✨✨ANNIE WEMBLEY✨✨

I excused myself while he got on the phone with his father. I heard the hard tone of his voice on my way out. His father surely made him uncomfortable because he had a tight look on his face, clenched phalanges, and slouched posture when he was on the phone with him.

I knew little about Bernard White other than the fact that his name stood out in the elite class, a respected figure in the billion-dollar company. In short, their surname was a way maker in the world we lived in. Everyone wanted to be affiliated with wealth, they were the matrix and had access to whatever resources were needed. Then people like me were somewhere below the pyramid scheme hoping to one day climb to the top. It was wishful thinking.

I sat on a recliner by the door and got acquainted with the enormous space. He'd put in effort at shaping part of his home into an office. There were nice leather rows of seats in one corner where I sat. Then a huge aristocratic painting of the three generations of the White family hung before me. I hardly noticed it on my way in.

I recognized the eldest of them, must've been his late grandfather, and the man in between was Bernard White but what I couldn't figure out was the youngest one of them. He had a strong resemblance with Bernard but looked nothing like Jeremy.

I weighed the similarities, the young man in the picture had honey-brown hair, full lips like it was artificial, and a dubious look in his eyes. They were similar to that of Bernard. I've always had this dark feeling towards the old man like he wasn't all that he seemed. So my question is, why was Jeremy absent from the family picture?

Before I could think deeper I heard my boss's voice from behind the door. He was upset about the call. As he spoke his temper rose.

"I'll not approve of the product because it is not what the market needs, we need solutions to everyday health challenges, not some stupid booster that's damn well sold everywhere else!" He paused to listen to the person on the other line.

"Dad, you put me in charge of your company so why don't you let me handle things my way instead of trying to run me down? I've had meetings with our production line, our marketing department and the rest of them and we decided not to go in for the catch, rather we solve health problems which will yield us more income than the former. If the board doesn't approve of it then that's on them_" he paused halfway. "Dammit! I'm done talking about this."

I heard the phone beep and his frustrated grunt and just as I was about to go back inside I saw the housekeeper walk in with none other than Mr. Smith, the HR manager.

"Hi sir, it's good to see you here," I said awkwardly.

He didn't pretend to like me at the moment, "Mh," he murmured, gesturing to the other woman to be on her way.

"You dropped that suspension letter on my desk yesterday right?" He whispered icily.

"I'm sorry sir but the CEO was adamant, I tried talking_"

"Don't_patronize me Annie because you were the one who put me in that mess, so yeah—you should have begged on my behalf. But you didn't."

"I tried, Mary and the others were having a difficult life because of the poor treatment." I lamented.

"And I'm not?" He charged at me, I took steps back.

"Pray he has a change of heart or else..." the manager seethed before heading into the office.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and my mind flew back to mom's health. I hadn't heard from Wendy since then, I got scared that something bad might have happened so I checked my messages and to my uttermost dismay, it was a reminder from him.

"Three days is off your time limit, I hope the ropes are coming in tight?"

My heart dropped. I'm once again reminded of my evil ambitions, of the cuffs that bind my hands and must be unshackled by doing his bidding. There was no choice on this, it's what I have to do to get my family back, merely a reparation for the wrong they did to me and my family, and they well deserve it.

I was relieved at the thought of having to come back here for more work, I have a hunch I'll find something good if I sniff around a bit. His home office seemed more of a private place for hidden agendas than the other and if I get my hands on any implicating information then I won't have to go the length to seduce him.

After what seemed like forever, the door cracked open and they both stepped out. Mr. Smith with an appreciative attitude bowed and thanked the CEO nonstop.

"Thank you again sir for your honest consideration, there won't be a repetition of the past, I promise," he said tugging at the button of his brown suit. I watched him snarl at me as he walked past, indirectly saying I was lucky he got a second chance. Phew!

"Have you had lunch, Miss Wembley?" A voice spoke beside me, I turned around to see he was standing nearby and his question threw me off.

"I—uhm, no I haven't," I searched my mind for a sensible word but came out blank.

"I'll have Danti drive you to the nearest eatery for some food." he began to pull out his phone but I stopped him.

"No don't, I'll just help myself with something from the kitchen."

"The kitchen?" He asked surprised. "There's nothing in the kitchen," he admitted.

"But the_" my words stuck again.

"The housekeeper? She only cooks dinner, I don't eat breakfast and lunch."

My eyes flared up in shock. "Why's that?" I gasped before realizing I'd overstepped my boundaries. "I'm sorry to have asked, I'll just drive down somewhere and eat." my face turned red with embarrassment as I left.

The fact that his expression was always unreadable irked me. Why can't I figure out what he was thinking at the moment?

After the day's work, I headed to the hospital to see Mum. I wanted to let her know there was nothing to worry about and that I would keep providing money for her care. She felt guilty as a mother for letting her daughter bear such a heavy burden. I barely finished college when she got sick and quit her job, it threw me off balance because for months I had to work odd jobs to keep the family going and for Wendy's sake.

I stopped at the door to her room and sighed before proceeding to enter.

"Annie!" She called out joyfully. She sat up on her bed and a magazine on her lap. She looked better than the day before, it was amazing how one could go from dead to alive in a matter of days.

I advanced further and wrapped her in a tight hug. She smelled of baby soap and I loved it. When I loosened from her embrace, I peered deep into her eyes, there was a faded brown iris, weak perhaps as a result of her health condition, her beautiful hair was thinning, not from old age and her body so frail from tiredness.

"How was work? Did you get a chance to ask your boss for a raise?" She asked innocently.

I shook my head, unable to speak.

"Oh that's sad, how are we going to pay for your sister's fees, she's been going on about their school trip next month and I don't want her to be left out." she lamented. "I should let the hospital discharge me so I can get a job and assist you"

"No Mom, don't worry about all of that. I'll have everything settled by next weekend. You don't have to get a job in your condition, I won't allow that." I finally found my voice and spoke.

I knew that face, the one that came with regrets. Mom sat in reminiscence of what would or wouldn't have been.

"What are you reading?" I diverted her attention from whatever sad thought she was having.

"Oh," she hissed at the paper on her lap. "I came across Gardenia Inc. I read that multiple branches were opened in seven different countries in the space of one year—such progress for a company that doesn't care about humanity."

I sat speechless, my heart raced furiously.

She gazed down at me and I could see the pain in her eyes. "The world is an unfair place for people like us dear, justice is a mere charade put up by the rich to numb the poor, it doesn't exist." her voice got softer and melancholic.

"I hope they all suffer in one way or another for the pain they caused me and my family, and my friends who were also affected." I held her hand, my eyes red with unshed tears.

"They will Mom, very soon," I assured.

She palmed my face and spoke to me. "And I'm also grateful that you rejected their offer for the job when it came, I know it was a tough choice then but at least you work in a more respectable company than Gardenia."

Oh hell!