THE JOB THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

THE JOB THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

By R. N. Nnachi

CHAPTER ONE

The Job Offer

Lagos, Nigeria — 7:15 a.m.

"Madam, na here you wan drop?"

Amara looked up from her phone as the danfo driver called out to her.

"Yes, please. How much?"

"One thousand five hundred."

"What? You told me one thousand!"

The driver turned around, already looking irritated.

"Oya, bring the one thousand. Abeg, make I go."

Amara sighed and handed him the money.

Welcome to Lagos.

She stepped down from the bus, dragging her small suitcase behind her. The morning sun was already hot, and the street was filled with the noise of impatient drivers, hawkers, and people rushing to work.

She stood by the roadside and checked the address on her phone.

Blackwood Group of Companies.

Her interview was scheduled for nine o'clock.

It was 7:18 a.m.

For the first time since leaving her hometown in Enugu State, Amara smiled.

She had applied for the personal assistant position three weeks earlier. She never expected a response, especially from a company whose managing director was rumoured to be one of the youngest millionaires in Nigeria.

Then, yesterday evening, an email arrived.

Dear Miss Amara Okafor,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been shortlisted for an interview for the position of Personal Assistant to the Managing Director.

Please arrive at our Lagos office tomorrow morning.

Regards,

Human Resources.

She had read that email at least twenty times.

If she got this job, she could finally send money home, pay her younger brother's school fees, and stop hearing her mother apologise for not being able to provide everything they needed.

Her phone vibrated.

Mum calling…

Amara answered immediately.

"Good morning, Mama."

"My daughter, have you reached?"

"Yes, Mama. I'm here already."

"Have you eaten?"

Amara glanced at the sachet of water in her hand.

"Yes, Mama."

It was a lie.

She hadn't eaten since the previous night, but she didn't want her mother worrying about her.

"God will help you, my child," her mother said softly. "Just remember who you are. No matter the kind of people you meet in that city, don't let anybody deceive you."

Amara smiled.

"Mama, I'm only going for an interview. I'm not going to war."

Her mother laughed quietly.

"That is what you think."

After the call ended, Amara checked her reflection in her phone screen. Her cream blouse was neatly tucked into her black trousers, and her braids were pulled into a simple ponytail.

She adjusted her handbag and started walking towards the office building.

She had no idea that, by the end of the day, her life would be completely different.

The reception at Blackwood Group was nothing like anything Amara had seen before.

Marble floors. Glass walls. Crystal lights hanging from the ceiling.

Even the receptionist looked as though she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine.

"Good morning," Amara greeted politely. "I'm here for an interview with the managing director's office."

The receptionist looked up.

"Your name?"

"Amara Okafor."

The woman's fingers stopped moving across her keyboard.

For a moment, she simply stared at Amara.

Then she looked back at the computer.

"Please, wait here."

Amara sat down.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Finally, a man in a dark suit approached her.

"Miss Okafor?"

"Yes?"

"Come with me, please."

Amara followed him into an elevator that travelled to the twenty-third floor.

When the doors opened, she found herself in a quiet corridor with dark wooden walls and large windows overlooking the city.

The man stopped in front of a black door.

ADRIAN BLACKWOOD — MANAGING DIRECTOR.

He knocked twice.

"Come in," a deep voice answered from inside.

The man opened the door.

"Sir, Miss Amara Okafor is here."

Silence.

Then the voice spoke again.

"Let her in."

Amara stepped inside.

Behind a large desk sat a man in a perfectly tailored black suit. He looked to be in his late twenties, with neatly styled hair and a face that was both handsome and intimidating.

He was reading a document.

He didn't look up immediately.

"Sit down," he said.

Amara sat.

A few seconds later, he put the document aside and raised his eyes to hers.

And suddenly, the room felt much smaller.

"Amara Okafor," he said slowly.

"Yes, sir."

He studied her face for so long that she began to feel uncomfortable.

Then he asked a question she hadn't expected.

"Tell me, Miss Okafor. Have we met before?"

Amara frowned.

"No, sir. I don't think so."

He leaned back in his chair.

"Interesting."

She waited for him to continue.

Instead, he opened a drawer, removed a brown envelope, and placed it on the desk.

"Before we discuss the job, I need you to answer one question honestly."

Amara's heartbeat quickened.

"Okay, sir."

He pushed the envelope towards her.

"Do you know a woman named Evelyn Okafor?"

Amara froze.

Her mother's name.

For several seconds, she couldn't speak.

Then

"How do you know my mother?"

For the first time, Adrian Blackwood smiled.

But there was nothing warm about it.

"That's exactly what I was hoping you'd tell me."

TO BE CONTINUED...