Chapter 5
838 Words
Emma stared at her phone for a long time after opening his message.
Her task.
Clear. Direct. No extra explanation.
Typical.
She exhaled slowly and dropped the phone on her bed.
“Okay…” she whispered. “Let’s do this.”
That night turned into work.
And more work.
Emma sat with her laptop open, multiple tabs running—design references, tech blogs, tutorials, samples.
She wasn’t taking any chances.
Not with him.
Not with this project.
Every detail mattered.
Every line.
Every choice.
Because one mistake—
And she was gone.
Hours passed.
Lilly had fallen asleep beside her.
The room was quiet except for the sound of typing and occasional sighs.
“This has to be perfect,” Emma muttered.
She adjusted, deleted, redesigned… again and again.
At some point, she leaned back, exhausted.
Then looked at her work.
Paused.
Studied it.
And for the first time that night—
She smiled.
“I did it.”
It wasn’t just good.
It was solid.
Clean.
Smart.
Confident.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone.
Opened his chat.
Her fingers hovered slightly.
Then—
She sent it.
Message delivered.
Seen?
No.
Reply?
Nothing.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Still nothing.
Emma frowned slightly.
“At least say something…” she murmured.
But no response came.
Eventually, exhaustion took over.
She dropped her phone and went to sleep.
Saturday
“Emmaaaaa!”
Kiki’s voice filled the room before she even fully stepped inside.
Emma laughed lightly. “You don’t know how to enter quietly, do you?”
“Nope,” Kiki replied, dropping her bag. “Now come here—what’s going on? You’ve been quiet.”
Emma sighed dramatically and sat beside her.
“Where do I even start?”
“Start from the boss,” Kiki said immediately, grinning.
Emma rolled her eyes.
“Of course you’ll say that.”
“Because that’s the interesting part!”
Emma shook her head but smiled.
“Okay… so this man gave us a huge project. Like serious work. Said if we mess up, we’re gone.”
“Ahhh! Wickedness!” Kiki gasped.
“I stayed up all night working. Sent mine to him…”
“And?” Kiki leaned forward.
“And nothing.”
“Nothing??”
“Nothing,” Emma repeated. “No reply. No feedback. Just silence.”
Kiki frowned. “That’s somehow o.”
“I don’t even know if it’s good or bad,” Emma admitted.
“Hmm…” Kiki tapped her chin. “Maybe he’s testing you people.”
“Testing ke? This one feels like stress.”
Kiki laughed.
“But wait,” she added, eyes narrowing playfully. “How do you feel when you see him?”
Emma paused.
“Honestly?”
“Yes.”
“…uncomfortable.”
Kiki smirked. “Only uncomfortable?”
Emma threw a pillow at her. “Kiki!”
“Okay okay, I’m serious,” Kiki laughed. “But just focus on your work. Don’t let him intimidate you.”
Emma nodded slowly.
“I’m trying.”
“And please,” Kiki added, “no more staring like village girl.”
Emma groaned. “I said I’ve stopped!”
“Good. Because this your boss no look like person wey dey smile.”
Emma couldn’t help but agree.
The weekend passed quickly.
Too quickly.
Before she knew it—
Monday was here again.
Back to Work
Emma walked into the office, calmer than before.
She had done her part.
Now… whatever happens, happens.
She sat at her desk and powered on her system.
People were already whispering again.
Clearly, everyone was waiting.
Waiting for feedback
.
Waiting for judgment.
Then—
He walked in.
Silence.
Immediate.
Emma didn’t look up.
Not immediately.
But she could feel it.
That presence.
Cold.
Controlled.
Unshaken.
Her fingers paused slightly on the keyboard.
Then she forced herself to continue working.
Focus.
He moved around the office slowly.
Observing.
Watching.
Saying nothing.
The tension built with every step he took.
Until—
He stopped.
Right beside her desk.
Emma’s breath hitched slightly.
She didn’t look up.
Not yet.
“Nice work.”
Her head lifted instantly.
But he had already moved.
To the next person.
“Nice work.”
Then another.
“Nice work.”
It was general.
Simple.
Nothing special.
Yet—
Emma sat there, frozen.
Because somehow…
It didn’t feel general.
It felt—
Different.
“Emma,” Esty’s voice came softly beside her.
Emma turned slightly. “Yes?”
Esty studied her for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
“Good job.”
Emma blinked. “Thank you…”
But Esty didn’t move immediately.
Her eyes lingered.
Observing.
Noticing.
Something.
Then—
She walked away.
Emma slowly looked back at her screen.
Her heart was beating faster than it should.
“It’s just ‘nice work’…” she whispered to herself.
So why did it feel like more?
Across the room—
He paused briefly.
Just for a second.
Then continued walking
.
Expression unchanged.
Cold as ever.
- Writer
