24 - ODD DEAL
“Lucas is a big-time stakeholder,” Mary was on her feet in the boardroom. “We can’t let Grey handle him with such contempt”
The boardroom was quiet except for Lola’s voice whose effects rattled in their ears. Height-wise, she looked like a teenager in their midst, but her seat was right next to Grey’s own. The number two folk of the room.
“You all knew what it took us to get a man his ranks to our side, and what use he had been to us in this company, and here we have a reckless CEO whose damn dream is to cast our biggest bird into the pits, just for a tiny little butterfly flying round his mind.”
“You speak in idioms, lady,” said one of the fellas in the room. “Maybe you should use words the way they are and with the right sound if you don’t fucking mind.”
“Your CEO wants us to do away with Lucas just because of his personal assistant whom he’s gone south with.” Mary hollered with a smirk.
The room went bananas with murmurs. That’s a clear hit in the head for her. Grey would lose if he didn’t have anything good to say.
“I have a question to ask,” another fella raised a hand.
“Go on, I have answers, said Mary.
“Did Grey talk of getting kicked out of the boardroom, or was it about the case we heard of?” the fella asked.
Mary snapped her fingers. “Look, Grey knows what he is up with, he wants to jail one of the most important members of this board.”
“Most important abductor and rapist in Stalingrad’s list today,” another member said. He was sitting at the last edge of the table, so, Mary could see him eye for eye.
The room went silent. No one had touched the coffee cups on the table, neither were they ready to draw quick conclusions in the absence of Grey who was yet to report to the room.
Lola sat quietly observing what Mary and the board members had to say.
“Don’t tell me you summoned us here to defend a board member who abducted and raped an employee of this company,” the new hero stood up. “Listen, Mary, I understand how important Lucas is in this room, but trust me, he can never be a genius like the number one man, Grey.”
At least someone at the table had a correct judgment and wasn’t quick to support Mary.
Mary couldn’t utter a word. If the man could say such over Lucas, what then would he say if she proposed what she has in mind to say?
“Everyone, look,” the man continued. “Mary is a lady, I bet she will demand Lucas’s life if Lucas should do the same to her.”
Mary clenched both fists. The man had effortlessly stolen the audience, and he was right with his words. She looked around to see if she would find support but no one amongst them seemed interested in backing off the wrong of Lucas.
“Look, I don’t see any need for this morning’s convention in this room,” the man wasn’t done yet, “I suggest we call it off and get back to what puts bread on our damn table.”
“You shouldn’t say such things about a fellow stakeholder.” Said Mary. “You don’t want a brother to go to jail, would you?”
“Ask him if he will sell me his stake, I’ll pay twice the worth of it.”
***
“Today was a mess for her.”
“She thought she was that smart to make a fight with the biggest boss.”
Lola’s neighbors were busy with their little gossip. They had both either been around the boardroom, or, they might have heard from those who eavesdrop on the boardroom and the board members.
They pushed open the door to their office, and low, they saw Lola, busy in her cubicle with files that hadn’t been attended to in her absence.
“Is that not Lola?” one of them asked.
Lola looked up from her cubicle and smiled at them. “Yes, it’s me.”
They scurried over to her cubicle, but just then, someone banged hard on the door. they all spurned to see who it was. Mary! She was the one at the door, with her men, three, in suits and black glasses.
They were definitely there for Lola.
“Lola,” Mary said with a smirk, “ladies, can you please excuse us.”
Lola’s neighbors nodded and off they went from the office. Lola rose to her feet. She wouldn’t sit while Mary was up for talks. Maybe she had come for a second negotiation attempt or a threat. Who knows.
“Lola, you told me you would tender your resignation letter just yesterday,” Mary uttered. “What now is your business in this cubicle?”
Lola inhaled. “I never said such.”
“You dare lie to me?”
“I didn’t say such.”
Mary smiled. It was clear, she was out of options. Lola might be the hardest nut to deal with. She isn’t ready to bow and let her play with her ass.
“Look, I’m here to make it clear, Lola,” Mary edged to the cubicle and held onto its edge. “Your days in this place a fucking numbered. You won’t last a year before I smoke you out.”
She tapped three times on the cubicle and walked away with his men, but she stopped suddenly at the doorway. She wasn’t done yet.
Lola held her breath. Of course, Grey could help Lola if Mary decides to have her tossed out of the company, but Grey hasn’t shown up yet. It’s just the two of them in the space.
“I forgot to inform you that I doubled the offer,” she walked back to the cubicle she left. “Five million bucks is too much for who doesn’t know the value of money, but it’s a befitting offer for you to get your ass out of this city and let Lucas be.”
“I’ll wait for your response,” said Mary. “Choose wise, you can’t fight the rich.”
She turned away from Lola and waited for a while. A normal person will accept the deal without a thought, but Lola is quiet. She was not normal.
“I’ll wait till tomorrow morning if I don’t hear from you, I will open my arsenal and choose the choicest weapons.”