Chapter 3

~~AMAKA~~

After I finished having my breakfast in the kitchen, I stepped out of the house and made my way outside of the compound.

The house was a rented apartment, and Mrs. Ann did not own it.

As I got outside and onto the busy road, I saw a yellow bus and got in. I sat beside a tall man who wore a black suit, and he smiled at me.

I was too preoccupied to smile back, and after what Joseph had done to me, I limited smiling with any man.

It was painful that Joseph would break up with me. He should have told me that he wanted only sex and not that he wanted to marry me.

I was a decent girl in my area, the reason why I became a laughing stock among my peers who hadn't expected a good girl like me to become pregnant.

I wiped my tears away and kept my gaze focused on the road. The man who sat beside me spoke. "Hi, dear. I have paid your fare."

"Huh!" I looked taken aback that a total stranger would help me clear my bill. As I looked at this man's face, I gulped. He was fair like me, and he had short brown hair like my son. Although he wasn't Joseph Ericson, he was handsome and masculine.

"Thank you, but you shouldn't have done that. I don't need any favours from you," I said as the bus continued to drive towards our destination.

"I understand, but I cannot help but appreciate your beauty. Do you live around here, or where are you heading now?" he asked, and I grimaced.

Gross! I hated it whenever a guy poked his nose in my affairs.

"I am sorry, sir, but I cannot tell you anything about myself. These days people get kidnapped, and trusting a stranger is risky," I said, my voice lowered so as not to embarrass him, as we had other passengers seated behind us.

"Fine. I will keep that in mind," he said, while I looked away.

"Industrial estate. Anyone getting down?" the driver of the yellow bus asked, and I responded, "Yes, sir."

I stepped down from the bus, and the man in the suit came down too. My brows furrowed, wondering if he didn't have a job at this early hour of the day.

I wanted to pay the bus conductor, but he told me, "Your husband has paid."

"What? He's not my husband," I warned the conductor, who gasped, "Oh! Sorry, madam. But you two resemble each other."

"Whatever!" I turned and made my way to the company I was heading to-J. E. Global.

I didn't speak to the man who walked along with me. I believed that by the time I got into the company, he would find his way.

However, as I got to the company's gate, the man checked in with his identity badge, and the security man let him in. I was surprised that the man was already working there, but I wasn't allowed inside.

"What do you want, madam?" the security man asked me, and I replied, "I'm here for my interview." I showed him the email on my phone, and he allowed me into the company.

I had to wait for my interview with the boss, as the company was strict, like Maureen had told me. I didn't research this company, believing I would secure the job.

A woman in a white top and black skirt, paired with polished black shoes told me to sit and wait for the boss to arrive. It was already 9 a.m. before the boss showed up.

I didn't raise my head to look at the boss who walked into the company. I heard whispering from other new members who came for their interviews. We were up to ten candidates who came for this job interview.

Soon, the lady in charge of ushering us came with her folder to introduce herself to us, as she had told us to sit and wait.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to J. E. Global Enterprises. We do not entertain cheating or breach of contract. We expect our staff to keep our company name high to motivate other brands out there to partner with us and our goods and services. So we will proceed with the introduction. I am Anita Edward, your new coach. I will give out this consent form to each and every one of you. Once you sign it, it shows that you have agreed with our company's terms. Then I will assign you to your partner, who will mentor you on how our system operates. But before that, you will have to go in one by one for your interview with our boss. Once he approves of you and why you're here to work with us, then you can sign this form. Agreed?" she asked, and I swallowed hard.

I sat in the lobby on the long guest chairs waiting. I could see their clients coming in and going out of their building. I was nervous, wondering who that man I had seen earlier was.

There was no way the boss of J. E. Global would be riding a bus like I did. Although I had the money to afford a small car, I didn't want to show off.

I was earning more money than Maureen, who taught me how to blog. So if I purchased a car now, it would seem like I was trying to compete with her. I didn't know if that was how Maureen felt, but that was how I thought she might feel, so I avoided doing anything to upset her. She doesn't get upset, but I didn't want to show off.

"Amaka Richard. It's your time now to go in for your interview," Anita said.

"Okay." I snapped out of my trance, rose from the guest chair, and adjusted my red top and black skirt.

"Ma, can I go in there with my handbag?" I asked, not knowing if I could carry it in.

"No. Come with me," Anita ushered me to follow her and showed me a safe where I could keep my bag and hold the key until I returned to take it.

"Thank you, Ma," I told her, and she smiled.

"Hurry up and don't keep our boss waiting," she said.

"Okay," I gulped and walked to the boss's office.

I took a deep breath and entered the expansive office on the fifth floor. My eyes landed on the dark-skinned man in the black suit seated behind the desk.

"What?!" I gasped, shocked to see Joseph Ericson as the boss of this new company.

*Why didn't I research him? How did I forget to check about the new company I was coming to work for?*

I tried to look away from him and to leave his office. He appeared indifferent, like he didn't know me.

"Are you Amaka Richard?" he asked, pretending not to know me.

Unbelievable! Did I change that much? How could he not recognise me after four years of our relationship?

My lips trembled as I tried to respond to him. "Jo... Joseph. You own this company?" I asked him, tears welling up in my brown eyes.

"Excuse me, have we met before?" he asked me. I shook my head. Since he was pretending not to know me, then I would pretend that I didn't know him too. We dated for one year, before he ran away with his parents. How couldn't he recognise me?