Loving Mr CEO

MIKE I paced the length of my room, running a hand through my hair for what felt like the hundredth time. My mind was a mess, thoughts scattered everywhere, frustration rising like smoke from a fire I couldn't put out. Meanwhile, Charles sat comfortably on my bed, chewing gum like a man whose sole purpose in life was to mark the gum pop. I stared at him. He stared back The gum popped. Perfect. I dragged a hand across my face. "After everything I've done for him..." Charles raised a brow. "Here we go." "Mike, study this course." I studied it.

"Mike, leave the country and get better training." Boom. Passport, Visa, out. "Mike, transfer to this school." I packed my bags, left my friends and I went off and now I've got no friends left aside this motherfucker sitting on my bed I literally sacrificed my entire life for him. All I ever wanted was to lead the company. Just that. And after all that effort, all that blood, sweat, late-night crying and questioning my life choices he had the audacity to say I'd have to compete for the role? Charles smirked, unimpressed. "I can't hear what's going on in your head. Talk." I shot him a look. "I thought you weren't listening." "I wasn't," he said casually, holding up his phone. "Danielle texted me. And I think it's finally going down tonight." I stared at him......This guy truly is a clown Some times I really want to punch this nigga so hard that that even his mom at home would feel the effect of the punch. wetin be dis? How can he be talking about something else in the middle of my crisis? "Wow," I muttered, shaking my head. "I'm having a mental breakdown, and you're thinking about somebody's daughter." He shrugged. I snapped. So I rushed over to where he was and playfully put him in a headlock position like my sanity depended on it, ooohhh his screams? Music to my ears. Pure therapy . When I was satisfied with what I had done to him I left him and went back to my chair. That felt niceee, it really did "Okayyyyy I'm listening but I've told you before this is actually not as bad as you think it is , you'd have the......."he said out of breath and then suddenly started laughing I smiled back His phone pinged again. He froze. "Don't you dare," I warned, as I jokingly acted like I wanted to remove my cartier watch and lift the hands of my shirt "What if she's in trouble" he said trying and failing to hide his smile "You and I both know that the only trouble Danielle's in, is accepting to meet you this night knowing fully well that you just want to get in her pants" I really don't blame him, Danielle has been his crush for a while time but even though , this is a crucial moment for me "One last time" he said as he quickly brought up the phone to his face and now he's smiling like a goat. I've never really seen a goat smiling, but you get the point. "What did she say" I tried to act uninterested but my curiosity got the best of me "She's coming to my place at 6. mannnn, I need to go and arrange my room" This guy is actually about to leave me in an emotional pit because of a girl he met a week ago. Wow. "Friendship isn't slavery, my brother," he continued, standing and stretching. "Besides, you'll be fine." I huffed out a tired laugh. Maybe I did need a distraction too. Because apparently, this nigga wants to leave me for some pussuoir. And honestly I need to get some too. It's been ages since my little soldier touched a woman's heat. " can you just listen to me for just a few more minutes? I'm really frustrated, man". He wasn't even listening again wetin nyash Dey cause "Charles, what is your problem? This is a serious matter" "I really don't think it's that bad my gee, you've already been doing everything your father wants, this is the final step and besides it's gonna be hilarious seeing you running around in the office as a newbie, printing papers and getting coffees " Charles said laughing as he tossed his head back and laid down "Why are you supporting him? You're my friend, I think I'm ready and fit to lead the company without going through all these process" He sat up, more serious. "I'm on your side. But your dad isn't entirely wrong. You'll learn a lot from this. And I'll be here to help you." He stood, slipping into his shoes. "E go be," he replied. "Now let me go take that thing I ordered and prepare for Dani." He said it with the seriousness of a village herbalist prescribing roots and leaves. I groaned. "How many times will I tell you that stuff is NOT good for you?" I was genuinely worried Has he not read that article where one man's junk got stuck inside a woman for 24 hours? Man turned into a human padlock because of what he took "Don't even start with that article bullshit. Maybe he bought the fake one",Charles replied standing by the door "Listen to me......." He slammed it shut. "BE CAREFUL!" I yelled after him. I sank onto the chair, exhaling long and deep. Charles and I had been friends since secondary school. Back when people called me a proud, nerdy, four-eyed know-it-all, he saw something different. He stuck with me when no one else did. I've always appreciated that about him. Not to brag, but I was smart. Still am. And I think he only followed me around back then 'cause he had no idea what he was doing in school. But right now? I felt alone again. Alone with expectations..... AIDA I'm sure the bike guy saw my underwear. Why did I even wear this skirt today? Why was I even running like that? Today was meant to start by 12 -12! That stupid man told me the meeting was for 12, so why are we now being dragged by 10 like we don't have lives? I don't think I can continue this job, but what else will I do? So I sucked it in, took a deep breath, and tried to gather myself. I adjusted my wig, thank God it was my best one. The wind from the bike almost snatched it off my head, but it survived. And honestly, for the outrageous price I paid for it, it better survive a hurricane. I slid into the meeting room just before 10:05, with my heart still beating fast from the race I just finished, only to find it mostly empty. Of course. What else was I expecting? Even Caleb is yet to come.I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the project manager walking in with the same dull blue suit he wore yesterday........and the day before. Does he wash it every night or does he own a wardrobe full of blue misery? I was still trying to figure out when..... "Aida." I blinked. "Aida." Sir? Was that in my head?. "Aidaaa!" Why was he shouting my name like dat? I hear my name even when no one's calling me these days. Is that PTSD? Because this man has personally traumatized me with my own name. I mumbled a reply, trying to sound more present, less dead inside. "Go get me coffee" he said, looking at me in the most unsettling way possible. Ughhhhhhh Of course, I'm the one that has to do my job and also be the office barista too I stood up slowly, sighing in a way that I hoped would carry the weight of my suffering. Grudgingly, I dragged myself out of the meeting room, already planning how I'd spit into his coffee cup. I wish I had the mind to actually do it. Carrying the coffee back I walked silently and as I stepped into the hallway, I almost bumped into someone, spilling some of the content in my cup Oh lord, why me??? Without looking up I hurriedly apologized and went to get a mop, only to come back and still see him standing there and that was when I had the chance to properly look at him. Tall. Fresh face. Button-down shirt that actually looked ironed, hand's folded and oh my god is that a Cartier watch? I haven't seen him in this side of the building before, maybe he's here for something He looked up just then, caught my eye, and gave a small smile. One of those polite, not-sure-if-I-should-speak smiles. New guy I could smell it on him. Not the cologne though, yeah he smelled good but the vibe. That clueless, eager energy of someone who still thinks this place is temporary. He didn't look too happy though. "Hey," he said. "Sorry for what happened, do you know where the conference room is?" Of course. He's here for that meeting. The 12 p.m. one. The one we're now attending at 10 a.m. for absolutely no reason. I looked at him, then back at the door I just came out from. I wanted to tell him to turn back. To run. But I just nodded and smiled "Yeah. I'll show you." I was already picturing Mr Biodun glaring at me for wasting that much time getting coffee but I was ready for it , I'm already used to this life. Entering the meeting room , I noticed that most of my colleagues were present and already seated, we were only six in the management and records office which is the smallest, most overlooked and least prioritized office in the company. "Ohh, he's here already," Mr Biodun said with a half-smile as I walked in beside the new guy. His eyes lingered on him, and his tone held something between curiosity and respect. The respect part surprised me, Mr Biodun wasn't someone who got easily impressed by looks ... .or at least,I didn't think so. I walked past both of them and dropped the coffee on Mr. Biodun's table. "Here's your coffee, sir," I said casually, then turned and went to take my seat. Caleb was already there. He glanced at the new guy, then at me. His jaw tightened. The moment I sat beside him, he leaned in, voice low and sharp. "You brought him coffee now? Is that what we're doing now? Getting coffee for random people? That's cute" I blinked at him. Any reasonable person could see that the coffee clearly wasn't for the new guy - but Caleb , always blinded by jealousy, would still twist it into something ugly just to pick a fight. "Yeah, right." He scoffed. "You think I didn't see the way you two walked in? Laughing like old friends". Omoo I'm tireddddd..

AIDA Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with someone like him. We've been together for a year now, and he's always been like this. I kept lying to myself, thinking that with time, I'd prove to him that he could trust me. That he'd finally see the kind of love I have for him. But the truth is, an animal like him could never comprehend a love like mine,one that's patient, loyal, and far too forgiving. I sighed, gave him one last look of disgust and focused on the meeting. "You think I'm stupid?" he continued, his eyes darting toward the new guy, who was now being introduced by Mr. Biodun.

I felt the familiar burn of tears prickling behind my eyes, tears I had promised myself I wouldn't shed again over this. My mistake was ever trying to fix a man who saw suspicion in sunshine and betrayal in a simple shared hallway. "...everyone, please welcome Mike ikechukwu, who will be joining our team temporarily," Mr. Biodun announced. He paused, looking around the room with a strange, almost nervous energy. "Mike is here to undergo a new orientation process and learn from us, so please take care of him and teach him well." Mike gave a brief, polite nod to the room. He didn't look like someone thrilled to be there. His face was composed, but beneath the professional demeanor, I saw that same clueless, eager energy I'd noticed earlier, only now mixed with a visible tension, the strain of someone trying to swallow their pride. Mr. Biodun cleared his throat and brought the room to attention. "Alright, let's get started. I'll be blunt, but funding for the May-June documentation project has been slashed. The company is currently not at its best state now and would like us to endure and try to cope." The mood in the room dropped instantly. "What do you mean 'slashed'? We've been working on that project for months." Mercy snapped. She didn't even let Mr. Biodun finish his sentence. Typical Mercy, lion of the department. First to roar, last to back down. The rest of us might grumble,hiss and sign quietly to avoid being queried, but not her. She'd set the whole office on fire if something didn't sit right with her. And honestly? I thank God for the type of person she is, if not we'd probably be tiptoeing around a broken system and eating shit sandwiches with fake smiles in this office. People say she's sleeping with Mr. Biodun. Of course, no one dares say it out loud, but it's in the way they look at each other. In this way he always lets her talk over him and never checks her when she steps out of line. It's like she's the untouchable, like she had leverage over him. Some say she got transferred here not because of her skills, but because she got too close to someone in upper management,and Mr. Biodun just "happened" to request her specifically. All I know is, nobody else in this office would dare raise their voice at him and still walk out with a smile and zero consequences. But hey, who am I to judge? If that's what it takes to get your voice heard around here, maybe she's not the fool, we are. "I mean," Mr. Biodun said carefully, "the budget has been cut significantly. We're expected to scale down." I finally took a long, much-needed breath and decided to say my mind. If I die, I die. I had put so much into this project, late nights, skipped lunches, and weekends blurred into weekdays. This wasn't just another task for me. It was supposed to be my moment. My chance to finally show HQ what I was capable of. To prove that I wasn't just some pretty face stuck in the least-valued office in the company. This project was supposed to be my ladder to that promotion. My way out of being overlooked. And now they were just... cutting it? No. Not without hearing from me. She's right," someone else chimed in. "We already used our own funds for printing and transportation last time. They keep saying 'temporary,' but it's every single time." "I'm sorry but this isn't fair, and it isn't just frustrating, it's disrespectful," my voice was calm but my heart was beating like a drum. "We're not interns. This is a full team running a core department. How are we supposed to function like this?" I wasn't yelling, but every word came out sharp. I could feel Caleb staring at me, probably wondering where I got the balls from. Mercy even leaned back in her seat a little, raising her brows like she was impressed, or amused. Mr. Biodun raised both hands. "Look, I'm not disagreeing with any of you. I'll escalate this, but for now, we need to hold off on the rest of the project until further instruction and If anyone has complaints, feel free to take it up with them directly. Send an email. March to their office. Scream at their doors, break down the walls of their offices if you want, I really don't care. But I'm not the one you should be pointing fingers at." Silence settled in the room, but it wasn't peaceful, it was the kind of silence that comes when everyone's biting back the urge to scream. "The meeting adjourned," he said finally. Chairs scraped. Files snapped shut. Everyone started filing out slowly, mumbling their frustrations. Caleb didn't move. He was still staring at me, lips tight and arms crossed. Yup. Definitely in for a long week. I grabbed my small handbag and moved to leave, but Caleb's voice low, menacing, stopped me. "So, that's your strategy now? Throwing a tantrum in a meeting?" he hissed. "Trying to play the hero for the new guy to notice you? Did you do all that just so Mike could see you fight for the team?" I stopped, turning back to face him fully. My previous calm had vanished, replaced by a cold, searing anger. "Are you hearing yourself? We just had our project budget butchered, and your biggest concern is what Mike thinks? Or what I think of him?" "I know what you're thinking," he sneered, finally rising from his seat. "The moment a new guy walks in who might actually have some money, you suddenly grow a spine for attention. You're predictable, Aida." I took a sharp step toward him, throwing caution completely out the window. "Predictable? You know what's predictable, Caleb ? You are. You're predictable in your relentless suspicion, predictable in your baseless jealousy, and predictable in always finding a way to make every professional crisis about your own insecure ego. Get over yourself." The silence in the room was now absolute. Several colleagues, including Mercy and a couple of others who had lingered, froze, pretending to adjust papers but clearly listening. Caleb's face went from sneering confidence to utter shock, then to a dangerous, low-burning fury. Before he could respond, a third voice broke the tension,a voice that was quiet, professional, and slightly weary. "Excuse me," Mike said, stepping away from the corner where he'd been quietly observing the spectacle.

AIDA I could see the disgust in Caleb's face as he turned to face Mike. "This has nothing to do with you" he said dragging me to a different corner in the room I didn't fight him when he dragged me toward the deserted corner near the seldom-used storage units after the meeting. The AC hummed softly above us, a dull contrast to his loud frustration. A few heads turned, pretending not to listen. They better not listen. I saw Mercy frown at me,I knew she was tired of him doing this to me but couldn't tell me. I knew the others were, too.

The disappointment wasn't just mine; it was reflected on every averted face. This tantrum, fueled by jealousy, was a predictable choreography I had mastered. I used to believe this intensity was the measure of his love, a protective instinct he couldn't control. Now, I simply understood it as his lack of control, his refusal to seek a better way to treat the woman he claimed to cherish. I couldn't recall the last time we had shared intimacy that didn't feel like a territorial skirmish. He used to write love notes on napkins. Now he throws tantrums in public like a child. It used to be me smiling at his passion. Now my skin crawls at the sound of his voice. It was me and him against the world. Now it is him against me. We were the IT couple. In my head though but regardless still. When did it get this bad? I watched the muscles around his mouth tense and release, forming rapid, soundless words. I had long ago learned how to shut down my ears and brain whenever he starts behaving like he doesn't have home training. It helps a lot with the pain and anger I usually felt when I listen to him So I watched him. After a few moments of zoning out I realized I didn't have the time for this no more. "Babe please, we're at the office, this isn't the right place to do all these" I said while gently rubbing his arm, feeling how strong the biceps are, The hardness of the muscle was immediately transporting, flashing me back to a time when that strength had been a source of comfort, not intimidation. Even now, in the middle of this mess, a confusing, unwelcome wave of residual physical hunger hit me, a painful reminder of what we used to be. He snatched his arm away, the rejection sharp and deliberate. I pulled my hand back and gave him one last look, not of anger, but of utter, final resignation, the kind that says I'm done trying without a single word. He can keep ranting. I've got reports to turn in, peace to protect and sanity to maintain. When I was just about to turn and leave, I heard footsteps. Without turning my head I could see the new guy's gaze on us - first on Caleb, then on me, his gaze lingered a little longer than it should have, then he walked past. "See what I'm saying!" Caleb finally spat out. I just walked away, leaving him standing there in the corner, muttering to the humming AC. Entering my tiny cubicle,a flimsy barrier against the day's events and rested my forehead on the cool, hard surface of my desk. Today is going to be a long day. And it was - but at least it eventually came to an end. At around 4pm before leaving i decided to text Caleb "..................I'm really sorry for what happened today, it wasn't my intention to make you feel that way". I couldn't come up with what to write cause I did nothing wrong, but for peace to reign I just had to send it . I stood up and left the office. I was standing in front of the building, battling the rush hour crowd and trying desperately to flag down a keke, when a nice, flashy white car, a vehicle that screamed generational wealth pulled up silently beside me. It was Mike. How the hell can an 'orientation trainee' afford that? I instantly dismissed the thought; clearly, his parents were wealthy, and this was just his playground. "Do you mind if I drop you off" His voice was soothing, Too soothing. The kind that makes you want to say yes to anything. For a second, I forgot Caleb was supposed to be coming out to meet me. "Naaa, I'm good. Maybe next time. Thanks for offering," I said, trying to seem cool and casual, but the smile I flashed was probably too wide and definitely strained. What is wrong with me? I'm sure he found my smile creepy. "Okay then, if you insist." He paused, his expression serious now, his composure slipping slightly. "Sorry to ask, but who was the guy I saw you with earlier". Fair question. "He's my boyfriend," I said, the words barely audible, just as Caleb's heavy presence materialized beside me. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend," Caleb cut in, his voice sharp and possessive. "So if you'd kindly move your car, we'd like to stop keke and be on our way, you're blocking the road." That was rude, unnecessary, and guaranteed to cost me my peace later, but I decided I'd talk to him when we got back to his place. I couldn't afford another public shouting match. "I didn't get your name," Mike said, completely ignoring Caleb's existence. His gaze was fixed solely on mine. "Mine's Mike." "Aida," I managed quietly, avoiding Caleb's eyes, the heat of his anger now radiating off him like a furnace. Mike gave us a small wave, honked once, and finally drove off. I could practically feel the heat radiating off Caleb. He was boiling in anger. This night won't be funny. Again. MIKE As Mike pulled the heavy door shut and merged into traffic, his eyes narrowed, the smooth white car serving as a shield. I walked into my apartment, kicked off my shoes, and collapsed onto the bed. The day had been long and that little scene outside the office didn't help. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Was that guy hurting her? She didn't exactly look scared, but still something felt off. I really hoped she was safe. Why am I this concerned? I shook off the thoughts, took off my clothes, and headed to the enormous marble bathroom. I turned on the tap to fill the deep, wide tub and admired the space while I waited. This bathroom, with its cool blue and white tones, felt like floating under a serene, private sky. Serene. Clean. Mine. Mine again. I eased into the jacuzzi, letting the cold water wrap around my body, seeking the mental reset I desperately needed. Knock. Knock. Ugh. Grace. I stepped out, wrapped a towel around my waist, and opened the door. "Oga, good evening. What would you like for dinner?" she asked, as polite as ever. With her usual smile. She had this two tribal marks on both cheeks that made her look like a bush cat, whoever did that to her face will not live well. "Egusi soup," I said, without thinking. "The one you brought me yesterday. Thank you." She nodded and headed off. The house was so quiet I could hear her soft footsteps echoing down the hallway. Ten minutes later, she returned, balancing a tray of food on her arms. "Your food, sir," she said, placing it gently on the glass side table. Just as she was about to leave, she paused at the door. "Oga... Big Oga say make you come down when you don chop finish. He dey wait for you," she added in pidgin. I smiled to myself. I loved how she switched from English to pidgin, Like family. "Okay. Tell him I'll be down shortly."