Secret Cults

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

… A man of great mission… “What the..”, Abe mouthed to himself while he reminisced on the last words of the strange man. He was less concerned about the aftermath of his actions, knowing fully well the kind of man his boss is, he never lets anyone who harms his son off the hook easily. Moreover, the expression on Giwa’s face told him all was not fine.

What could be the connection between that man and the CEO? He thought to himself. Lots of weirder questions came to his mind, but he could not put a finger on it.

“A man of great mission driven by….”

“Hey what’s up?”

Chukwu slammed his hands on Abe’s table to call back his attention. He lost focus on his thoughts.

“Holy… what in heaven’s name was that for,” Abe said with a a startled frown at Chukwu.

“I have been standing here for five minutes and you did not notice, should I be worried?” Chukwu said, squinting his eyes with a keen precision into Abe’s watery eyes.

Abe had always loved his personal space from the first day he joined the company, but no one knows him to be the moody type. He was famed for his acute dedication to his duties, which made him rise through the ranks faster than anyone else. It also made a lot of people especially in his department, the marketing department, want to befriend him, but he shooed them off without second thoughts. His bond with Chukwu became a reality owing to the fact that they both live on the same street, go to work together and what seemed to seal it up, was when Abe could have lost his job because of his unpunctual attitude, so Chukwu offered to give him a lift every morning.

“It’s nothing,” Abe repositioned himself on his chair, sitting upright.

“I don’t think so.”

Chukwu could not seem to miss out on the rolls of sweat trickling down Abe’s forehead, odd enough to arouse suspicion, neither did he fail to recognise fear written all over his face.

“it’s nothing for real,” Abe cloaked himself with a nerdy smile. “Its just… back in the cold room… ” Abe manned up, swallowing back his words, “its nothing.”

Any further probe could get Abe pissed, which was the last thing Chukwu would love to face.

“Any positive outcome from your questioning?” Chukwu asked, hoping to squeeze out the truth from him.

“Positive.” Abe nodded, clearing his throat.

Chukwu retreated his questions, still inconvinced with Abe’s responses. He had a eye for catching a lie, especially the ones that concerns Abe.

He c****d his head sideways around him suspiciously, hoping no one was listening in on their conversations. He stretched out his phone to Abe, a picture of a stripper around popped up on his screen. Abe knew what it was, he was not ready for any of Chukwu’s schemes. He felt he was getting too attached to the fair, hulk-like easterner, he wanted to be by himself, the way he had always lived his life since his tragic childhood trauma.

He pushed back the phone, pulling his computer’s keyboard closer to himself, clicked and clacked on it till Chukwu forced him away from it.

“It’s Friday.”

“And how does that matter?”

Abe’s confusion was not secret, but he continued clicking on his keyboard.

“It means fun day,” Chukwu emphasized, sitting on the table edge, “lets have fun, meet lots of girl, hot girls! And guess what… it’s a special tonight. I got us a VIP ticket to the all exclusive l**t Night Tour.” His grin had no effect on Abe’s decision.

“Look, I have a lot to deal with, most especially now that I’m hanging on a hook… I just have to put in my best till every smoke dies down.”

He continued clicking and clacking.

“AJ! C’mon!” Chukwu whines, relentlessly trying to influence his decisions, he almost did, but lost Abe’s attention to the man from the CEO’s office, as he stepped out.

The man, accompanied by the CEO, Lanre, and Giwa, walked outside towards the parking lot. Abe glued his conciousness to the presence of the man. He felt an odd connection he tried to shake off but could not.

He was able to see just one side of the man’s face as he walked, with the CEO on the right side, and Lanre on the left side -- the one that faced Abe -- while Giwa followed from behind. The man’s goatee, shiny and neatly patterned, and the golden black lens shades he had was what attracted many. He carried himself step after step with so much ease, many thought he owns the company judging from the way the CEO doodled around him. In the process of looking, as others did, Abe locked eyes with Lanre, as they got to the door, who rewarded Abe with a contemptious frown.

“Such a jerk,” Abe muttered, as he watched them leave the building.

“You could never be more true,” Chukwu said. It also seemed he had a score to settle with Lanre. Or maybe everyone just despises the plump, spoiled entrepreneur.

“But I would still choose to be friends with him, you know,” Chukwu tagged at Abe’s collar.

“And what does that mean?” Abe asked, his face contorted like a man trapped on an island.

“Okay,” Chukwu started, “everyone wants to be around him even though he is an impossible asshole. People want the cash, they want the luxury lifestyle, they also want to be tagged on IG as friends of the famous Lanry Gold. Do you know what that means?” he said with a wide grin.

Abe scoffed, shifting back his attention on his computer, “lucky for you, I don’t,” he said cluelessly.

“Of course you don’t, because, everyone except you wants to ride with someone who’s got a Rolls Royce,” he paused, “oh what a feeling.” His untimely obsession was starting to get on Abe’s nerves.

“Then I wish you a happy life, do well to remember tha…”

Abe’s phone chipped, so did a few others in the workspace, simultaneously.

The contents of the message got him dumbfounded. It was the same for others. Different whispers arose from the four corners of the room, Abe guessed it was the same for everybody.

“What is that?” Chukwu inquired curiously.

Abe gave him his phone, he was too lost in the message.

“What will you do?” Chukwu said, concerned about the company’s decision to reduce Abe’s salary by sixty percent.

“Nothing,” Abe sniffed with a sinister look, “nothing”.