Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 7

4 years ago

Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 7

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We were all gathered together in my father in law’s office. Departmental heads have been summoned to an emergency meeting via phone call from the C. E. O’s secretary. However Jide my assistant and a teller officer also from my department were in attendance. Their purpose in the meeting was not known to me but I didn’t really pay attention.

We were all exchanging pleasantries and trying to figure out why the emergency meeting was called. No one seems to have a clue. I have always been the one to know these things but since that mighty revelation by Abigail about a month ago now, my father in-law has been keeping his cards very close to his chest.

He even asked me not to sign a single memo while also maintaining that all memos should still come to my desk afterwards I will then bring them to his table for signing and approval.

He also made a little adjustment in my work schedule. He invented a new slip which becomes the mark of approval for every single transaction. This slip is stamped with my official stamp but with no signature just date and then sent to the Operations department for the transaction to be carried out. All I have to do is deliver this slip to the Operations department while the original memo stays in his office. This arrangement of me not signing any documents was strictly between me and my father in-law. No one else knows.
So to every other person, I’m still the one in charge of approval.

All the while I’ve been living with a friend. My wife has refused to let me come back home nor even see my kids. I made a series of efforts to apologize to her to at least allow me to come home for a few hours to play with my kids but all to no avail. My mother won’t help, my father in-law won’t even discuss the issue with me and neither was Abigail anywhere within sight nor contact. The only person I could turn to was my mother in-law but there is just so little she could do. She is still struggling to deal with the news that I am about to father the children of her two daughters. The only way she helps is to bring my daughter Isabel to their house and allows me to come to visit her there.

My father in-law walks into the emergency meeting (looking seriously pissed) with about 5 Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) officers and closely behind them is Abigail – the author of my predicament – whom I have not seen since the incident. She didn’t even look at me and neither was she smiling.

The sight of her and these other goons made me want to bolt. It was like my spirit left and came back within seconds, but I held on. A billion thoughts crept through my mind. Is this the day I finally go to jail for all the crimes I didn’t commit? How could I be so stupid not to know that my coming back was a setup? Chai! Why did I even listen to my mum sef? I should have gone to Paris jejely.

I was deeply buried in this thought when my father in-law dropped the shocker! ‘A fraud of 96.4million Naira has been committed by some staff in this Company…………’ I have never seen this look on his face. He wasn’t even wearing this look when Abigail announced that I impregnated her. He looked like someone who is about to pass a death sentence, mean and remorseless, as if he feels no pain.

He continued ‘ unfortunately, this is not what we stand for at Grazmo oil. We pride our self in our integrity, transparency and honesty.

For some set of people to commit these crimes is totally unacceptable and not in conformity with our norms. The investigation has been ongoing for a month now, and after gathering enough evidence we can boldly say we know who the culprits are.

At this point, Jide was all smiles, passing a look at me as if saying ‘ you are dead today ‘. I was sweating profusely; I wish something could whisk me away from this place. This is all b***s**t and a grand conspiracy to see my end! I said a little prayer within me and I reassured myself that my God in Heaven will eventually vindicate me. I have never stolen 10kobo of the company’s money. I have spent personal money on official duties without seeking retribution. I have always lived with self satisfaction and great contentment.

One of the officers took over the speech from my father in-law ‘ the following staffs are under arrest and should please step forward as they will be going with us for questioning and interrogations………’ I was almost stepping out myself when the names were about to be called – ‘ Ogunmuyiwa Olujide! Ovienmwanda Patrick. You have the right to remain silent as anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law’………………………
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