CHARMING MARRIAGE;HUSBAND PLEASE BE GENTLE.

Not every superhero wears a cape. For Tyla, her superpower was being able to sort files, keep schedules, make appointments and still look drop dead gorgeous. She occupied a small room on the fifth floor of a ten story building, just in front of her boss’ office. She was sorting some files and making some appointments while glancing at the clock intermittently. She had a deadline to meet, and God help her, she failed to meet it. Her phone was also ringing every ten minutes. She was too busy to pick up any calls, so she was forwarding them to the PA. A gentle knock and the opening of her door caused her to raise her head briefly. Sandra walked in, not wearing her usual poker face. She had something like anxiety plastered across her face. ‘’Why aren’t you taking your calls?’’ she asked, even though she could see the obvious reason. ‘’The boss wants to see you right now.’’ Tyla had not expected him to come in that day. He had told her to clear his schedule. ‘’I had no idea he came to the office,’’ she said, hoping Sandra would give her a hint as to why the boss was around and why she looked anxious. ‘’He’s in the conference room,’’ she replied before turning away, her shoes punctuating her steps as she walked away. The Conference room was on the same floor as her office, so it didn’t take her long to find him. She knocked softly on the insulated glass. “Come in.” She heard the familiar cold voice of the President, laced with a deep layer of indifference and anger, her entrance permission. She met a scene she had not expected she would ever see all her life working in the Corporate world. Miss Pauline, the Cashier at the front desk was on her knees, in front of the President and some of the board members. She swallowed hard. “Give me one more chance sir!” She was pleading. Tyla observed her dress and wondered why the cashier had decided to wear something so skimpy to work. She averted her eyes from the scene and stared at her shoes. If her boss was going to fire her, she was going to leave honorably. Asides that, everyone knew begging Kelvin Lloyd was an effort in futility. ‘’You are fired.’’ His voice was so calm as he gave his verdict, but anyone who worked with him knew his tone was almost always like that. The story Tyla had missed was that earlier that day, Miss Pauline had tried to seduce the boss right in the conference room. She had pretended to accidentally trip and in the process, exposed all her thigh, right up to her waist. That singular act might have been enough to seduce another man except Mr. Kelvin Lloyd. The lone devil of the business industry. Her actions must have sparked his anger. “David.” he continued in that same tone.“Get rid of this woman. Have the cleaners disinfect this room thrice.’’ Yes, Boss,” he replied and bowed respectfully. He was PA number one and although he was related to Kevin, many in the office did not know. He stood up. ‘’This meeting is postponed.’’ He said, addressing the three other men in the room. He was dressed quite casually in a sweatshirt and some slack pants. Despite how casual his dressing was, one couldn’t mistake the air of authority around him. ‘’Office, Tyla.’’ He said, moving past her. She walked behind him, keeping an appropriate distance. He wasn’t heading to his usual office. He had another office on the other side of the conference room which he used occasionally. She wondered if she was already in trouble. She still had a few hours to her deadline, she calculated as she glanced at her wristwatch. ‘’Coffee. No sugar.’’ He said, as he sat on the couch, ignoring the chair. She prepared his coffee almost everyday and it was already part of her job, yet he always reminded her how he wanted his coffee, and she always slipped in some milk in it. She knew he was aware, but since he never complained, she had continued in that vein. She wondered if she should just obey his instructions fully that day, seeing he was in no particular good mood. When she started working in his company as an intern, she always brought in freshly baked cake twice a week and dropped it on his desk. She hadn’t stopped, but she was less consistent now. When she returned into the office, she saw him wearing his shirt, unbuttoned with his chest bare. She stopped in her tracks, but froze for too long before she turned away. She had never seen a chest as manly as that, and she swallowed as she imagined the lucky woman who had that all to herself. ‘’I’m so sorry, sir,’’ she stuttered. ‘’I didn’t mean to barge in on you.’’ He hummed, clearly not upset. He had a small wardrobe in an inner room in the office where he kept some clothes and shoes in case he needed to change quickly. ‘’You can hand over my coffee now,’’ she heard him say and she turned around. He had buttoned down and was sitting on his chair now. She apologized again. She knew he noticed the lack of the little milk in his cup, as he made a slight frown when he sipped the coffee. She remained standing as he went over some papers on his desk and till David walked in. They were discussing some project she hadn’t heard about and she wondered what her role was there in the office. Had he forgotten that she was right there? Or was this some way to frustrate her? She cleared her throat, deciding she’d rather be fired than spend another minute on her feet. ‘’Sir, do you have any work for me?’’ And just in that minute, her stomach growled. It was so loud that she was convinced he hadn’t heard what she had said. Her face flushed and she bit her lips as she caught his eyes on her.