Bruce

Kenzie was the one who brought lunch to my office today. Seeing her reminded me of Natasha, my secretary for two years.

She had been loyal since and I wondered how she could have changed so terribly.

Kenzie was usually pleasant but today, she looked different. No doubt, everyone must have heard what happened with Natasha.

"Were you close with Natasha?" I asked her as I picked the cup of coffee. I could see Kenzie look nervous all of a sudden.

"No. No, sir," She replied frantically.

I looked at her and laughed. Of course, everyone wouldn't want to be associated with Natasha as it could cause them to lose their job.

"I checked the CCTV today. Both of you communicated nicely so I thought you might know her well..." I muttered, dropping the cup.

I stared at my fingernails, admiring how beautiful it looked. Such a meticulous being, I was.

"We only talk about work, boss. May I leave?" Kenzie asked.

I nodded and she seemed reluctant to leave. Later, she turned towards me.

"I think you should confirm if she really leaked those documents. She isn't the kind of person to do such a thing."

"Just act like you don't know her, Kenzie," I said calmly. "I might look calm on the outside but my blood boils on the inside. Now isn't the time to support the traitor."

"Yes, boss," Kenzie walked out as quickly as possible.

I picked my phone and called Kelvin, the one who took care of dirty matters.

He was my childhood friend. We attended the same school but the irony was that he was a scholarship student because his parents were so poor that they couldn't afford the expensive school fees.

My own family were the ones who funded the scholarship initiative.

While I went to study business administration in the university, I lost contact with Kelvin. Later, I found out he had joined the military.

Fate brought us together again after he was wrongfully dismissed from the military as a lieutenant. From then, he became my shadow. He was good at his job.

"About Natasha... Did you find out anything weird afterwards?" I asked over the phone.

"One of my men tailed her," Kelvin responded. "He watched her enter the head office of Mac Group." My heart sank.

"Now I know!" I exclaimed. "Baldwin must have offered her a better salary at his company. That's why she betrayed me. She went there to claim her new job."

"But..." Kelvin tried urgently.

"I have no reason to hear it!" I cut the call.

Out of anger, I slammed the phone against the wall as I paced back and forth. My fists were clenched and I was thinking about what I had to do to rid this humiliation and betrayal.

Baldwin McAllen was the CEO of Mac Group. His company was the fiercest rival of my company, Stamford Group. The competition was unhealthy and every time, Baldwin ends up using dirty means to get what he wanted.

I had always taken his jabs but this time, it had to be different.

I heard a knock on the door and before I could acknowledge, the door opened and Kenzie ran in. She was panting and she looked scared.

"There is urgent news from your grandmother, boss!" Kenzie said urgently.

"And why would my grandma call the receptionist's phone rather than me?"

I had barely finished this when I cast a look on my phone in pieces right before me. Right, I had slammed the phone by myself.

"Your grandma has collapsed!" Kenzie broke the news. I felt my heart skip a beat as well.

**How I managed to get to the hospital without an accident needed to be researched. I couldn't concentrate and the thought that my grandma, my last surving family, had collapsed got me so scared.

On arriving at the hospital, her condition had stabilized and I could breathe properly.

"Let me see you privately, Mr. Bruce," The doctor told me.

I followed him to his office and he had water served for me and my nerves cooled before he told me.

"It appears your grandmother might be dying soon."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"She has been treating cancer for a few years now. She wanted it kept from you before but I'm afraid it is at its terminal stage right now," The doctor said faintly.

"How long does she have left?" I managed to ask. I felt sick inside of me but I had to be a man.

"Three months," His voice sounded like a murmur. It felt as if my whole world had collapsed. I had difficulty breathing again.

"Are you okay?" The doctor was saying. "Mr. Bruce!"

"I'm fine," I managed to reply.

"Is there no other solution? I have money, you know that. Can't you do something? I'll pay for it no matter how expensive it is."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bruce," The doctor added.

"I can only advise that you spend the next three months with her, fulfill her wishes, and help her leave this world in peace."

When they told me grandma was conscious, I went in to see her. I didn't cry like the six year old who usually held onto her whenever he bruised his knee.

"Are you dying?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," She replied. "Come here."

I hugged her frail body and now, I couldn't hold those tears. She teared up too and she held me in her arms like I was a baby.

"Would you do me a favor before I die?" She asked me.

"Anything!" I shrugged. She was the most precious person to me and if I couldn't save her life, I would at least honor her wishes.

"Then, I want you to get married and live happily. That's the only way I will be able to rest in peace. Can you do that for grandma?" She asked carefully.

I held her hands now and looked into her eyes.

"Your wish is my command!" I nodded with tear filled eyes.

Natasha

I walked home full of regret. All would have been well if I never accepted Michael into my life.

He came with an agenda and he was successful. He never cared about my feelings. He had the guts to dump me publicly.

"He told me to relay these words..." The receptionist cleared her throat. "LET'S BREAK UP."

Perhaps, it was possible for words to run into one's bloodstream. I could feel anger surging in me when I heard that.

I was no longer in denial but I refused to leave the place without setting my eyes on Michael. He had to show up and tell it to my face. And he did.

The moment I set my eyes on him, I could tell he had changed totally. No, he simply brought out his real self.

"You're pathetic!" He told me. "I'm done with you and I won't tolerate any more noisemaking here. Leave quietly or you'll be arrested for disruption!" Then he turned and began to leave.

"Was everything a lie?" I asked him. I hated myself for being so clingy but it wasn't easy on my part. It had been a year of investing my time and effort into loving him as hard as I could.

"It's over, that's all I have to say!" Michael retorted.

I ran towards him and blocked his path. He screamed at my face for the first time,

"What the hell are you doing!"

"Those documents you stole from me..." I began confidently. "You have to take responsibility for that. I'm out of a job now. How are you going to fix this?"

"Get away!" Michael warned, staring at me with beast-like eyes.

"Not until you take responsibility!" I replied firmly.

I had barely strengthened my resolve when he pushed me away. I fell, hitting my butt on the floor. However, I didn't give up. I held onto his right leg as I sobbed. It was hard to bear.

"Fix this!" I cried.

Michael kicked me off his body and turned towards the receptionist who had been watching us since.

"Call the security guards instantly! What are you looking at?"

In no time, the security guards came around and took me out forcefully. I was dumped outside the gates and that was when it struck me. Yes, I just got dumped.

It was upsetting that I was more saddened about the brutal breakup than losing my job. However, I knew how futile crying would be.

I went home and laid on my bed while gazing at the ceiling. Time passed by slowly.

"Hey! Are you good?" That was Marie's voice.

Marie is 26 years old, making her older than me by a year. We were good friends and we particularly made a great pair.

We were roommates from college and as our bond was so unbreakable, we remained roommates after.

She was a struggling freelancer who took remote gigs.

"Where were you? You weren't at home when I came," I said shortly after she talked to me.

"Bajie wanted me to come over. I wasn't expecting you to come now anyway. You don't look great either," Marie commented as she looked around my room.

Bajie. He was Marie's longtime boyfriend. He was a freeloader living off his elder brother. Whenever I asked why Marie had such an unambitious man as a boyfriend, she would reply by saying love meant more than ambitions. It appeared she was right.

I dated Michael and with so much ambition, he stabbed me in the back.

"You are not fine," Marie concluded. "I think only part of you is here with me. Tell me what happened. I'll listen."

I told Marie every single thing that had happened. She never made any shocking expressions while I talked. She simply listened and when I was done, she sighed.

She fucking sighed! I tell you, Marie never sighs. She believes sighing burns a lot of calories.

"What are we going to do?" Marie asked out of concern.

"I will be fine," I muttered.

"Not you," Marie corrected me.

"We need to renew our rent in a few days. What will happen now that you don't have a job. You know work hasn't been going great for me recently."

I felt like correcting Marie on her impression.

Work had never gone great for her since she was more focused on Bajie than actual work. Work had never been great, not recently, never.

"I don't know," I sighed as well.

"Let's..." "EAT!" Marie exclaimed. I laughed with her and she hopped to the kitchen. She was going to cook something for us.

** "Delicious!" I exclaimed. "The pasta tastes different. It's a new recipe, right?"

"Yes!" She answered excitedly. "I thought about it months ago and when I made it for Bajie, he seemed to love it."

"Stop talking about Bajie. Are you mocking me now that I've been dumped?" I said sadly.

I was struggling emotionally, I knew that much.

"Stop thinking about that piece of trash! The nigga came to you with bad intentions from the start. Hate him for it, don't miss him!" Marie said firmly.

Those words did nothing to lift my spirits so I just smiled weakly.

I stared at the wall clock. It was 9:46pm. As my eyes fell to the table, my phone lighted up and I heard the ringtone.

I picked up the phone and checked the caller ID. BOSS! It was Bruce Stamford.

"Who is it?" Marie was asking. I didn't answer.

I placed a finger on my lips to signal her to keep quiet. I answered the call and listened with my heart racing.

"Come pick me up! Royal bar. Got it?" Bruce ordered.

I didn't even reply before he cut the call. He sounded drunk.

"I don't think you should go," Marie told me carefully. "You've been fired today. There is no reason he would call you back unless..."

"Unless?" I turned towards her.

"It is highly unlikely he wants you back but what if that's the case?" Marie's eyes lit up. "Get dressed properly and run over!"

Natasha

Having been Bruce's secretary for two years, I knew how rare it was for him to get drunk. He drank like every other person but never enough to get drunk. He loved to be clear headed every time.

Whenever he got drunk, it meant something really bad had happened. Maybe it was because of Mac Group stealing our project? I doubt it, it wasn't enough for Bruce to get drunk.

Anyway, I arrived at the Royal bar and rushed towards Bruce's usual seat. He was there and he looked wasted. The barman was a new one.

He winked at me. "Your boyfriend?" The barman asked.

"No," I replied. "How much did he drink?"

"Not enough to get drunk. He is bad at holding his alcohol, it seems," The barman retorted. "I'm a great drinker. Are you free this weekend? Let's have a drink!"

"Boss?" I called Bruce, paying no attention to the barman.

I checked his pocket and found his car key. I tapped him gently, hoping to rouse him.

"Why are you ignoring me?" The barman asked.

I turned towards him and he seemed taken aback by my sudden gaze.

"Focus on your job, lad. I'm not interested in having a drink with you!" I told him plainly.

Bruce woke up so I didn't need to engage the barman further.

"You are here, cutie!" Bruce said as he smiled at me. He was totally drunk.

I heaved a sigh and helped him up. I wondered if he had forgiven me and would accept me back as his secretary or if he was only acting this way because he was drunk.

I helped Bruce into his car and drove him.

All through, he either stayed quiet or said incomprehensible things. The security guard at his house knew me so I was allowed entrance without question.

"We are here!" I told Bruce. He didn't answer but he opened the door and staggered outside.

I held him and helped him into his room. I tucked him in and while doing this, I wondered if he was my kid.

As I was about to leave, he held onto me. I turned around. "Don't go," He said in a voice that sounded more like a whisper.

"I have to go, boss. It's late," I muttered. However, he wasn't listening.

He dragged me to bed with him and held onto me. My first instinct was to push him away but it dawned on me that he wasn't a predator. He was more like a kid in dire need of love.

He wrapped his hands around me and held onto me as if I was his last hope. I recognized that move and I pat him gently, soothing him. I will leave after he falls asleep, I told myself.

** "What the fuck!"

Bruce's voice woke me up from my deep slumber. He had jumped off the bed and I did the same right after opening my eyes. I had fallen asleep while soothing Bruce.

"What happened? Why are you here?" Bruce asked. He looked in dire need of answers.

"Yesterday, you called me. I picked you from the bar and brought you home," I explained.

"I called you?" Bruce asked and began to laugh. "How would I call someone who betrayed me for another company? That's impossible!"

Fuck! I closed my eyes and reopened them.

Bruce found his phone and he seemed to be going through his call logs. His countenance changed when he found out he had truly called me.

"I was drunk! You should tell me why you spent the night here in the same bed with me? Is this your new plan with Baldwin? You want to ruin my image with a scandal now!" Bruce retorted angrily.

"No, you held onto me," I told him. "I wanted to leave but you refused to let go of me."

"Impossible!" Bruce exclaimed. "How come I have no memories of that? Just tell the truth. Your new plan is to blackmail me, huh! Did you take pictures? You didn't rape me, did you?"

"Stop being dramatic and listen up!" I shouted in frustration. I got his attention, alright.

"Everything happened coincidentally. My boyfriend, Michael, stole the documents without my knowledge. I have no ties with Baldwin or Mac Group. That is the only truth!"

"Why should I believe you? Do I look like a fool that can be played?" Bruce asked, showing no emotion.

"I worked for you for two years, boss. Did you have no trust in me?" I asked him plainly.

"I did..." He replied. "Not until the first place you entered after I fired you was the head office of Mac Group. You tell me you have no connections to Mac Group? Stop being shameless and get out already!"

I took a deep breath. "I didn't go there for the reason you think! I went there for..." I was saying when he interrupted.

"I have no interest in your lies," Bruce said while acting nonchalant.

"However, there will be an issue if you overstep your bounds. A scandal about me and you won't be appreciated. We never had sex, I can tell that. Don't push your luck!" He moved towards the door and opened it.

I knew better than to stay behind. I left on foot, more discouraged than I was yesterday.

** "It didn't go well," I told Marie simply. She sighed on hearing this news. I put on a fake smile, assuring her that everything would be fine.

"I will get us a new house with my savings. It will be smaller than this place though."

"Yeah," Marie muttered. She looked nervous. I didn't think much of this and proceeded to look for houses.

I found one that fitted my budget. I was going to show Marie but she wasn't at home. I concluded that she had gone to Bajie, her boyfriend.

I was going to transfer the money in my savings account to my regular bank account when I found out.. Savings balance: $0.00

What the fuck!