The Secret
I could not sleep all night. Everything that he had said to me pricked at my heart and let loose some blood.
I wasn't sure when my insides would become all bloated with blood to the point that everyone would see that I was suffering from the inside.
I got up earlier than usual at 4 am, went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee for myself. Then I remembered that Asher had been there the previous night, making himself a cup of coffee, sipping, and telling me to kill my ambition without feeling anything.
So I made myself tea instead and roasted some bread. Sat down at the dining table and tried to eat. I ended up munching just half a loaf of bread. Then I went straight to the tub and soaked myself in there until it was time for me to get ready for work.
Or ready to embarrass myself.
***
It was 10:25 am when Nellissa came to my corner again. This time, she had a smile on her face. I wondered why she didn't give me one of those dirty looks.
"How is your day going, Naomi?" she asked.
"Fine, how may I help you?"
"Henry wants you in his office now," she said, as her fingers plucked the corners of a file on my table.
I got to my feet. "And what does he need me for?"
"The boss didn't tell me. You'll have to find out for yourself."
I rearranged my table, remembered Asher's words to me, and didn't take anything with me. Maybe I had already agreed to go along with what he had said.
Henry was pacing in his office when I walked in. His hair looked tousled as if he had been running his hands through it. His long sleeves had been folded up to his elbow. He looked stylishly handsome. How come he was still single?
"How are you, Naomi?" he asked when he saw me.
"Very fine, sir," I said and stood some paces away from him.
"Good, there's something I've been thinking about and I need your opinion on it."
"My opinion?"
"Yes, your opinion."
"What is it about, sir?"
"Take, for instance, we want to expand. There is a district where the distance between establishments is quite close, and they don't need vehicles to get from here to there. Would it be good to invest in that kind of place?"
The solution to that question wasn't the problem. I could tell him the best approach to take. But I was afraid of what was going to happen. I might tell him something that'd work, and he'd just let the whole board know that I was the one behind that idea.
Where the hell would that put me?
I didn't want to jeopardize the whole of my career just because of one dashing man in his thirties. If I had my way, I could make him sack the rest of the board so that I could work my way up.
But I didn't have my way. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize when he closed the distance between the both of us.
My eyes had been staring at the floor and not at him.
I jumped when he touched my shoulder. His hands steadied me before I could lose my footing.
"Hey, don't fall in here," he said.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Are you okay?"
I nodded my head in the affirmative. "Yes, yes, thank you."
His eyes searched my face. I held them for some seconds before looking away. They were like magnets. And what was I? Iron?
Drawn to them irresistibly.
"Are you sure, Naomi?"
"Sure."
"Have to admit, I lost you for a moment there. Felt like you were deep in thought. Was it because of the question I asked?"
"No. Yes. I mean, no, sir." Lewd, I was a lamb.
He raised an eyebrow, and then let me be. "Okay, so what's your answer?"
"I don't have an answer for that, sir."
"Why not?"
"It's complicated. I think you should call up a board meeting and discuss that with people who are more knowledgeable, sir. The experts"
"Oh, I see." He turned his back on me. "You're telling me you can't give me a smart answer?"
I was fighting with myself, whether to obey Asher or just do what I had always wanted. And that was to excel. Why the hell should I be pressed down just because I was good? Why would I work hours for something only to give a useless report on it?
It wasn't fair at all.
I realized that if everyone in the company were that ambitious and were still there, then there was always a place for me.
Asher was only bluffing. He'd protect me. I knew he would.
"On second thought, I think expanding to a place like that is the right choice. Where are we talking about?"
He chuckled and showed me a map of Spain on his tablet, pointing to a smaller dot. Cadiz.
"Urbanization will always take its toll on places like this, sir, as well as health conditions. One can't always trek to the hospital in every situation. Some could be life-threatening. People would need automobiles to save the lives of their loved ones. And who says people won't need to get things from bigger places? Trucks from nearby states aren't going to do it."
"So we need Vance Innovations in Cadiz," he completed. "You are a genius, Naomi. How come I didn't get you sooner?"
I didn't have a response to that. I just smiled politely.
"I'd like to get to know you better, Naomi. I'm attracted to your method of reasoning. Would you give me that chance?"
"You're my boss, sir. I'll do my best."
"Good, now, your number."
Just like that. He asked for my number as if he were asking for something casual. We always put our contacts in resumes, but I wasn't sure he wanted to go through all that stress.
I called it out for him.
"Whatever you are doing, think the way you do, keep doing it, Naomi, because I will need it."
"Alright, sir."
"Would you be free later in the day? I'd like us to meet. And talk. Is that alright with you?"
I wondered what he was up to and why he was giving me that much attention, but if I was going to get into his good books, then maybe it was best I played along.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'll call you when I'm ready. You can get back to work now."
I walked out of the office with a smile on my face. Big mistake, because Nellissa saw it. Her brows rose in curiosity, but I looked away at once.
I didn't know if I could trust her or not. She didn't like me the previous day anyway.
I got back to my desk and decided to read the file that was allegedly Asher's. Word for word, I just could not see how he could have written this. When?
Most of Asher's assessments had passed through me. What was I saying? All of them? Or was there something he wasn't telling me?
I decided to do something I had never done before. I decided to log into his email. I helped him send the files at times, so I knew the password.
Gmail opened up on my system, and I added my account as fast as I could. Then I checked for the name of the file in his sent messages.
It was there.
A new message popped in, and I didn't even know when I clicked open. Shocked, I almost logged out immediately, but the message was quite unbelievable.
"FROM: GARRYMYSTEFIER@GMAIL.COM
DO, SEND THE BALANCE. THE LAST REPORT WE STOLE & YOU TOOK CREDIT FOR HAS BEEN APPROVED!"
N…
Who was N?