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The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: She's my girlfriend.
He cleared his voice and wore a cheerful grin on his face before saying solemnly, "Come in".Joseph lost his youthful grin at once when the wrong people made appearance. "Ha ha bro, were you expecting Angela. You were laughing like an idiot and even dressed like one", Omar laughed at his friend who sat majestically on his seat as CEO."Hola!", Fyodor had taken a great liking to Sophia's greeting. He sat himself down on a seat and dropped a throw pillow on his laps to get comfortable."What are you too doing here?", Joseph asked obviously pissed. He was expecting to see Angela and had make sure his whole office was tidy-like it were dirty before. He even went ahead to wear a new suit and styled his hair. He looked like an expensive, handsome piece of art and he knew it.Joseph had asked the press station at which Angela worked to get another interview. It was easy to get one as he was a good friend of the News director and he also made a generous donation in return for the one and onl
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY: His Kindergarteners.
"What all investors are looking forward to, is to raise funds. No one wants to-", James coughed into his handkerchief and continued from where he stopped."No one wants to lose money when he should be earning".He coughed a few more times and received sympathy from the other occupants of the table."Gentlemen, it's my cue to-", he coughed a few more times and stood to his feet."I should take my leave. My body isn't as strong as it used to be. A common cold can cause quite a scene". A few people laughed at his silly joke. James smiled as well and retraced his steps to the bathroom, he coughed a few more times into his handkerchief and inspected the once clean handkerchief when the cough had relieved him a little. Blood. It was expected. He always coughed out blood.He hurriedly retrieved his pills and swallowed them. When he felt composed enough, he made his way to the entrance and got into his ride."To the house, please". He breathed out loudly as soon as the familiar warmth of th
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: And you are?
"We know what they buy, why not give it to them at a cheaper rate. Give their needs to them at a cheaper price with a high quality"."Hmmm. You think it will work?", Joseph stroked his chin and rose to his full height as he contemplated the advice one of the sales managers offered."It ought to yield positive results sir", another said.Joseph raised the paper that contained records of the target customer's patronage. They always had no issue with the customer but all of a sudden they had been questioning the quality and price of the goods.There is no doubt that some other company has been trying to win them over.He scanned the paper like he had not checked a couple of times before. They always bought from them, every single year, he was curious if this year would be different."Or we can ponder a few more minutes on it before returning to our busy schedules", he suggested.He sat back down and kept the records within his view like it would help in any way."Sir, Miss Angela Davis i
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: He's my boyfriend.
"And you are?", Mrs Benjamin asked in a condescending tone, she was irritated by the mere presence of the girl, to top it all, the girl wouldn't even show some respect. Angela shared nervous glances between the woman and Joseph. She didn't know how to introduce herself.She looked to Joseph for help but he had his eyes closed like one who was frustrated."Angela. I'm his girlfriend".Joseph's eyes shut open at once. Angela had ruined things altogether. He was hoping to send her out softly before throwing the other woman out with hurtful words. But now…Angela smiled and said more confidently, "He's my boyfriend".She had wanted to introduce herself as an entertainment reporter that she is, but changed her mind when she saw how Joseph's mood turned sour upon the arrival of the older woman. She took the woman to be one of those older women who clung to younger men for sex and wanted to help as much as she could.She smiled proudly at the woman, she had done Joseph a favor. The woman w
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY THREE: Everything is going to be fine, dear.
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, IT MEANS A LOT. THANK YOU FOR READING! ***"Love you too, muah!", Sophia said gaily, with her phone close to her ear.She hung up and abandoned her phone on the working desk as she turned to Angela with a cheerful smile, "That was my sweet Tea, he wants us to come over for a little get- together on Saturday", Sophia sang as she bobbed her head."Oh". A frown formed on Angela's face. She was in no mood to see Joseph again. She spent the whole of yesterday thinking of Joseph's mother and the beginning of a new day did nothing but to remind her of her scattered thoughts of yesterday.She faced her computer and continued to type away. How she wished she could tell Sophia that she couldn't come but she wouldn't want to disappoint her Tea as well. She had taken a liking to the older man but she didn't know how to face Joseph. His girlfriend. His fake girlfriend. How does a fake girlfriend even behave? She had no clue."Angela?""Angie?""Anggggg", Sophia shook her fr
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR: I take the first bite.
Joseph's features warmed up when he got into Angela's humble abode. The place smelt and felt humble. Some might think the house small and stuffy but it was not particularly small and there was enough free space for even the fattest man to sit and move around without disrupting anything.To him, the house seemed to be abstract. In the sense that it neither denotes the financial status or gender of the owner of the house. He felt like he was in a painting. An abstract painting.Joseph smiled to himself, he had totally forgotten about the reason why he was here. He sat on a plush couch but stood up at once as he remembered that it was rude of him to sit before the owner of the house offered the permission to get comfortable."I beg your pardon. Your house is to be blamed. Its overwhelming". Angela laughed at his words, she was taken completely unaware when he got past the foyer before her and paid attention to the living room. She watched as his eyes twinkled in admiration and as he sat
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: Brain cells are linked to Blood cells in Mrs Benjamin's head.
Mrs Benjamin sang joyfully as she arranged her facials. Wednesday was just six days away but she was anticipating already. Joseph would be coming to share a meal and this time around, Angela would be coming as well. She squealed in delight. She would make the most of her son's time.As soon as she got home yesterday, she had wanted to tell her husband but decided to keep it a secret. She wanted him to feel as happy as she felt on meeting Angela, she wanted it to be a surprise. That alone was enough reason to keep quiet and wait for the blaggard Wednesday to come.Angela. That woman had definitely done something to her son. The son she knew too well doesn't pay so much attention to women. He treated women like trash, no matter how much he tried to act civil around them. He has no special treatment stashed away somewhere for women.Joseph has never had a girlfriend, the boy only slept with women for fun. Mrs Benjamin was sure of it, she kept a close eye on the boy from his teenage years
The CEO'S syndrome CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: Hustle never sleeps.
'Hustle never sleeps'. That had been Ashan's motto for a very long time. Ever since he lost his father to a gang fight and his mother left their hometown, he and his kid sister. Ashan only ventured into things that would yield positive results. Ashan came from a typical poor family and has lived a totally boring life. He never did fun things nor enjoyed his youthful age but spent all his time working hard to attain a satisfactory degree in order to earn a living.Yes! He is the breadwinner of the family. His mother and sister do a few odd jobs to support but he is responsible for their annual living expenses and he took great care of them. He got admitted to a prominent university on scholarship and came out in first class honors in the degree of Accounting. Even though things were very hard and challenging for him, he still made sure to get a masters degree and at the same time struggled to provide at least three square meals for his family.At that time, he was working for a very
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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
