Though he had got by and pulled himself up to where he was now, he still had difficulty relating to those around him. But he didn‘t want it any other way; he preferred being emotionally inaccessible. Otherwise he would be vulnerable, sensitive to others; and open to the kind of heartache which he vowed never to feel again. Life was much better this way; you wanted something, you went after it and you got it. If you became tired of it, or it became tired of you, you let it go. Yes, that was his modus operandi and he stuck to it.
So what was this feeling that made the hair on the back of his neck prickle so? He shook his head, he must be mistaken; there couldn‘t have been any feelings in his heart for Gladys. In fact there was no heart for that to be possible.
Then why didn’t you stop? You say you want her; you make elaborate plans by driving past her address daily for the next several weeks; and now you see her what do you do? You deliberately speed past, instead of offering a ride like you planned.
He didn‘t know how to rationalize it to himself. “Damn it!” he swore, silently. Nothing was happening to his heart, He wouldn‘t allow it. Edward was still in this frame of mind when he walked into his office suite.
“Sir, the others are waiting for you in the boardroom.” His secretary looked up at him with a frown. Despite the time that had passed, they had not become at ease with each other like he‘d been with his previous secretary. He relied more and more on his personal assistant, Ogbonna. He grunted a reply and marched into his office. On his way back out, he asked her to contact the PA and for both of them to join them immediately with the necessary files.
After a flurry of phone calls and unsolicited email from the broker, Edward had gone against his previous judgment and made this second appointment with Mr. Odusote. He wanted to go beyond his gut feel and see what his investment and accounts people had to say. He had sent them copies of the proposal and invited them to a round-table meeting.
Mr. Odusote was seated on the near side of the gleaming table. Edward pumped his hand before taking his place at the top. The company secretary, Mrs. Olayomi, and his lawyer, Benibo, were to his right. They‘d been with him for five years each. Beside Mr. Odusote was the accountant, Odili. When they bought the quoted company and pulled his diverse interests under it, Odili had bought up a substantial share of the stock and became Chief Financial Officer. The director of finance, Mr. Ogunnaike, and Mr. Okereke, the manager of Capital Investment Fund were also in the room. Ogbonna and the secretary walked in and settled next to the lawyers.