The Sponsor

Wairimu

If there was gossip about Wairimu, it spiraled out of control after Kitana started spending huge amounts of time with her in his office. The employees thought the worst of her even when he was just orienting her. Showing her the budgets, the income and profit projections. Ajabu Digital on paper was doing exceptionally well but in actuality cash-flows were stifling it.

Kitana was having a hard time admitting to himself that he had taken a liking to her, she was a natural leader and she executed difficult tasks effortlessly. He had seen it first hand. Farm Price had been a contractual client for the longest time but after she got into the picture it cleared it's debt and became a retainer client.

It's how she showed value, not with empty words but with execution strategies that worked. Wairimu was born for this, Kitana had decided and it was in that way that he made her an interim assistant COO. She would now attend all major meetings. 'Perhaps she was the key out of this turmoil,' Kitana thought without second guessing himself even for a minute.

Wairimu's time became thin. She would get to work early morning and leave late at night. She did not have time to seat for lunches with her first office crush, The Tech Lead. She found it easier to order in. It was in that way that the Tech Lead became involved in the rumors. "Kitana, of all the people, isn't he forty, what is he doing with that little girl?" he would say sourly over lunch with his colleagues.

Even though rumours were swirling around after her meteoric rise, her former team was pacifying them. John, Judy and Jane had risen to the plate in the short time she had lead them and they handled Farm Price solely by themselves with very little direction from her. She had done it by opening communication lines and making sure that no team member was overwhelmed at any particular time and there was free flow of ideas. They would joke that she had made work fun.

Auditing was not fun though. Wairimu closed the heavy profit and loss file that sat in-front of her and breathed a sigh. They had hired a firm to help them put a solid case together so they could start approaching banks. Kitana had told her that these deals were made over whisky and golf and there had to be something in it for the other party otherwise the deal fell through. She convinced herself that she would do this by the book, that she would put up such a strong argument that any bank would be dumb not to take up the opportunity.

It was a routine of hers now. After she was done for the day she would walk into her father's office and gaze at the chair and at the scenic view overlooking the balcony. She would touch the leather seat and imagine herself seated in it. She did not know by then how much that seat would break her. It would take everything from her before she sat on it.