has invited me to a party and I want you to come with me as my date", Sophia wrinkled her nose "Come with me"Standing to her full height, Angela soothed her pan trousers with her palm and led the way to the restroom with Sophia following behind.Shutting the door, she entered one of the rooms to ease herself, while her friend busied herself, checking all the stalls for prying ears."Can't you just ditch this one as well?", Angela murmured as she exited the stall and proceeded to wash her hands."I have a strong feeling that my Auntie will cut all my favorite outfits with that shrill voice of hers. But that won't happen because I'm going and you, baby girl is my date". Sophia wore the puppy look on her face and a
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER SEVEN: Still inlove?
Jake did not come for a booty call, like she had suspected earlier. He had so much to drink at some bar and came to her house, smelling and looking like a complete mess. He's drunk."Don't stand there like some moron. Help me in", he slurred.How did she miss that? She should have spotted his drunken state over the phone. It would at least prevent her the headache of having to spend the night with a drunk man, under the same roof.As she watched him struggle to balance himself but failed at every attempt, she wondered if she could hurriedly close the door on his face and lock the door. Would she succeed?Or she could throw some hate speech at him and watch him leave in denial. And she had every right to make him feel hurt. This guy meant the whole world to her, before he broke her heart a million times. She loved him with all her might but he saw her as a tool and got rid of her, when he found the tool unneeded."Very well. You can stay mute as long as I will be here", overenunciatin
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- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN: The breakup
Her feet felt heavy with every step she took afar, her heart was drumming wildly within her ribcage and it felt like she was nauseous. As she ran, all she thought of was Joseph, he'd definitely misunderstood. Fate was cruel. Too cruel. Things were only just beginning to look bright only for this to happen. Angela didn't even care when her legs stopped moving or when her butt cheeks found comfort on the floor. She cried as the turnout of events replayed in her head, mocking her. When Joshua had noticed her unenthusiasm in whatever he had to say, he had proceeded to physical contact and just before she could have acted on his inappropriate manner of touching her, he had forced their lips to merge and enforced a rhythm. Angela regretted her decisions, she shouldn't have acknowledged his message when he'd sent it and even if she had, she ought to have picked a cafe that was packed with customers, not to reserve the most remote seats just so they do not get distracted easily with the da
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY SIX: A change
The next morning, they took a bath together again. Even though Joseph's eyes twinkled with interest he didn't do anything out of question. He still respected the distance between them but he was insanely aware of her naked body throughout. After the bath, he made breakfast while Angela watched.Angela was happy. She was so happy that she couldn't control it when a tear slid down her face because she thought she wouldn't see a day when Joseph would be capable of taking care of his daily needs, talkless of another. Even though she had promised Joshua brunch, she ate a lot. After breakfast, they cleaned the dishes together and that was when she saw it again. That undeniable gaze that said it all. She had noticed it when they were taking a bath and how it didn't disappear when they broke their fast. Joseph would secretly watch her and shyly take his eyes somewhere else when she caught him.She held his hand in hers and smiled before she whispered with all alacrity, “I'm all yours. Foreve
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE: The devoted caretaker
Like a cycle, days turned into weeks and weeks to months but Joseph still didn't get better. He still said close to nothing to Angela. He'd rather spend his time in his study. He had turned lean with time, as he barely ate. He barely associates with anything or anyone apart from his study. Angela has had enough. She didn't care what Joseph thought anymore or what her next actions would incite. Because he was slowly losing it. He needed help. And so, that fateful morning, after preparing a hot soup with easily digestible contents, she marched straight to his study and tried to force her way in but the door was locked. With no other plan but to scream, shout, cry or even use force if she had to, Angela marched towards the familiar corridor. Her next destination was his room, still no Joseph. She forcefully pushed the slide-in door that led to his bathroom and there he sat. Joseph sat like a fetus in its mother's womb as he wept. Like a child.Her eyes lost all the fire and she somewha
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR: Grief
“Oh, I've always had a thing for grotesques but for work, it'll always be romance”, the writer chuckled to the camera as he adjusted his sitting position a few more times to look good for his audience.“What inspires your books then?”. Angela read out loud, totally uninterested. Joshua, the writer looked at nothing as he tried to form the right words or what he believes is right. “Love inspires my book”, he smiled to himself like he had just found something no one would ever find. “Love is real. Now, not the kind between siblings or relatives. The simple attraction you feel towards someone you don't even know too well”. He frowned as he continued, Angela almost thought he was already possessed by what made some writers write so well. “That wanton feeling is power. It's so powerful and beautiful and there's a lot to unravel, so yeah. That's why I always find myself writing about it”. He smiled finally, awarding himself marks for a test no one gave him. Angela nodded when she was su
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE: The Funeral
Mr James Wilson was buried on Friday. A very sunny Friday. It was so sunny that Joseph wished that it was raining. They had set up a small gathering, rather too small for a man established as Mr James. But still, many came to pay their respects, some even flew in that morning just to pay their last respect to such a kindhearted man like Mr James. As the priest said the prayers and Mr James' coffin was leveled into the ground, Joseph only prayed to wake up from this dream. He still hadn't accepted the news. He still remembered the conversations he'd shared with his father prior to his surgery. The words he had shared with Angela up to the time he had patiently waited to be reunited with his father once again. Alive. Not dead. But Dr. Murphy's downcast look had ruined it all. Joseph had waited patiently all for nothing. Had believed Angela's words before the surgery, all for his father's death to drive him to the end of time. He had killed his father.No. Not the doctor, at least J
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO: Horrid mistakes
Accuracy. That was definitely Dr Murphy's best word. He was always accurate. He knew the human anatomy like the palm of his hand. As a career man, he was never wrong, and has never lost a single patient during his thirty six years of treating patients. Dr Murphy was literally known as an aldonis in the surgery room.As he scrubbed in and entered the operation room, he said a little prayer to God that he’s kept his nickname this long. Inside the OR, he shook his head vehemently like a boxer ready for battle and whispered “Let's do this” to himself after washing his hands and went in where a nurse came forward to help him wear his sterile gown.A nurse eyed his scrub cap knowingly and turned to share smiles between her colleagues. They all knew Professor Murphy to be present for only very important surgeries and whenever he wore the specific cap on his head, it meant real business. That means the patient on the table would survive no matter the cost. The patient's lucky, she concluded
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE: An hopeful day
Morning came, even though Joseph was sore, his whole muscles ached and he had barely even slept, he was glad that an hopeful day had come. A day, he was allowed to dream. That morning Joseph prayed. He hadn't prayed for a long time but he found himself kneeling on the floor as he prayed for a successful procedure.Omar and Fyodor, Angela and Sophia had spent the night at the hospital but Omar had to leave because he had a meeting that couldn't be postponed, he had to be there. But he promised to return as soon as he could.Joseph watched Angela quietly from his side view, he hadn't said anything to her after crying at the garage, now, they were no different from two strangers. Or that was what he thought. She was saying something to Sophia before Sophia left to take a phone call.He watched her as she rubbed her eyes sleepily and sank deeper to the seat, she raised her legs from the ground and folded them to cross one another. These past few days, he had been rough. Very rough with he
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SEVENTY: LAST MOMENTS
Joy. Ultimum joy. Not the kind you feel after bagging a million dollar deal or getting a scholarship but the kind you feel when a ray of sunshine graces your head and suffices your skin with vitamin D, the kind of happiness you feel when the calm breeze grazes the short hairs on your skin. That kind of joy that bubbles from within, that shows itself even when you have a straight face. And that was all the duo felt as they watched intently.Fits of laughter, though weak, rumbled from Mr James chest as he watched closely. Upon his request, his son had transformed his hospital room into a cinema room. The lights turned off, except the lights sourced from the machines attached to him, Mr James relaxed into his bed folded halfway to allow him see the screen comfortably. Joseph was surprised when his father told him where he'd kept all the video clips in his house. He had thought naturally, that clips as such would have been lost. His parents hadn't parted in good times and his mother clea
- The CEO'S syndrome
CHAPTER SIXTY NINE: Death, the inevitable
And there he sat. Like the dutiful son that he will always be. After the little episode at the garage, under the pretense of getting some air, Joseph returned to his only reason for both his unshed and shed tears of agony. Joseph adjusted the duvet that covered his father's body a few times. Afterwards, he'd stand and walk around a few times, he'd grit his teeth a few times, sometimes, torturing his poor nails as well. Only to look outside the window again, rake his hair frustratingly and then sit again. Joseph messed up the routine a few times, willing to do everything to while away time, he only wondered when his father would wake up again. He had to try again.He had to try to convince his father again. He just had to do something. His hands raked his hair again before a sob broke out. A second followed.“Son”, though hoarse, his father’s voice called out. Joseph jerked up immediately and covered the little distance between them.“Big man! Big man!!” His voice was hoarse too. May
