THE CEO

Tale of Two Lives

The alarm woke Desmond Walter up at exactly 7 a.m. He slowly opened his eyes as he turned on his bed, enjoying the cool air from the conditioner. He unwillingly got out of bed, knowing he had a full day ahead of him.

He was the CEO of Subart Group, and he couldn't afford to be late. He took off his pajamas and changed into a white towel before stepping into the jacuzzi tub and running a hot bath. A few minutes later, he cleaned up and changed into a Skye blue suit.

He walked downstairs, holding a briefcase, and sat on the table, munching on his toasted sandwich and sipping his coffee. "Good morning, Dad," he greeted his father, who was also sitting for his part of the meal. "Be careful," he urged kindly to Martha, their maid and cook, as she nearly spilled his tea while serving him.

"Morning, son, how is the company?" he inquired, concerned that the pressure would be too much for him. "It's fine, Dad; rest assured that your company is safe," he reassured his father.

"Keep up the good work," he told his son, with assurance that everything was under control now that he was in charge. After eating, he took his medications and slowly strolled to the sitting room to turn on the television to watch the news.

Desmond stormed out of the home and went to work in his Rolls-Royce. When he arrived at the Subart Group company, he alighted from his vehicle.

Stepping into the atmosphere, the personnel rose to meet him and bent their heads in respect. After inspecting his surroundings and ensuring that everyone was in order, he proceeded directly to his office.

He felt in command and control while sitting in his position as CEO of Subart Group.

"We have a meeting with the solar group in five minutes," his secretary, Mr Nam, informed him.

Desmond turned on his laptop, double-checked his slides, and ensured they were prepared for presentation. He crossed his fingers in the hopes of collaborating with the solar group.

In exactly five minutes, representatives from the solar group appeared at the company, three of whom were dressed uniformly in black suits.

They were brought cordially into the CEO's office, where Desmond greeted them cheerfully and proceeded to show his slides; while presenting, he noted they seemed pleased with his job.

They decided to collaborate with him, and he was overjoyed that the company appeared to be moving forward. He recalls a time when the company was close to failing before he stepped in, and things have since improved.

"If you don't mind would like you to attend our night gala party tonight?" The oldest of the three asked him gently. Desmond despised unplanned events, but he couldn't disappoint his new partner.

“Sure, it would be a pleasure,” Desmond said as he shook hands with him. After a while, he sat back on his chair as he attended to pressing matters before he closed for the day.

Freya POV

In a little town far from Desmond's penthouse, Freya and her family lived in a small cabin. Sitting at the table, she watched her brothers Matt and Mike play video games while shouting at the top of their voices.

It was Monday, and she needed to eat something before heading off to work. While munching on leftovers from the night before, she reflected on why her brothers were such a pain.

She, as a lady, worked hard as a kitchen assistant to support the family; even their mother, Alice James, worked hard to pay their rent; yet, her brothers appeared to be wasting away as they played video games all day.

Since they had little interest in going to college, she had persuaded them to take menial jobs; nevertheless, every job they took caused problems for their employers because they were fired one after the other.

She related an occasion in which a customer protested that the price was much too high, and Matt and Mike responded by pouring paint on him.

She said goodbye to her brothers and headed to her workplace, "Dishie," ten minutes later. Her mother's favorite restaurant was two blocks away; she branched her mother's shop as she said her farewell and headed to her job.

When she arrived at her office, she immediately changed into her work clothes, apron, and headgear before heading to the kitchen to assist with meal preparation.

She made certain that she cooked all of her meals in the finest possible way; she did not want her boss to be upset, so she ensured that the food was excellent.

The day was a success, and she was given food to take home. She was exhausted and ready to leave after a long day, but she was about to leave when Matthew, her possessive boyfriend, barged in with no respect.

She was tired of him, and she wanted to leave him, but she couldn't because he was abusive and possessive, she feared for her life because she didn't want any problems for herself, he was sweet at times, but most of the time he treated her like she was trash, he was responsible for the rent the previous year and she didn't have enough money to pay, so he used that as leverage against her.

"My boss is hosting a big gala party tonight, and I would like for you to attend with me as my date," he said "You need to appear lovely, as you wouldn't even try to shame me" he stated with all seriousness, “ I’ll pick you up at nine,” he said without waiting for her consent.

She glanced at him with disdain as he shuffled off; she couldn't wait to get rid of him; she was exhausted, and yet she had to prepare for an unplanned party; she thought of how difficult her life was as she battled to hold back tears that streamed down her cheeks.

Wiping her tears with a white soft piece of fabric, she strolled out of her workplace and pretended everything was alright as she boarded the next bus home. She then joined her mother in her neighborhood restaurant to assist with the dishes.

Her mother appeared to be delighted, and the restaurant was packed with people who ate their meals without complaint.

She sighed heavily. It was not a bad day after all her boyfriend seemed to be the only problem.

When he arrived home, he found his father deep asleep. He questioned the housemaid if the father had eaten before sleeping, and he received an affirmative response.

Exhausted, he climbed up to his room, removing his clothing and putting on a bathrobe; he was exhausted and needed to relax, and he had nearly forgotten he had a party to attend.

Ransacking his wardrobe in search of the ideal attire to wear, he eventually opted for a black luxury suit and red shoes to match the red piece of fabric he planned to wrap around his neck.

He carefully placed the picked cloth on his bed when he received a call from his betrothed, Bella, the daughter of John Micheal, one of the state's most prestigious families. She had called to check on him; she was aware of the night party, but she explained that she would be unavailable owing to severe menstruation pains.

This was a party, and he needed someone with him, preferably the opposite s*x; perhaps he might bring his best buddy, Mikel Clinton, he considered for a moment.

He dialed Mikel's number and carefully waited for an answer. "Hey Brody, how are you?" Mikel's husky voice could be heard through the phone.

"Come accompany me to a night gala party," he begged Mikel, confident that he would not be denied. "Sorry man, that is impromptu, I had a busy Day man, perhaps some other time please”.

Hearing Mikel's comments weakened him; he didn't have a choice but to attend this party; after all, he didn't want to disappoint his new partner.

He ran a hot bath for twenty minutes and was finished a few minutes later, he dressed up, put on a lovely scent, brushed his hair backward, and put on some nice fragrance.

He was ready to leave, so he marched downstairs and informed his mother, Winnie Walter, of his whereabouts before bidding her farewell. "Be careful, son; you're all I have," she murmured as he turned to leave.

"It is a night party right isn't it, but why aren't you with Bella, did you two get into a fight, can't you see she is a good lady for you" she inquired. "Mum, you asked so many questions at once," he stated with displeasure in his voice.

"You always pick a fight with her, what would you have me say, you would grow to love her," she continued, her voice full of hope.

There was no use in disputing; he didn't love Bella; it was just an arranged marriage, and he knew he couldn't love her, but his mother insisted that Bella was the best option for him.

"She called complaining of stomach cramps and needed to rest, which is why she isn't with me," he explained gently to his mother.

"That is better," she remarked as her fit lit up, she was concerned they fought again.

He turned to leave the home and get into his Rolls-Royce car to drive to his destination.

Freya POV

She and her mother packed up and went home at eight o'clock. "Are you okay? You don't seem happy, don't tell me it's nothing, I can see you aren't."

She was astonished her mother could see through those artificial grins; of course, it was her mother. "It's Matthew, Mum, and I'm tired of his possessive attitude," she replied, tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry, the prior rent is almost paid. I'd make sure to pay him back, so my daughter worries less about him and focus on your job so you can pay your tuition.

They arrived at their destination quickly, she could hear Matt and Mike's yells as they argued over a football game. As she stepped inside, the mother stared at them and nearly burst into tears, wondering why her boys decided to behave this way.

Freya told her mother that everything would be OK as she led her to her room to rest. Returning to the living room, she turned off the mini-tv. "We need to talk," she stated gently to her brothers, which was unusual for her because she usually raged at them.

They say this as they nervously await their sister's remarks so they can return to the game they were watching.

"You need to get a job, or else no food for you from tomorrow onwards".

"You can't do that; we've tried everything," Matt the elder one said.

"You have to try harder, I already got a job for you at my place of work, you would work as a*****e assistant" she added with determination.

They had no choice but to listen to their sister's critiques. She offered them sweet potatoes and egg sauce obtained from her office.

At half past eight, she considered what to wear and remembered the black dress she wore to prom. Taking it out of the wardrobe, she chose to tidy it before setting it aside with a red pocketbook and a matching red shoe that she had worked so hard to purchase.

She took a bath and changed into the black dress she had previously ironed. She looked dashing after applying foundation and powder on her skin, brushing her hair backwards, applying mascara to her lashes to make them longer than before, and painting her lips red to match her purse.

Waiting anxiously for Matthew, she navigated through t****k, watching random videos that entertained her.

.