Chapter 4

Just like him, she can be ruthless but with a touch of feminine wile. Which only makes her even more dangerous. She drove out of the company s park with a smile on her face, she can imagine the surprise on her Bestie s face already. He wasn t going to believe she had taken the day off for him. Since to him, she was a workhorse who doesn t have time to spare for social life. If it wasn t a business date or event and if it wasn t necessary, she doesn t attend. She was the typical boss lady, but the very type that shies away from publicity, even though she had only been CEO for a few months, still she does not interest herself in anything other than her company and its growth. The security man at the gate spotting her black sleek Lexus IS hurried to open the gate for her "Going out madam?" He asked in his thick accentuated English. "Yes Jamal" She answered as she dipped her hand into her bag and brought out a few naira notes which she handed over to him with a smile. Mitchell doesn t know why, but Jamal was also one of her favorite humans in the world, could be because of his enthusiasm towards his work and the way he does it with dexterity. "Thank you, madam. Thank you so much," he said appreciatively. Mitchell nodded her head, still smiling at him in that easy way she d come to assume whenever she was talking with him or her chauffeur, before she drove out of the company premises, into the clear road that leads to Victoria Island where her bestie works. The weather had been nice recently and the traffic was usually light this time of the day, with her air condition on, window rolled up and music blaring, she joyfully sang along as she drove off. It was her bestie s birthday and she was happy and feeling so lightheaded. She and Daniel attended the same university, though they weren t friends until their final years in school and only became close after graduating from school. Somehow fate had brought them together again at a time she was going through a very nasty breakup. They became closer and with the passage of time became best friends. Daniel helped her a lot, being a lady, she had been shattered up by her breakup and on the verge of depression. It was Daniel who came to her rescue. Mitchell remembered how she had felt frustrated to the point of suicide but if not for Daniel, possibly she may not have gone through with the suicide but she would never be able to tell. For a long time, she wallowed in sadness, shutting out everyone and blocking every possible way of help reaching her but Daniel had persisted in helping her, bringing her out of her abyss, something the psychologist provided for her couldn t do. He became her teacher, he taught her how to channel her anger and bitterness into something productive. He was such an ambitious man and he wouldn t move with anyone below him and so he had taught her to become the woman she was now. At twenty-nine, nearing thirty though most people still think she was in her early twenties, she had become a force to be reckoned with in the business world. "Work." Daniel had told her it was the only panacea to her problem. And she had lost herself in it. She started from scratch. First, she had waited tables, made deliveries, and done a lot of other odd jobs just to get by. Until one day when she had taken delivery to Zubal Company. The chairman had ordered a painting from the galleria where she worked part-time. Providence had made the boss of the galleria send her to deliver the painting but far greater luck had made her know details about the company she was sent to and just when she was about to leave the chairman s office, her eyes caught an opened book on his table, one he was probably reading before her arrival. "Steven R. Covey" She had said by just glancing at the opened page. The chairman who was surprised at how aptly she could tell the author by just glancing at the inside of the book had asked her how she knew. "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was one of my best, I d know it by reading a line" She had answered. "One of your best?" He queried in surprise. "Yes sir" She answered and mentioned some of his books to him offhand. "First Things First", "The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness", "Principle-Centered Leadership", "Living the 7 Habits: The Courage to Change", "The 3rd Alternative: Solving Life s Most Difficult Problems", The look on the chairman s face had shown he was genuinely surprised and when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was laced with admiration for her.