CHAPTER TWO – UNDER NEW RULE
1035 Words
It was a very busy morning for Zara. Different sheets of paper were scattered on her desk. Her desk was too chaotic for such a peaceful morning. She was working on the final touches of the daily report requested by Leo. The norm was a weekly report, but now she has to do it every day of the week. Adding more work to her already packed schedule. She was fully engrossed in the report, moving faster to finish it so she could submit and attend to other duties when another file was dropped on her desk. "Again?" How many new policies will this manager bring to the resort? Isn't he tired already? Or he just wants to frustrate me here?" She asked the staff member Leo sent, who didn't have an answer to her question and walked out calmly.
It was only ten in the morning, but three new policy memos had been sent to her. And right before her, this very minute was the third one. She quickly concluded the report and looked through the policy memo. She tightened her grip and marched like a lion to Leo's temporary office. "You cancelled clock-ins after 7 am?"
"Yes, we're looking forward to efficiency, right? Then discipline is key"
"Sir, this isn't the military grounds to be ordering my staff about."
He looked at her slowly. "And yet discipline is what keeps clients coming back."
Leo was annoyingly calm. He kept a composed face; one could not tell what was going on in his head.
She dropped the file on the table. Here, you want details; this is the full performance report on every team here. You'll find all you asked for.
He looked through, and surprisingly, his mouth curved sideways with his teeth shining. "Wow, impressive, you're meticulous"
"Do not expect less from me", she found herself smiling at the compliment.
He laughed a little. "Well, I didn't expect less from you. Considering you've been handling this resort by yourself for some years now." Her cheeks turned pink. Admiring the figure seated before her. She got hold of herself quickly before voicing what was in her head. Just when she set herself back to default, a loud noise from the lobby distracted them. Zara immediately peeped through the windows and saw a woman demanding a refund. She was angry and threw her hands in the air. Any moment from then, she could explode. Chaos wasn't an attribute of the resort. You'll barely hear any guests or staff fight or even quarrel. Seeing this, Zara quickly rushed to the lobby to find out what was happening. Leo followed her without being told.
She asked the receptionist what had happened. It was a simple booking mistake. Sixty-nine and ninety-six looked similar on the card. So, when she arrived at her room(sixty-nine), and the door wouldn't open, she walked to the lobby, frustrated and demanded answers. The receptionist informed her she booked sixty-nine, and that was what was in their system. She wanted ninety-six instead. The room with the king-size bed. But it had already been taken. Zara had to look for the next available king-size bedroom for her and nicely calmed the woman. She corrected the booking, and the woman settled. "Tonight's dinner is on the house. Sorry for any inconvenience caused". Zara informed the woman as a way of making up for the error. The woman walked away peacefully.
She turned to the receptionist, "Have extra patience when dealing with people of her age. They do forget things easily."
The receptionist nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Zara".
Leo, who had been standing in the corner watching how Zara handled the issue, was amused at how peacefully she settled it without fighting or blaming the woman for her mistake. He complimented her, "You handled that very well".
"Is it news? I've always been this good".
"I expected you to argue"
"Well, I do that to those who deserve it". She paused for a moment, stepped forward, looked into his eyes, "And those who do not know how stay in their place".
Their eyes locked for a while. Each was looking for something that could not be seen easily on the surface. This lingered more than professional boundaries could allow. Emotions arising, guests and staff looking. Something was alive. None could tell. It was blurry. But one could easily see something lived between them.
Later in the day, the power went out. Guests were already infuriated, and staff were stuck in the middle of work. Zara ran to check what was happening. She could barely reach the stairs when a deep, masculine voice called her out. "Don't go alone, it might be dangerous. I'll come with you." Leo rushed to join her with his phone's flashlight, the only source of light as they ran down the stairs. He held her hand tightly as if protecting his golden ring from slipping off his finger. They checked what had happened, and the generator technician fixed it in less than 20minutes. They thanked him, and he left. Both Leo and Zara stood still with their hands clutched together. Looking into each other's eyes. Zara snapped out and pulled her hand slowly.
"So, you left New York for this?" She asked somewhat jokingly and curiously.
"I needed a change", rethinking his statement, "and a challenge "
"Well, you found one"
He laughed unguarded. And for the first time, she wasn't with her boss but a man. So easy and kind. Someone who wasn't untouchable as he pretended to be. "You're not as bad as I thought"
"Don't be happy about that. This side of me comes once in a blue moon. Thank your stars you've seen this in the early days of our encounter."
They both laughed, and the distance between New York and Accra seemed bridged.
They walked into the elevator together. Sharing jokes and having random conversations like friends would. Leo got a text from his dad. He quickly hides the phone in his pocket so Zara won't see the name. He was tense. When they departed, he briskly walked to his room and read the message, "Don't get distracted. Remember your mission"
He stared at the window blankly.
- Writer
