Chapter nine
983 Words
Trojan's POV
He undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt as he stepped out of the car.
Two hours in Lagos traffic. Two. Hours. He had sat in that backseat watching the same stretch of road for what felt like an eternity — though honestly Lagos couldn't be blamed entirely. The city's population alone was the size of some of the world's smallest countries. It was simply what it was.
He went straight to the bathroom and stood under the shower for a long time, letting the hot water wash away the day.
When he finally emerged he stood in front of the mirror, white towel wrapped around his waist, water still trailing down his skin. He looked at his reflection for a moment.
Damn. He was objectively very attractive.
No wonder the Lagos girls couldn't leave him alone. He almost felt sorry for them.
He smirked at himself and picked up his phone. He had ordered food on his way back from the office but it hadn't arrived yet. He needed something to do.
He dialed Dami.
It was midday in Amsterdam — Dami would be around. True enough he picked up almost immediately.
"What — did you think I was Anna?" Trojan asked.
Dami and his girlfriend Anna had been going through a rough patch recently. She had relocated to another country and Dami was not handling it well, not that he would ever fully admit that either.
"Please," Dami said. "I was between meetings and saw your name. Didn't see the point in making you wait. What's going on?"
"I called you so let me talk at my own pace," Trojan said, settling onto his bed.
"The floor is yours, Semilore heir," Dami said dramatically.
"No one wears it better," Trojan replied without missing a beat.
"Obviously." Dami laughed. "So what happened?"
Trojan leaned back. "You remember that girl I told you about? The one who bumped into me at the supermarket and had the nerve to come at me first?"
"Oh," Dami said slowly. Then — "your babe."
"Shut up. It's not funny."
"I'm not laughing," Dami said, clearly laughing.
"She's working in my company now," Trojan said flatly.
Dead silence.
Then — "Wait. Are you serious right now?"
"Unfortunately."
"You hired her yourself??" Dami burst out laughing. "Trojan—"
"Why would I do that," Trojan cut him off. "She applied before any of this. It's not my fault."
"Sure," Dami said, still amused. "So what happened today? Did she annoy you?"
Trojan considered this. "I wouldn't say annoy. She's just— she's trying to act tough. Like she's completely unbothered. Like she's not into me."
"Or," Dami said carefully, "you're into HER and you don't realize it yet."
Trojan stared at the ceiling.
"Are you drunk?"
"I'm completely sober," Dami said. "I'm just saying — the way you talk about this girl, Trojan. You don't talk about anyone like this."
"You're assuming things," Trojan said firmly.
His doorbell rang downstairs.
"My food's here. Go back to whatever you were doing, asshole," Trojan said, already heading for the stairs.
"Jokes on you," Dami called after him. "I have better things to do anyway."
They said their goodbyes and Trojan ended the call, heading downstairs with Dami's words still echoing faintly in his head.
He pushed them aside.
Dami was just assuming things.
That was all.
Rayna's POV
She got home past 10 pm, tired and annoyed.
That jerk had somehow managed to ruin what should have been a good first day. But she refused to let it get to her. She was going to sort those files, do it perfectly and show him exactly what she was capable of.
Her mother was still waiting for her in the living room — because of course she was.
"How was your first day?" her mother asked immediately.
"It was fine Mum," Rayna said, managing a small smile. "I just really need to rest tonight. I'll tell you everything tomorrow I promise."
Her mother studied her face for a moment then nodded and let her go.
Upstairs Rayna dropped the file on her bed, kicked off her shoes and reached for her phone. She needed to talk to someone before she exploded — and Josh was probably busy.
That left Ife.
She dialed the number and said a small prayer that Ife would be reasonable tonight. Just tonight.
"Hey babe!!" Ife's voice bursts through immediately.
"Babe indeed," Rayna said flatly. "I'm not in the mood."
"But you called me," Ife pointed out cheerfully, "so you're going to have to laugh whether you like it or not."
Rayna sighed. "My first day would have been fine — actually fine — if my MD hadn't decided to dump a pile of files on me that have absolutely nothing to do with my job."
"Ohh," Ife said knowingly. "That hot guy you mentioned?"
After their last group call Rayna had made the mistake of mentioning she had seen the supermarket guy at her interview. Ife had spent the rest of that call demanding photos and descriptions.
"You should dress up extra nice tomorrow," Ife said with a dreamy voice. "Hot and put together. Make him look twice."
"Ife—"
"And don't annoy him too much either. You know who he is. Just be smart about it." She sighed wistfully. "If only I was the one working there."
"I don't even have the energy to insult you tonight," Rayna said. "I'm calling ChatGPT instead. At least it makes sense."
"Babe I'm sorry," Ife dissolved into laughter.
"Good night Ife," Rayna said firmly, already smiling despite herself. "Crazy girl."
She ended the call still shaking her head.
Then she looked at the files sitting on her bed.
She picked them up.
She was going to sort every single one of them perfectly — not for him. For herself.
She scoffed softly and got to work.
- Writer
