Chapter 18
Mr Coker sat glued to the spot with his eyes widened.
Ife walked in briskly in a business like manner, with a smile plastered on his face. He glanced at Mr Coker and Richard quickly and saw their expression. It took him a lot to resist the urge of bursting out into laughter at their bewilderment.
” I’m so sorry for coming late my fellow dignitaries…. I had an emergency to attend to.” He said and took his seat.
*24 hours earlier.*
Ife woke up suddenly to the alarm clock by his bedside. It was 4am in the morning, his usual wake up time. He turned to his side of the bed to see if Omar had also been awoken by the sound of the alarm. But
Omar was still soundly asleep with her leg curled up on the bed in a babylike pattern. He narrowed his gaze closer to her and smiled.
” She looked beautiful and harmless in her sleep.” He thought and stretched his arm and feet. He would have wanted to do his morning barbell exercise, but this was Dubai, and there were no barbells in his room except he goes to the gym.
He opened a nearby drawer beside his bed, and brought out his laptop, whisking it in his arm with his phone in his other hand, he headed to the adjoining sitting room.
Placing it carefully on a breakfast table, he began to scroll through the documents sent to him by Mr Perkins one after the other.
That was when the call came in.
He picked his phone from the table and checked the caller ID. It was one of his secret mole in the establishment. There were only two feeding him with the top secret information.
He had barely tapped on the receive call bottom when the voice of the caller echoed in the background.
” Your step father is at it again…. He is really hot on your tail and is currently planning something worst.” The voice beamed into his ear.” What is the drill?” Ife asked in seriousness.
There was a pause.
” You need to take the next available flight down to Nigeria…… he knows you are in Dubai and is scheduling a meeting for 2pm tomorrow with plans to inform you late so you wouldn’t be able to show up….. he wants to turn the heart of the members of the board against you!!!” the voice on the other end said to Ife.
Ife sighed.
” Does he know I’m married yet?” Ife asked.
” No….. but he suspects you will fast track your wedding plans.”
” Ok thanks so much sir…. You have been very helpful to me.”
” You are welcomed…. Just be careful out there….. Goodbye.”
Ife sighed again.
” Goodbye Mr Lawal.”
Moments after he hanged up, he turned and saw Omar standing a few meters behind him, still on her pyjamas.
” Is everything ok?” She asked.
” Yes it is…. It’s time.”
” Time for what?”
He sat on the couch and gazed at her.
” It’s time to return to Nigeria.”
****************************
*Back to reality.*
” I told you all he will show up.” Mr James said with a grin plastered on his face.
Mr Williams; one of the oldest board members, cleared his throat and spoke.
” You are welcomed Mr Ife Mike Davis…. Shall we proceed to the reason why we are gathered here.”
Mr Coker straightened from his position and quickly masked his amazement. He knew Ife’s presence will bring more complications to his ploy, but he will fight to the end. He leaned forward and spoke.
” You are welcomed Ife…. Despite the fact that you kept us waiting for a couple of minutes….. nevertheless, without wasting our time any further, let us proceed to the matters arising…… we are gathered here in review of the proposal submitted some weeks ago about the activation of the leadership by vote system instead of the leadership by shares we are used to.” Mr Coker boldly said.
” And why should we review that?….. We all know that Ife is the rightful heir of this company by virtue of inheritance…. And you Mr Coker, is just a caretaker….. so why should we activate the leadership by vote just a week to Ife’s wedding if you do not have any ulterior motive behind this?” It was Mr James who spoke, But Mr Nwachukwu immediately countered him.
” Haba Mr James…. Why are you talking like a child!!…. We all know that Ife, although an heir of the company, is still too young and has not much experience in running the company. Besides, his methods are just too modernized compared to our laid down traditional approach….. Mr Dele Judas, can attest to that fact….. Or isn’t it true Mr Dele?” Mr Nwachukwu directed his question to Mr Judas.
Mr Judas; also known as Mr Dele by the board members, nodded his head in the affirmative and spoke.
” I agree with what Mr Nwachukwu just said….. and in addition to that…. we need a matured mind who has a lot of experience as our leader.” Mr Dele Judas said.
Ife scoffed unbelievably but maintained his silence.
Mr Arnold furrowed his brows into a frown and pointed a finger at my Coker.
” Why now?…. Why are you suddenly pushing for the leadership by vote a week to Ife’s wedding.” He asked Mr Coker angrily.
” Because he knows that the moment Ife gets married, he will be immediately asked to handover the leadership.” Mr Arnold interjected, fixing his gaze on Mr Coker.
Mr Coker scoffed.
” Enough of this banters…. I am still the head of Mike Davis Entertainment until the moment Ife gets married…. And so what I say stands right now!!” He declared, banging the conference table furiously.
Ife laughed out loudly and faced his step father squarely.
” You lie step father!!!….. I always knew you were power hungry and warned my mom about you… but she wouldn’t listen!!…. And now look were it led us?….. Never ever will I let history repeat itself again and today is the day your evil deeds will be exposed!!” Ife challenged Mr Coker boldly.
Mr Coker laughed defiantly.
” And who are you to challenge me?…. You had better be a good boy and be quiet or else you will be dealt with!!” Mr Coker yelled.
Ife laughed out loudly for a second time.
” You want to deal with me?” he repeated Mr Coker’s word and scoffed.
” Just like you killed my mother and attempted to kill me!!” Ife challenged him loudly.
There were loud murmurs among the board members.
Richard clenched his fist in anger and charged towards Ife.