Sinners and Saints II

Chapter 22

Olivia got down from the silver BMW, holding on to her purse as she hurriedly wore her plastic ID on her neck.

Everyday news.

She could see the name on the huge glass building right from where she stood at the parking lot. She could see how everyone hurried to rush in, workers, guests, name it.

Eight thirty a.m

She knew she was late for her first week even though she was already one of the heads of department, so much so the owner of the company. Talking about her position at the company, she was probably not appointed CEO because Rafael thought it would have been too obvious he had bought the company in her name. The point was to keep it away from her anyway and now she knew, she might actually have to turn the post of CEO down if it was actually imposed on her one day.

She had no idea how to run a company and she was sure Everyday was doing amazingly well under the care and hard work of her current chief executive. Besides, what was the point being CEO and restricted from doing all of the things she really loved like editing and overseeing broadcasts? Not to talk about validating the news that came in first. Those were the things that made her want to work there in the first place so she knew she just had to stick to being head of the editing and broadcast team for a while.

She loved it that way, especially since there weren't many people that actually knew she owned the company now.

"Don't forget to be back in three hours." She told her driver right before he drove away from her. Olivia opened her bag in an attempt to reach for her phone the moment she heard it ring, checking every corner to find it.

She slowly picked it out of her bag and was about to answer when she dropped it in fear the moment she felt a hand grab hers. Olivia could feel her heart race as she turned to the older chubby woman beside her in a white top and a wrapper tied around her waist. She glared into Olivia's eyes, her hands trembling right above hers. Olivia had never seen so much sadness in someone's eyes in her entire life.

She tried to pull her hand away but the woman kept pulling it back with all her strength, and it terrified Olivia even more.

Who was she?

"You're her aren't you?" The woman's voice broke as a smile spread on her lips. A really sincere smile. "It's you, Adaora's baby girl, Olivia."

Olivia blinked. She stopped struggling for a while, the moment she heard the woman say those words to her. Say her mother's name.

"You're so grown." She looked at Olivia from head to toe. "So beautiful."

"Aunty Ann!"

Olivia turned the moment she heard a loud voice from outside the lot. She could see a younger girl running towards them. She looked more like she was in her early twenties.

"Don't listen to them." The woman pulled Olivia back to face her as the girl got closer. Olivia could see how the smile on her face suddenly disappeared, a frown completely taking over. She was back to looking so scary again. "They are all lying, they are all liars."

"W-What-"

"They killed her, they killed them, but they didn't know the kangaroo knows." The woman chuckled. "The kangaroo saw it. She knows."

"Aunty Ann." The girl hurriedly grabbed the old woman's arm as fast as she could, pulling her gently away from Olivia.

"The kangaroo saw it!" She kept yelling, pointing at Olivia, laughing at the same time. "The kangaroo sees it all!"

Olivia blinked. She was beginning to feel very scared,  scared about how scary and terrifying this woman was.

"Aunty Ann, stop this."
Olivia could hear the girl reprimand the woman quickly turning to her. "You're scaring her."

The woman blinked twice. Olivia noticed how she was beginning to be calm now. She blinked twice again and then turned to the young girl.

"Cynthia?" She called her name like she wasn't sure. Olivia watched the girl exhale and then slowly turned to her, biting her lower lip in embarrassment. She bowed respectfully.

"I'm really sorry for what my aunty did." She explained. "She happened to see you on the news a few days ago and since then, she has been asking me to bring her here. I had no idea she was going to harass you like this. I'm really really sorry."

Olivia flickered her tongue on her lower lip, trying to force herself to smile and act like her sanity wasn't just compromised.

"It's okay. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."
She slowly turned back to the woman who just stood there, starring at her. "Is she okay?"

She looked fine all of a sudden. She looked perfectly normal.

"She's okay." The girl answered. "She just suffers from a neurological disease. She becomes really forgetful and confuses random people with people from her past. I'm truly sorry." The girl sighed. Olivia had her eyes glued to the woman who just stood there, staring at her too.

"D-do you live around?"

"We live in Kubwa. My aunty never got married so she stays with us."

"I- um." Olivia shook her head. "I'm really sorry for your aunty's condition but," she slowly reached for her office card. "Here is my card," she gave it to the girl who just took it from her with surprise written all over her face. She didn't understand. "If there's anything I can do, anything you need, anything at all, just let me know, please."

The girl shook her head.

"I don't think it's necessary-" she stretched the card back to Olivia. "We wouldn't want to bother."

"No, no." Olivia pushed her hand back. "It's not a bother at all." She smiled. "I'm new here and your aunt happens to be my first official fan. It's just really sad to see her like this and I'd like to keep in touch, and help in anyway I can."

A smile spread on the girls face.

"Thank you ma."

Olivia nodded her head quickly as she watched the girl hurriedly turn back to the old woman.

"Let's go home aunty, we've seen enough."

"But I'm saying the truth." The woman said the moment the girl gently reached for her arm. "That's her, she's the one. I know it."

"Aunty please." The girl whispered as loud as she could, still hoping Olivia couldn't hear them. She was already too embarrassed as it was. "Not today, maybe some other time, let's just go home. This is so embarrassing."

Olivia watched her as she pulled the woman away as fast as she could.

"Miss Olivia,"
Her attention got caught short the moment she heard someone call her name from behind her. She turned quickly as she held her breath the moment she saw who it was.

It wasn't who she had ever dreamt of seeing at her work place in all her life time but there he was. Her soon to be father in law.

Olivia forced a smile on her face as she saw the smile on Randy's face widen while he took a few steps towards her, the two men in suits behind him maintaining their three inch distance from him.

Olivia swallowed hard as she held on tight to her bag. A lot of thoughts clouded her mind, thoughts about the last lunch she had with the Okonkwos.
Just how much of an impression had she left that would bring Randy all the way to her workplace?

"Isn't that The Godfather?"

"It's Chairman Randy"

Olivia could hear the ladies that walked past her whisper to themselves.

"What's he doing here?"

Olivia blinked her eyes as he got closer till he was standing right in front of her.

"C-chairman,"

The warm smile on Randy's face got even warmer and wider as he came to a stop a few steps in front of her, holding on tightly to the golden lion head at the head of his walking stick, his white suit shinning so brightly. Too bright that Olivia thought she was going to be blinded by it.

"Care to join me for breakfast?"