HIDDEN

Skyla Stanford smiled contentedly as she saw the latest figures of her father’s company. Things were really looking good for them and she wished her father was alive to see it. Nevertheless, she didn’t dwell too much on that as it made her feel sad all over again even though it had been five years already since he ‘left’ her and her mother.

Her father had been the only male figure in her life. She had had so much respect for him and had admired his zeal and passion for working hard and she had taken that from him. He too had loved her so much and used to say to her that she was worth 10 children and did even better than the son he had hoped to have but never did as she was the only child.

She had made him proud by graduating with first class honours at South Bank University, London having studied a degree in International Business and Communications at the age of 21 and had started helping her dad run his business soon after that - the business was Stanford Enterprise. Her late father came from a generation of Stanfords’ and because he was born and raised in the United States of America, he chose to build a legacy through his family name. He had met Skyla’s mum on a visit to England and had fallen for her natural African beauty; her mum was from Nigeria and had come over to England to study and settle in London. He had been charmed not only by her looks but by her kindness and warmth. Their romance had blossomed over time, which made him decide to move to England as she (her mother) didn’t want to go to America as the change of environment would have been too much for her and she didn’t think she could cope with it either.

Having discussed with her father when he was alive about taking the business global and after much thought had given his consent, she did the major groundwork (i.e. research, costings, investments etc.) in foreign countries where she thought they could hit the ground running – Hong Kong, central parts of India and Japan. The target been investments in properties, silk for cotton, textiles and steel and it paid off. The company now made millions like it had never had in years.

Her attitude towards work was as much the same principle as her father’s was – she tolerated no nonsense from people and didn’t appreciate anyone been slack with their work. She worked hard herself so why shouldn’t the employees do the same too? She didn’t think the office environment was a playground either and so if anyone wanted to have a bit of fun, they could do that on their lunch break, which was usually at the cafeteria on the 1st floor out of 10 floors and not whilst at their desk working. Although she didn’t watch them as a hawk, somehow the employees had come to respect her and somewhat feared her so no one really felt like messing around.

As far as she was concerned, it was a simple contract, the most part been fulfilled by the company – as their Employer, she would pay them an agreed amount for the level of work they had to do; 25 days paid holiday, bonuses which had to be earned, a Christmas treat each year, a paid expenses trip to their foreign offices to do business and whilst there, enjoy the sights and relax in the weekends, a chance for them to invest into the company through shares plus a pensions savings scheme. In return, she expected dedication, commitment, hard work, flexibility and loyalty. Of course, there were all other requirements that were needed to do the job but anything short of the five terms of the contract was just not good enough. And if anyone wasn’t ready to work, then they should hand in their notice and someonelse would fill the empty space. If not, they were going to get fired anyway with reasonable grounds, of course. The last thing she wanted was to stir up trouble with the trade unions; best to keep them ‘sweet’ and so far, she had. Also, she didn’t want any bad publicity, which could be a real stinker for any reputable company and theirs was one of them. Aside from their reputation, they also have a history of long standing customers, which was what made them one of the most successful businesses still standing even beating down some of their major competitors, whilst sending some of them to make major losses as opposed to them, which saw a profit of about £120 million in total in the last financial year and is still growing.

Although she worked hard, she made sure she visited her mum, if not every weekend, most weekends. She didn’t want her mum to feel lonely as she (her mum) missed her long-time companion, friend and husband and so having her daughter around somewhat compensated for the void she felt in her heart every now and then. She (Skyla) was also glad she could drive, not only because where her mum lived was 40 miles away from her, but it was so she could make stops on the way to buy some items she felt her mum needed. She always felt relaxed whenever she went to see her. She had moved out of their family home after her father passed away as it was easier for her to cope with it plus, she needed to be close to the office and keep things going. Her mum was as proud as her father would have been if he saw things as they were now and therein lay her contentment.

It was the fact that she was content with how she was and what she was doing, or rather the things she didn’t do like most young women her age that made men find her admirable and somewhat, appealing. Not only was she beautiful and looked good, but she was not interested in time wasters and felt everyone should make good use of the time. She was very intelligent, a gift she used wisely, smart in her appearance and bold in her decisions; a beautiful combination but also one that she was not willing to share with anyone. Having a man in her life was something she wasn’t considering right now plus if she was going to be involved with anyone, it had to be someone who understood who she was and not what she had made in terms of her wealth; it was just not what she was focused on now. And besides, even if she thought about it, the men she knew wouldn’t fit into what she would call ‘ideal’ and so why bother? They were all the same as far as she was concerned apart from her father, who she thought stood out from the self-centred, egoistic, proud and arrogant males that she had ever come across whilst working for her father. They never thought she would make it, judged her because she was young and the fact that she was a woman made it even worse. ‘Well, look at her now, what do they have to say about that?’ she thought. Oh no, she wasn’t one to brag but she rather call a spade what it really is, a spade. People might say she was narrow minded and head strong but she didn’t care – her life was hers to live so they can choose to say all they want to say. She had made her father’s company a success and that was all that mattered.

* * * * * *

Her intercom buzzed whilst she was reading an email from their subsidiary in Hong Kong and she answered it. It was her secretary, Anna Whites, a woman she respected so well not because she was almost the same age as her mother but because she carried herself well. She was elegant, thoughtful, a good listener and very hands on when it came to her work and both women enjoyed having occasional chats during and after work every now and then.

She had just informed her that she had an unexpected visitor from one of their rival companies, Tykon Inc. They too made a good profit recently but as not much as Stanford Enterprise. Nevertheless, they were still one to watch out. It was her business to know how her rivals were doing but that was not what was on her mind when she asked Anna to let the visitor in. ‘It was what the owner of Tykon Inc. was doing here and what did he want?’ she pondered this as she adjusted herself on her leather high backed chair and asked him to come in after a brief knock on the door.

She took him in just then and wished she hadn’t; he looked sophisticated, expensive looking and stood tall in his black trouser suit, blue t-shirt and tie, which looked like it was ironed so much until not even a single crease could be found on it. But that was not what gave her the chills; it was the look in his eyes, like he owned her and there was nothing she could do about it. If she needed a distraction it was right then. Surely Anna would come in and say something to her and she would be torn away from those eyes that held her gaze. She had to break free, had to. ‘Think Skyla, think’, she gingered herself as he stood still holding her captive with those eyes. ‘He’s your rival, remember. He doesn’t like your guts and what you represent’, she scolded herself and, in that instance, she found herself returning back to her senses and with cool composure, spoke, “Hello Mr Rice. To what do I owe this ‘pleasure’?”

With a slight grin, he walked towards her and took a seat opposite her, the oak desk been the chasm between them. He crossed his legs and then took in the entire office and said, “Not bad. I can see you have got your father’s tastes except for the minimal feminine touches”.

Well, she couldn’t deny the fact that the room didn’t look like the usual office – it had a cream carpet, had three beautiful paintings on each side of the wall, a large window with beautiful drapes folded at the sides, flower pots at each side of the room with long leafy plants, a photocopier machine at the left corner of the room with a printer right next to it, a small cream leather but cosy sofa at one end, the oak desk which had been polished giving it a smooth shine, a nice compact computer to go with it, telephone with a high tech intercom system, and a few other office items. It was a large office with space but she loved to keep it simple.

However, she was surprised he mentioned her father like he knew him, like they were friends but she ignored it and decided to ask, “Are you here on business or for a personal chat? The latter I wouldn’t be in the least interested in”.

Laughing out loud, he replied, “You definitely are who they say you are, a tough one to crack but I would take my chances. I am here because of you, Skyla”. The last sentence was said with the utmost sincerity and his eyes looked serious then.

Raising her eyebrow, she said “That’s news to my ears. So, what is it exactly do you want from me or better still, what do you have of interest to our company, Mr Rice?”

“Please call me Jason. You sound like one of my employees when you call me that and I don’t think you want to fall into that category, do you?” he spoke and grinned.

‘What was he up to and why don’t I like the sound of this?’ she thought but decided to play along, “Ok...Jason.”

“That sounds better”, he then smiled at her before continuing the conversation, “I am here to conclude....or perhaps I should rephrase that, to keep my promise to an old friend”.

She paused before responding with raised eyebrows, “Old friend?”

“Yes, your father was a friend of mine and don’t be surprised. Just because we both had businesses to run doesn’t mean that we did not get along, which was why before he passed away, he made me promise to take care of you.”

“I don’t believe you. There is no way my father would say such a thing because he knew what I was capable of. And besides, why you of all people? And why now?” Those words were spoken with such disapproval and disdain.

Ignoring the tone in her voice, he replied, “Oh yes, I do agree with you as he did tell me that you were capable of running his business. But that is not what I meant...or should I rather say, your father meant”.

Irritated, she asked, “Then what he did mean? And how am I certain you’re not pulling a fast one? How am I sure that you’re not here to swindle your way in and try to run us down?”

Laughing out loud again, which infuriated her, he responded, “I would have thought that you were much clever for that. I doubt anyone would be able to pull a fast one on you”.

She didn’t respond as she was losing her patience with him already and felt she might say something she’ld regret and so she just looked at him waiting for him to finally say what he came to say.

Sensing that she was upset, he got serious again and finally dropped the bombshell, “I am here because I want you, Skyla. I think a relationship with you would be great for the both of us and together, we can become a formidable team”.

At that very moment, she prayed that the walls would cave in and that Jason Rice would be buried in it whilst she escaped unharmed. But of course, that didn’t happen and so she tried to compose herself before speaking, “I think you’ve had your time of fun now, Mr Rice (his name pronounced through gritted teeth) and I suggest you leave right now before I say something I would regret later”.

“I understand how you feel, Skyla. It must be a total shock for you so I would let you be for now but I will definitely return so that we can discuss further on the matter because as I said...”

“Please leave now, Mr Rice” she interrupted and got up from her seat and walked towards the door, opened it and held it ajar.

Smiling, he gently stood up and walked towards her. When he got to the door, he tried to look at her but her face was turned away from him. Choosing not to upset her any further, he walked out of her office without another word.

She then controlled herself and chose not to bang the door as that was exactly what she felt like doing but instead, she closed the door shut like she normally would, but she was fuming inside. ‘How dare he walk into her office and lie about her father? How dare he?! Her father would never do such a thing, never! He knew better than to do that to her and besides, why Jason Rice? Why him?’ she queried as she walked towards the window and decided to take in bit of fresh air to calm herself down.

Just then, her mobile phone rang and she decided to ignore it. However, the caller just wouldn’t go away and so she grumbled before walking back to her desk to answer it; there was no caller ID but she answered it anyway.

“Hello, Skyla Stanford”. She spoke as she answered the call.

There was a pause at the other end before the line went dead.