Toba's Christianity was on a shaky grounds but as he got out from his car in the company's parking lot, he knew for a fact that God answered prayers. She was there, leaning against her car and typing in annoyance on her phone. She gave a subtle hiss and stomped away in her red bottom heels.

She hadn't noticed him yet and even though he had this urge to walk at her pace and catch up with her, he fought it. Considering the fact that she was as early as he was, she was working here and mixing business with pleasure was not ideal.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his tie, clutching his briefcase tighter than he would have wanted to. Toba wasn't exactly sure what he was going to meet considering this was his first time being at the Lekki branch. The employment change was so sudden— too drastic.

The M.D of this branch had retired all of a sudden and usually while the job could have fallen to the COO or CFO of Golden Crest Construction Lekki he was whisked up from his position as general manager at Ikeja Headquarters and brought here.

"We need to focus on operations right now so the CFO can't take his place. And you know, other factors," Mr. Okoya had told him a few weeks ago. "I don't like giving these white people too much power. I still remember how I was trampled upon when I travelled as a young boy overseas to make it."

He had told the Nigerian staff a good number of times how he washed toilets in America. "These white people are just good for decorating you know... Flaunt them at important meetings and let them talk to clients. The COO is out of question. Young girl like this... I know she's good at he's job but...You know won't have that experience to be M.D. "

Toba has been confused because the COO he had exchanged emails with was Dr. Kennedy. What did he mean by young girl?

He shrugged it off. He was young himself but he figured that it was easier to replace him as general manager and hire someone new in Ikeja, but GCC could not just being in a random person to become M.D. You had to work for it.

"I told you that you are a favored child," Mummy Nweke had said when he gave the testimony last Sunday after church. "You had so many people above you in Ikeja, now you're going to be a whole M.D, at your small age."

He took a deep breath and walked into the building, sliding his card in place while waiting for the green beep. Today he was going to be given a tour of the place, introduced to the staff and try to settle down for the next few weeks. Doing the boring things like going over a pile of documents.

"God help me," he muttered and walked forward, stopping a few inches in front of a white man about six foot two with a raunchy beard and pot belly camouflaged by an oversized suit. "Dr. Lewis," he greeted and extended his hand.

"Ah, Toba good to see you again. And like I said, it's just Lewis to you." His accent had faded somewhere between an American one and a Nigerian one. Toba had met him severally at the headquarters but not the woman standing beside him.

He had met her once— at a supermarket.

"This must be your... Secre..." He began with a raise of his brows but was cut off abruptly.

"Actually the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Kennedy," Dr. Lewis said with a look that told him to be careful. To choose his words wisely around this woman who was now staring daggers at him. "I don't believe you two have officially met."

"We sure have exchanged tons of emails," Ireti gave him a tight smile. He was going to offer his hand for a shake but remembered her lecture the other day. Women were meant to extend their hands first.

"Ireti this is Toba from Ikeja," Lewis said to her. "He will be taking over the position of the managing director."

Ireti's head was burning as she stared at him from head to toe. She had not expected the patriarchy to run this far but then again, she was not surprised. The only reason she had moved this far up was because of the CFO in the company who did not care much about patriarchy. He had somehow managed to convince the now retired M.D of GCC Lekki that the general manager that she was at the time, was fit to be COO. He had managed to convince the man that she was better than his son who was newly a graduate to take up the position.

And when she became COO, other staff were slapped in the face by having a fresh out of school corper become the general manager.

She knew from the start she could never manage the Lekki branch but did not think that the owner of GCC will slap Lewis in the face as well. He could have made him the new managing director and brought in someone as CFO.

"Am... Am I missing something?" Lewis asked, staring between the both of them.

"Let us get this over with," Ireti said sharply, taking her gaze away from him. "We show you the in and out of the company, have a brief meeting with the other executives and introduce you to the staff."

"Sounds like a plan," Toba replied.

"The important documents have been emailed to you and you will be shown some hardcopy files as well." Lewis led them to an elevator, the security guard pushing a button and moving out of the way for them to step in.

"Yes, I've gone through them."

Lewis began to do most of the talking as soon as they got our of the elevator. Toba was not paying attention, rather he was drawn to staring at the side of Ireti's face as he's jaw clenched and unclenched, contorting in uncontrolled anger, or was it annoyance?

He couldn't quite tell why exactly she seemed to have a problem with him, glancing at her watch every now and then like she could not wait for the tour to be over.

"I will leave you two to it." She looked at her watch once more. "I am to meet with Mr. Ibijoye."

Lewis eyes widened. "Of course. Do not forget, executive meeting by three in the afternoon."

"I don't forget things Lewis, we both know that." For the first time, ireti's smile was genuine. If not a bit cocky.

"I would like to have a meeting with you after that." It took Toba a ton of mental strength to say those words.

"What is the meeting about?"

"I think what she means to say is that she will see you as soon as she can," Lewis interrupted and patted her back. "You should go so you're not late." He shoved Ireti lightly.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The only male species in Golden Crest Construction that Ireti could stand were the security men and Lewis, the chief financial officer. The rest were too pompous and offended by her position as a woman when they could not do half of what she had done even if presented the opportunity.

Now she was going to have to deal with one more— the new managing director who has happened to hit on her in a supermarket a few days back.

Ireti smiled slightly because she could already guess what his game would be— it was the game of almost every male staff in the company. She did not blame them though; there were limited women in the company if you excluded cleaning staff. These women, mostly secretaries and receptionists whose pants were rumoured to be easy to sink into because they were dying to get the attention of the bosses.

She knew most of the rumours were true but she still took it with a hint of skepticism because rumours surrounded her as well. It was always easy to overlook how well a woman did her job to land her a position simply because they had legs to spread. Legs were supposed to be lesser work than getting a job done.

Sha sighed, running her hands through her bob wig as she stood in front of the reflective glass that was the door to his office. She pushed it open, intending to offend him by her lack of knocking.

"You requested to see me." She took a seat on one of the chairs opposite him at his desk.

"Etiquette demands you knock on the door and also demands you to wait to be offered a seat," he said with a smirk. "Keep that in mind for next time. Like I did."

She cocked her head to the left and he felt blood rush to his groin at that small gesture. She did not even have to touch him.

God have mercy. "You know...the handshake thing the other day. I remembered today."

"Is this meeting about etiquette or do you have something important to say?"

"You seem to have a problem with me."

"Not yet, but eventually." She picked up a small orb he has placed do decorate the desk and examined it. "In fact I already do have a problem with you. Right from the moment we saw each other at this company."

Toba racked his brain for what he might have said or done to her. She had made it a point to note that it wasn't anything related to the supermarket. Then it clicked.

"I apologize. I assumed you were his secretary."

"Hm," her lips were in a grim line. "A bit... Sexist? Stereotypical? I mean, a young woman beside the CFO... One automatically assumes she's a secretary."

"Well—"

The raise of her brows shut him up. "You knew you were meeting with the COO and CFO at the lobby but it was convenient to assume I was a mere secretary."

"There's nothing wrong with being a secretary. Stop saying it like it's not humans who are secretary," Toba threw his hands up in a exasperated motion. "And in my defense our paths have never crossed since I've worked for GCC. I emailed a 'Dr. Ire Kennedy', nothing about that screams feminine."

"Ire is gender neutral."

"Yes but... I mean... I have male friends named Ire."

"I'm sure you've met female Ire's before but it was convenient to assume it was a male because it was the COO of lekki branch you emailed, easy to assume I was male because I had Dr. In front of my name but mostly because of my position."

"You are unbelievably difficult and rude. It's not that deep, why are you making it a big deal?"

"Not that deep?"

"Yes. Actually I feel you're not offended by it because you probably expect people to think of you as anything other than COO," he said. "You just have a problem with me being here for reasons I do not know."

"If there is nothing of importance you'd like to discuss, I shall be on my way."

"No. I haven't dismissed you."

"Who do you think you are?" She asked. Her look of irritation towards him made Toba want to back down. He wanted to do everything to not make this woman hate him, bend to her will but this was work and he had to assert his dominance.

"I don't think of who I am," he said in a cool tone. "I know who I am, and that is your boss whether you like it or not. Do not question my authority."

She scoffed and sashayed out of his office.