Mr. CEO, I Cannot Be Hidden Anymore

CHAPTER 4

(Amaka’s POV)

“I’m sorry, sir. I was mistaken. I thought you were someone I knew before,” I replied as his blue eyes held mine.

“It’s fine. Come ahead for your interview,” he said, his tone casual. “Why do you want to work here with us?” He clicked on his laptop keyboard like he was going through my credentials.

I was affected seeing him, but the fact that he acted like he didn’t know me again or recognise who I was made me tremble.

“Hello?” He raised an eyebrow and looked at my face.

“Right. I am a digital marketing student, and I graduated with distinction. I believe I will help your company in marketing their products and services online,” I responded, my gaze lowered as I tried not to look at his face.

Joseph had changed, and he looked more masculine and handsome. My son resembles him, only that Jason was fair-skinned like me.

“I see,” Joseph replied and clicked on his mouse.

“I only employ staff who are committed to their jobs and don’t breach my company's agreement. If you dare to breach my company's agreement, you will have to pay a fine of five million for it,” he warned, and I gulped hard.

“Okay, sir. I am an honest person, and you don’t have to worry about that,” I replied, lowering my gaze and avoiding his striking blue eyes.

“Hmm,” he agreed. “You can meet with Anita to sign up with her.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied, standing up from the guest chair as I looked at his face once more.

Joseph had returned his gaze back to his laptop, and I cannot believe that he doesn’t recognise me.

Did I change? My eyes welled up in tears, and he looked at my face.

“What’s the problem, Madam?” he asked, meeting my gaze, and I searched his handsome dark face to see if he was affected by me. But none.

“Nothing, sir.” I swiftly replied, blinking my teardrop away as I moved out of the guest chair.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look back as I left his office.

I wanted to resign from working here. But this was the very first job that I would be getting after graduating.

How can my child’s father be the owner of this establishment? Was that really Joseph Ericson?

I looked back as his office door closed with an inscription: CEO — JOSEPH ERICSON OFFICE.

My brows furrowed upon realising he was the one. I looked away and met Anita’s curious gaze on me, and she asked me, “How did it go?”

“Oh!” I smiled, seeing the other newcomers looking at me. They were all fresh-out graduates too, five young men and four women.

“It went well, Ma,” I replied, keeping my voice calm. “I was just a bit emotional. Can I see the document?”

“Sure.” She replied and gave me the documents to look at. I quickly read the terms and conditions of working for them.

It was an exclusive agreement, meaning I wouldn’t get to work for another company or to tarnish their group name.

I sighed and signed it, even though a part of me didn’t want to.

I wanted to know if Joseph had a memory loss for failing to recognise me.

It had only been four years, and he was acting like he never knew who I was. Why was I so affected seeing him?

I took my copy of the agreement and kept it in my bag, while Anita informed me. “You will have to wait to meet with your new coach.”

“Alright, Madam,” I replied, moving to sit waiting.

After a while, Anita came and said, “Come with me. You will be working under Simon Braxton. He’s our marketing manager, so you can assist him with his job.”

“Okay, Ma,” I replied and followed her into Simon’s office.

The company was a five-storey building, and I was surprised to see Simon was the same man who had paid my transport fare earlier in the morning.

Unlike Joseph, Simon smiled and welcomed me. “Have your seat, pretty.”

“Simon! You should know that such a compliment ain’t allowed here, except you want to lose your job,” Anita warned him, but he laughed it off.

“Don’t be jealous, Anita. I know her before, so move away,” Simon responded happily. “It’s nice meeting you again, pretty. What’s your name?” He met my gaze, ignoring Anita’s threat.

“Do not say that I didn’t warn you,” she grimaced, pulling Simon’s office door open and left us, leaving me alone with him.

I braced myself forward to take a seat.

“Is everything alright, Miss?” Simon asked, looking concerned at me. I was sure that my face had turned red.

“Yes, sir. I’m fine,” I replied, taking out my white handkerchief from my skirt pocket and wiping my face.

“Oh, please do away with the sir. Just call me Simon, okay? I am not that old, and the boss is older than me, if you ask.” Simon flashed me his nice set of white teeth, and I was forced to smile at his words.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So we get to work today. How fate works,”Simon grinned, and I smiled back.

“I will contact the company security men to set up your office here. You should know that we will be getting along so that I can lecture you, before you move to your personal space,” Simon said, leaning against his chair, and I looked around his office.

Just like Joseph’s office, Simon’s office was painted in white, and he had a large desk with his laptop and other computing devices before him.

“Alright. So my work starts today?” I asked him, and he replied, “Yes. Or do you want to go home?”

“No. I am fine,” I replied, and he smiled.

“Alright. Let me call the security man to come and set up your office. I believe that will make our work easier.” Simon picked up his telephone and placed a call, and a security man came in.

The security man wore a white top, black trousers, and black boots.

“You sent for me, Simon,” he said.

Simon pointed at me and replied, “Yes. Get a new office desk, chair and laptop for my assistant.”

The security man stared at me and replied, “On it.”

“Oh! I forgot my handbag. Let me go and get it,” I told Simon, and he smiled.

“Feel free.”

Once I stood up from Simon’s guest chair, I stepped out of it and exited his office. His office was on the fifth floor, and likewise the boss’s office.

Some staff worked on the fourth and second floors, as the third floor was their meeting hall.

Anita already lectured me about the company's floors when I accepted the document and signed the contract with her.

I went back to the locker to take my bag and kept the key.

As I turned to head back to Simon’s office, Anita walked out of the boss’s office and smiled at me.

“How’s your work with Simon going? You shouldn’t pay any heed to his flirt and know that the boss’s office is just next to his. Most of the offices have glass walls to keep watch of whatever is going on. And also CCTV footage.”

“Oh!” My cheeks flsuhed. “You don’t have to worry about all that. Simon and I just coincidentally met today in a bus, and I have not really known much about him,” I replied.

“Oh! That’s fine. You’re free to reach out to me if you need further assistance. Take care, Amaka,” she said.

“Alright,” I replied, watching Anita walked away to her transparent glass office still on this fifth floor and across from the boss office.

I sighed and went back to Simon’s office to join him.

I was consciously aware that the boss was watching us in his office. They had cameras and also glass walls demarcating the offices from one another.

“Are you alright?” Simon asked, looking concerned as I stepped into his office to join him as the company’s new digital marketer.

“Yeah,” I replied, and he smiled.

“Oh, here’s your new chair and your small desk. It will keep you comfortable, alright,” Simon said, gesturing to the new desk and chair set up in his vast office.

“Oh! Thank you,” I replied with a warm smile, and he rose from his chair, walking over to the new desk and chair to meet me.

“You shouldn’t thank me, Amaka,” Simon replied with a warm voice. “We are like partners now, so my duty is to make your work easy.” He leaned beside me as I sat on the new chair.

“Alright,” I replied, watching him turned up the laptop to test it.

I shifted my focus on the laptop screen loading and watched him set it up.

“You will have to fill in your name, password and register with the company. Any further assistance, reach out to me.” Simon rose from my desk once he was done setting up the laptop, and I smiled at him.

“Thank you,” I replied, watching Simon move back to his chair, and I focused back on the laptop.

I looked around and at the glass wall, wondering what Joseph was up to.

The glass was dark, and I couldn’t see the next office. However, I felt nervous knowing that I was under surveillance.