Nelly had a score of exercises and mental notes stored in her head.
I am strong, focused, and a powerful woman.
a few other affirmations too.
But at that moment when their eyes locked, she felt her walls shattering yet again. It was something about his eyes and the way they showed no care at all that affected her deeply.
Still, she was certain she'd been seeing too much of him.
"There was no helping it," she sighed, and finally looked away. Then she sank into her desk.
A laptop sat open in front of her; she needed only to boot it and input the login details she'd received from HR.
It took her almost a whole day to complete her setup; it was her first time working, and it was tedious.
A horn blared in the compound, loud enough that the entire building could hear it. Just then, her phone buzzed again.
It was Amanda.
Don't tell me…
"What are you still doing inside?" a loud voice echoed as if she were in the same building.
She sighed, only then noticing the time.
4:30 PM.
How had she stayed this late?
Closing her laptop, she dashed out of the building.
"You know it's not allowed."
Nelly turned as she alighted from the elevator.
"What isn't?" She gaped at the security guard; it was the same one who'd come to drag her out on interview day. She hadn't been easy around him since.
"Staying beyond 4 PM…" His eyes flickered with care. "You only get two strikes."
She flashed him puppy-dog eyes and mouthed "Sorry" before dashing out.
By the next day, she'd done most of her setup, so before it was 12, she rounded up her surprisingly easy morning chores. With a lot of free time to spare, she headed to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria covered the entire floor, an expanse of space bigger than three times her apartment. Near the far end, opposite the door, was a counter, behind which professional chefs stood waiting for orders.
Nelly stood wondering, skimming through an imaginary dish she'd been meaning to try; the menu was just too diverse, from the best of local to international dishes.
"Um, you have to place your order fast," a timid voice sounded behind her.
Nelly turned around swiftly. "Sorry," she mouthed. Her eyes sparked at the petite girl with light skin standing behind her; she looked like a foreigner.
"It's fine. Are you new?" the petite girl smiled shyly.
"Yes, I'm Nelly." She watched strangely as the petite face brightened. "From the data department."
"Are you that Nelly?"
Nelly stared at her, confusion written on her face.
"The one that forced her interview."
It took another second for everything to click. Damn, just how much went around this office?
"Yes, I did force my interview." She hesitated, then sighed; there was no helping it. If she didn't admit it now, the rumors were sure to come out stronger.
"I'm Chioma, from marketing," the petite girl continued, trying and failing to hold back a giggle.
"Well, nice to meet you, Chioma. I hope—"
A sense of wrongness suddenly stopped her short. Only then did she notice another presence suddenly appear beside Chioma as they talked.
He was tall and incredibly dark; the wrongness had come from his smile and eyes. He was sizing her up.
She watched him whisper to the petite girl as she shifted uncomfortably. The gaunt figure of the man towered over her; Nelly felt pity for her.
"Hello Chioma, who might your friend be?" He smiled darkly.
"Peter," she moved slightly. "This is Nelly. She's new."
A roaring laughter tore through the entire hallway, reverberating through its corners as all eyes turned to them.
"Yes, yes, I'm that Nelly. Get the jokes out of your system."
"I'm Peter." He collected himself. "Welcome to Akor." He turned to Chioma. "Have you given her our unofficial rules?"
The petite girl's expression suddenly sank; Nelly saw a hint of terror before it dissipated.
She also struggled to place the name beside the empty desk in her office, but the lone picture frame hanging on the wall stopped her short.
Just then, the chef announced her meal was ready, and Nelly turned to receive it.
She felt his towering presence moving closer to her. A second later, Nelly froze.
She felt a hand squeeze her bum softly. Just as she picked up her meal.
A clangor echoed throughout the room as the metal tray crashed to the floor; what followed was the sound of ceramic ware breaking into a thousand pieces.
By now, there were over fifteen people in the hall, and before they could register what was happening, a thunderous slap reverberated through the room.
All eyes turned to her as Nelly the cat walked out of the hall.
A few minutes later, Nelly sat uncomfortably in her office, almost lost in thought but for the sharp signals her hand sent to her brain as it ached.
She could feel her anger rising, her blood boiling, and soon she couldn't take it anymore.
And at 12:30 PM on her second day, Nelly exited the office, irrespective of the murmurs and whispers behind her back.
She also set the record for the earliest closing staff at Akor Corp.
*****
A lone chandelier stood in the middle of a wide parlor; the space was neatly arranged, with four neatly designed cushions, one in each corner, though far from the wall.
It was in one of these that a tall model sat, her hair was tinted brown, her facial features were distraught by the anger that seemingly radiated from them, and on her lap rested a soft face that had long, shiny raven hair and an aquiline nose. Her eyes were closed and twitched occasionally as the model massaged her hand.
"I said you should tell me the bastard that did this to you."
Nelly had thought she was angry; knowing her friend, she had said a soft prayer, hoping the tall model wasn't at home.
Of all days, she chose today to rest. There were a few lies she could tell, but none could explain coming home almost 3 hours earlier than expected.
And now, she was terrified…for what Amanda might do if she found out.
"I told you, I hit my hand somewhere."
"That's why you had to come home early. You've always been a terrible liar."
Nelly closed her eyes, then turned as Amanda patted her cheek. She knew there was no stopping her friend, especially since she'd been looking for a reason to stop her from Akor.
Finally defeated. She sighed. "It was a guy at my office."
"I know, but that narrows it down to like 1000 people."
Nelly was surprised by the number Amanda had called. Had that many people come through the office? More importantly, how did her friend know?
She sneered. "Was it Kelvin?"
"No," Nelly shot back quickly. Amanda's face lit up. "He wasn't even in the office today." She retorted quickly.
"A guy named Peter," she said slowly.
Nelly had forgotten she hadn't told her friend the actual event that transpired, and she didn't imagine her friend could get any angrier. She was wrong.
"He touched your what?"