"I'm so glad you accepted his invitation. God! I was worried that you wouldn't come, he looks bad." Bertha sighed.
She had ran to meet Michael immediately she saw him step out of the elevator. Relief was an understatement for what she felt when she saw him.
For the past one week her boss had not been himself. There was this far away look in his eyes that she could not just fathom it was painful to see him in that state.
All she wanted was for him to be better once again and since his sadness started the day Michael left his office, she had thought it would end the day that he came back.
"I wasn't given much of a choice." Michael chuckled nervously. Bertha nodded, somehow understanding what he had meant.
She led Michael straight up to Felix's office walking as fast as her dainty legs could carry her.
Michael followed behind her wondering what was so urgent with his arrival that the little woman seemed to be so eager for him to meet the Boss.
He found her whole demeanor very suspicious but he decided to brush it away. He did not want her funny attitude to scare him away from what he was here to do. He had thought much about it and his decision was final on the matter.
On getting to the office Bertha pushed the door open for him. She then stepped aside for him to go in. He immediately started to feel uncomfortable like he had been led to the slaughter by her.
"This might sound off but take it easy on him." She pleaded.
Michael wanted to tell her that she should be telling her boss that because after all Felix was the one acting all high and mighty (because he was high and mighty) but instead he nodded and walked in.
The woman seemed to be on the edge. He didn't want to push her further.
He was confused at how Mrs Bertha really thought so kindly of her boss. He wanted to chuckle at her request as her voice rang in his mind. Did she really think that he could be mean to Felix even if he wanted to? Felix was far higher above him. He could not afford to make such a drastic mistake not when he was aware of how he could be destroyed with a single blow from Felix.
But, the woman seemed to be very defensive of her boss, he wouldn't blame her for it though, he was her boss after all but he hated how she refused to see how mean her boss could sometimes be to other people.
Maybe he was nice to her, he should be nice to her the way she protects him, but it didn't change the fact that he was a mean and a cold person.
Bertha closed to door behind him not before giving him a reassuring look that did nothing at all to assuage his fears.
At that point he felt like he was locked in a prison. He wanted to run out of the office but the last thing he wanted to do was to seem weak to Mr Felix. God forbid. He was well aware that it would make him even lesser before his eyes.
He turned around with his heart in his mouth ready to run away when it became necessary.
However he was shocked to see a different Felix standing before him. The man before him was the complete opposite of the man he saw last week.
Felix was fidgeting and he had curled his finger. A gesture only one person he knew did. Michael looked up at the Man before him looking for any semblance whatsoever with him, but there was none, none except the jet black hair that fell down just Below his eyes the last time he came it was gelled back.
Felix looked at Michael with hopeful eyes, he had just now seen in his eyes a faint glitter of recognition but he soon lost all hope when the glitter faded just as quickly as it came. God! He was going mad. Why was he hopeful yet again? How many times would his hope be crushed before he would finally give up on it? Felix thought painfully.
"I'm here personally to reject the offer. I do not want my company under yours__"
Felix interrupted him. "I don't know what you are rejecting because I don't want your company under mine too. I want a merger__"
"For fucks sake doesn't that sound stupid to you. You merge companies with equal power and equal strength and not when one is higher than the other."