"You should check that woman about this pant issue." Miss Ekanem said.
"What does that mean?" Directo Ikanke asked with a frown.
"This is your decision as it was your pant, it was only a suggestion. About the pant; the person who knew and had access to the pant should be the first one you should ask about the pant. Maybe the pant was misplaced or your office was not secure for someone to walk in and take the pant, or your pant grew legs itself and left the desk where your pant is always kept. So, as for the pant, your secretary that knows this pant matter the most should be the first to be asked about the pant. I will take my leave." Miss Ekanem said with a professional expression before leaving the office. Director Ikanke watched her leave in disbelief.
"Repeating the word pant so many times, I do not believe that you are not doing it on purpose. Sure enough, once a witch, always a witch." Director Ikanke scoffed.
She took some time in the meeting room to clear her mind before she walked out into the empty hallway. She recalled it was lunchtime already and was grateful for the absence of people as she made her way to her office. She glanced at her secretary's empty desk before passing into her office. She opened the door to find the vice president seated at her desk.
"Sir." she greeted and the dark-skinned man looked up at her from his spectacle.
"You seem to be in trouble," he said and she nodded.
"I am sorry for the embarrassment." she lowered her head.
"There is no need. I had the forum locked, but it is only a matter of time before it gets unlocked. The man upstairs will soon hear of it by tomorrow and will open it in the guise of free speech." he said, before standing and walking towards her. He looked at her head still lowered and sighed.
"It is not as though I will fire you. People in this company are hard to fire. The never-ending gossip keeps people working hard so that they can misbehave. Evidence of wrongdoing is hard to find, not with those witches on the seventh floor still here; if not, I would have fired ninety per cent of the company by now, talk less you that was plotted against." he said.
"I apologize, sir," she said.
"Don't apologize, fix it. Locking the forum is so that you have the chance to change the narrative by the end of today. Cent Ad has to get that contract, you know that cannot change. I am giving you a chance to wash yourself clean," he said, and she bowed in thanks as he left her office. At this point, she picked up her phone and called her husband, but he immediately cut the call. She sent him a text to meet and talk but did not receive a reply. At this point, she received a message from Cent Ad's team two leader. It read, Your secretary insisted on cleaning a stain off me this morning, after which she placed the handkerchief in my breast pocket in apology.
To this message, she put down her phone and smiled coldly.
At this time, Miss Ekanem, who had just finished talking with Director Ikanke, made her way to the third floor where a fast food outfit known to the entire building sits. It was one of the four lounges in the building quite common for many to have lunch here. It also served a great purpose of being one of the four physical versions of a building forum in the sheer amount of gossip that spreads within its walls. It was a large restaurant in the building, covering the entire floor, comprising private rooms where most can dine in private.
Already, the moment she stepped into the fast food, she could tell the topic that held the entire company had now spread across the building. Ignoring the bustle, she made her way to the counter and ordered some Jolof rice, roasted chicken thighs and a plate of fruit salad. She had at first wanted to go up to a private room, but spotted a familiar face sitting outside on the balcony. She made her way over and sat opposite her, startling the woman.
"Oh, it's you," the woman dressed in an immaculate grey suit but glanced at her only for a second, before continuing to look down the balcony glass railings.
"Good Afternoon, Emma," Miss Ekanem said and the woman hummed in reply, he eyes never leaving the parking lot downstairs.
"What is so interesting?" she asked the woman who would not even spare her a glance.
"She is thirty minutes late, but she still came," Emma answered and Miss Ekanem looked down only to squint.
"Who?" she asked, barely able to make out figures that far down. This caused Emma to sigh, grab Miss Ekanem's purse, and take out her glasses to hand to her.
"The one in pink," she said and Miss Ekanem, now aided by her glasses looked down till she found a woman in a pink dress approaching a blue Nissan parked on the third row.
"That is Mrs Emem approaching Barrister Etuk's car every afternoon as usual; except this time, she is late, by a whole forty minutes," Emma said.
"How do you even know Barrister Etuk, to even know her car?" Miss Emma asked.
"I don't, but her car is not particular unknown anymore," she nodded toward others seated behind them on the balcony, all looking down. Miss Ekanem paused with a spoon of rice in her mouth and looked around. It seems everyone on the balcony was watching her enter the car. She looked back down at the parking lot just in time to see her enter and close the car door.