"But, I haven't even treated half of the files on my desk, and there is no way all these files can be treated today," Gloria said. Immediately, Olamide dropped some files on her desk.
"I didn't just bring them here; Mrs. Tosin ordered that you treat the files before closing. You should go talk to her about it," Olamide replied.
"You don't need to come talk to me because I heard everything you said loud and clear," Miss Tosin said as she walked into the administrative office, and Gloria was startled.
The ladies quickly bowed their heads to greet Mrs. Tosin, who seemed to have been eavesdropping.
"I will return to my office now." Olamide excused herself and left immediately.
"Are you indirectly saying that you are tired of this job?" Miss Tosin asked.
"I have been sacrificing my lunch time for two weeks now just to ensure there are no lapses from my end, but this workload is becoming something else," Gloria stuttered.
"You haven't answered my question; is the workload too much and you want to quit?" Miss Tosin asked with a more intense tone.
"No, ma," Gloria replied.
"Just get back to work; we have wasted enough time talking about this. I want those files before or by 5 p.m.," Mrs. Tosin replied and left.
Gloria felt really exhausted after the conversation and wished she could just quit, but that's impossible. She needed the salary to support her family, but Miss Tosin wasn't making the job any easier for her.
She stared at the wall clock as she walked around the office thinking about how to survive everything she was going through in the hands of Miss Tosin, the company's manager .
She sighed heavily and eventually returned to treating the heap of files on her table. At exactly the closing hour, she reached out to her husband to inform him about not returning home early due to work and also asked Miss Tosin for an extra hour to complete treating the files.
"I will be waiting in my office," Miss Tosin replied.
A few minutes past 5 p.m., Gloria stepped out to get a cup of coffee and realized that Miss Tosin's office was locked. She went to check the garage, and the manager's car wasn't there.
"I hope it's not what I am thinking," Gloria muttered, and she went to ask the security about Miss Tosin's whereabouts.
"Madam has left the office since," Musa replied.
"So she actually left me here after working hours, and I was thinking the files were so important to her with the way she spoke to me earlier," Gloria muttered as she returned inside the company's building.
The thought of leaving the files until the next day crossed her mind, but she ended up treating the files before leaving.
Upon arriving home that night, Gloria was tired and had an emotional outburst while explaining everything she was going through at work.
"You shouldn't let her get into your head," Wale tried comforting her.
"I am trying, but she's just so annoying. She treats me like I am some kind of errand girl in the company," Gloria replied.
"Is the CEO aware?" Wale asked.
"No, he comes home twice a year, and I am sure he doesn't have any idea."
"Despite your service and the number of clients you have given the company, they should at least treat you better," Wale replied.
Wale wasn't happy and saw the need to intervene as soon as possible, but he didn't share his plans with his wife.
He is not a stranger to the Brandtech and as a PR consultant, he has helped his wife secured different contracts for the company even though he disclosed his identity as Gloria's spouse.
The next day, Wale arrived at Brandtech with a juicy offer, but there was a condition of meeting the CEO involved.
Miss Tosin tried everything possible to make Wale deal with her directly, but he refused, and she had no choice but to link him to the CEO, who scheduled an online meeting for Wale that same day.
The meeting went pretty well, and Mr. James was happy about the new deal Wale brought them.
"Thanks for this amazing offer, and I am really looking forward to working more with you in the future," James said immediately after the meeting was rounded up.
"I think Mrs. Gloria deserves the appreciation," Wale replied.
"Who is that?" Mr. James asked.
"She works with your company, and the majority of the deals I have brought came through her. She actually gets the clients and convinces them to come for consultation while I handle the other processes, including connecting them to Brandtech," Wale replied.
"Are you referring to Miss Tosin?" Mr. James asked.
"No, I know Miss Tosin quite well. I think Gloria works in the administrative office, if I am not mistaken," Wale replied, and the online meeting ended a few minutes later.
Days passed, and there were no changes in the way Miss Tosin treated Gloria so Wale suggested Gloria submit her resignation letter, but she wasn't ready to do that.
"Becoming a full-time wife wasn't part of the plan, and I can't just sit here waiting for you to do everything. What of the days when work is not fine?" Gloria replied to her husband while discussing the resignation.
"You know I can take care of you even if you don't work, and I'm tired of seeing you returning exhausted every day," Wale replied.
"I know you can take care of me, but I have responsibilities too and don't want them to be part of yours. I have siblings in school, and my parents are old, so let me just endure further," Gloria replied.
A few weeks passed, and everyone was surprised to see Mr. James since it wasn't the middle of the year yet.
The staff felt relieved to have Mr. James around because Miss Tosin always treated them better during that period.
"I need to review all the contracts that came through Mr. Wale, the PR consultant Gloria introduced to us about six years ago," Mr. James said to Miss Tosin.
"Hope everything is alright, sir." She asked.
"Yes, it is. I just want to look into the files," Mr. James replied.
Miss Tosin reached out to Gloria and requested the files, which she submitted immediately to the board room.
"We have about 13 companies we are currently handling their marketing for at the moment, and nine of them came from Mr. Wale, right?" Mr. James asked Miss Tosin.
"Yes, sir. The man is doing a great job," Miss Tosin replied.
"And the other four?" Mr. James asked.
"Two came from you, sir, and the remaining two were recommendations. I have been handling them very well," Miss Tosin replied.
"I can tell, and you are doing a very good job," Mr. James replied.
He requested the files of every staff member in the company from HR, including that of Miss Tosin. Every morning, Mr. James returned to the company, reviewing every staff file.
"Send a memo for a staff meeting scheduled for Friday," Mr. James told HR, who swung into action immediately.
Miss Tosin's efforts to know the purpose of the meeting were futile, and it made her uncomfortable. The HR was clueless as well, and that troubled her more.
"Thanks for having everyone here, and this meeting will be very brief," Mr. James said as he welcomed everyone to the board room.
I want to thank everyone in the company for their contributions over the years, because without you guys, Brandtech wouldn't be where it is today.
To cut the long story short, there will be some restructuring in the company, and I will personally send everyone new positions by mail later today. I want you all to know that these decisions were made for the growth of the company.
Thanks everyone...
The meeting ended, and everyone returned to their offices except Miss Tosin, who was told to stay behind.
"Your new position will come as a shock, but don't feel bad about it. I will appreciate it if you handle the position more seriously than this managerial role," Mr. James said to Miss Tosin.
Evening came, and everyone started receiving the mail as promised. Gloria didn't believe she was appointed as the new manager, and she reached out to her husband first.
The whole company got to know about Gloria's new position before the day ran out, and many of the staff were happy because of how hardworking and kind she was to them.
"Now that Mrs. Gloria has been appointed as the new manager, the shoe is now on the other feet and I expect more productivity because she will handle the position and treat us better," Olamide whispered to the rest of her colleagues after the dinner party Mr. James organized before traveling back abroad.
