Mr. CEO, I Cannot Be Hidden Anymore

Chapter 3

Amaka:

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

The house was a rented apartment, not one Mrs. Ann owned.

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

I was preoccupied, so I did not smile back. After what Joseph had done to me, I avoided smiling at any man. Joseph had broken up with me. He should have told me he wanted only s*x, not marriage.

I was a decent girl in my area, so my peers made me a laughingstock. They had not expected a good girl like me to get pregnant.

I wiped away my sobs and kept my gaze on the road. The man beside me spoke. "Hi, dear. I paid your fare."

"Huh?" I looked at him, taken aback that a stranger had cleared my bill. As I studied his face, I gulped. He was fair like me, with short brown hair like my son's. He was not Joseph Ericson, but he was handsome and masculine.

"Thank you, sir, but you should not have done that. I need no favors from you," I said as the bus drove toward our destination.

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

Gross. I hated it when a guy poked his nose into my affairs.

"I am sorry, sir., but I cannot tell you anything about myself. These days people get kidn*pped, and trusting a stranger is risky," I said, lowering my voice so as not to embarrass him with other passengers behind us.

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

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

I got down from the bus. The man in the black suit got down too. My brows furrowed. I wondered why he had no job at this early hour.

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

"What? He is not my husband," I told the conductor. He gasped. "Oh! Sorry, Madam. But you two resemble."

"Whatever." I turned and made my way to the company: J.E. Globals.

I did not speak to the tall man who walked with me. I believed that by the time I entered the company, he would leave.

As I reached the gate, the man checked in with his ID, and security man let him in. I was surprised the man worked there, but security man would not let me in.

"What do you want, madam?" the security man asked. "I am here for my interview," I replied. I showed him the email on my phone, and he let me enter.

I had to wait for my interview with the boss. The company was strict, as Maureen had told me. I had not researched the company. I believed I would secure the job.

I sat waiting for the boss to arrive. It was already 9 a.m. when he arrived.

I did not raise my head to look at the boss who walked into the company. I heard whispers from the other candidates for the interview. Ten of us had come for this job.

Soon, the lady in charge came with her folder to introduce herself, after telling us to 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 to partner with us and our goods and services. We will proceed with introductions. I am Anita Edward, your new coach. I will give this consent form to each of you. Once you sign it, you agree to our company's terms. Then I will assign you a partner to mentor you on our system. But first, you will go in one by one for your interview with our boss. Once he approves you and your reason to work with us, you can sign this form. Agreed?" She asked. I swallowed hard.

I sat in the lobby on the long guest chairs. I could see clients come in and out of the building. I was nervous, wondering who the man from earlier was.

No way the boss of J.E. Globals entered a bus like I did. I had money for a small car but did not want to show off.

I earned more money than Maureen, who taught me to blog. If I bought a car now, it would seem like I tried to compete with her. I did not know if that was how Maureen felt, but that was how I thought she might feel, so I avoided anything to piss her off.

She does not get pissed off, but I do not want to show off.

"Amaka Richard. It is your time 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 with my handbag?" I asked, unsure if I could carry it.

"No. Come with me." Anita led me to a safe where I could store my bag and keep the key until I returned.

"Thank you, ma," I told her. She smiled.

"Hurry and do not keep our boss waiting," she said.

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

I took a deep breath and entered the vast 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 company. 'Why had I not researched him? How had I forgotten to check the company?'

I tried to look away and leave his office. He appeared indifferent, as if he did not know me.

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

Unbelievable! 'Had I changed that much? How could he not recognize me after four years?'

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

"Excuse me, have we met before?" he asked. I shook my head. Since he pretended not to know me, I would pretend too. We had dated for one year before he ran away. How could he not recognize me?