Jabali's Redemption - Episode 10

 

Neema nearly stumbled on her high heels as she raced to the stairs of Tembo Tea processing factory. Being a Monday the place was bustling with life, a big contrast to the weekend when she paid a visit to Jabali, the Director General. Neema knew she was the new kid in the block as she attracted attention from what was now her colleagues. Some smiled at her and others didn’t . She had worked in an office setting for some time so she was used to office politics. Not everyone was going to be welcoming but then again that didn’t matter as she was there to pay her brother’s debt.

The ground floor receptionist quickly recognized her, ‘Welcome Neema, I heard you will be working with us,’ she smiled as she gave Neema an employee’s card for her to access the office facilities. Neema marveled at the proficiency of the company. She wondered how quick they worked to be able to print the card considering she had only been in the office during the weekend.

‘Thank you…’ Neema looked at the smiling girl’s tag, ‘Hanifa for the welcome. I hope I will be an additional asset to the company,’

‘You already are.’ The desk phone rang and the Hanifa turned away to pick the call, Neema took that as a signal to leave. At least one person was welcoming and warm towards her

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/jabali-s-redemption

. She shuddered at the reaction Jabali will give her considering she was late by five minutes.

Jabali had shown her, her working space. The receptionist desk was outside his office on the last floor in the building. She had to go up there using a lift though Jabali would use his own personal elevator. Being the boss had its own perks.

Quickly she clambered over the already filled elevator used by the common employees. She squeezed through and surprisingly fit, ignoring the clamp she was in and the groans from several people. Neema pressed the button for the last floor which earned her looks of surprise which she promptly ignored. They would have to get used to her presence. After all she was the new secretary to the big boss.

The elevator emptied on each floor as more people joined until at last she was all alone in the end.

The office was quiet. Neema understood the floor housed Jabali’s office only. Meaning they would be alone, just the two of them in the whole floor for the whole time she would be working in the company. The idea set her stomach jittery. She didn’t know how to react to that. Being close to Jabali would bring back a lot of memories; she really wished she would forget.

Setting herself behind the luminous green desk, Neema calmed her beating heart. She was here to work and that was what she was going to do.

She steadily walked to Jabali’s door and knocked.

‘Come in,’ the deep baritone answered.

‘Mr. Jabali,’ walked in. Neema remembered that Jabali hated being called Mr. Kasri. So she stack to Jabali. She didn’t want to give him a reason to antagonize her.

He was busy typing on his laptop and didn’t raise his head as she stood in front of his desk with her hands folded before her front.

‘You are late,’ he grumbled not looking up or slowing on his typing.

‘I will correct on that,’ she promptly answered trying not to inhale so much of his intoxicating scent. It seemed to be everywhere.

‘Understand one thing Miss Kadiri. I don’t appreciate laziness in my office or from my employees.’ He raised his eyes and pierced her with his intense gaze for a second before he focused back on his laptop.

‘Noted, sir,’ she replied through her teeth. Did he just call her lazy? She imagined throttling his thick muscled neck until he couldn’t breathe anymore.

At the tone of her voice, Jabali raised his head again, ‘is there anything you want to say Miss. Kadiri?’ his eyes were challenging her to voice her thoughts but Neema was not going to fall for that trap. She needed to pay off Ngao’s debt.

‘No, nothing sir,’ she answered, a forced smile on her lips. Jabali smirked at her, revealing his dimpled cheek and Neema was floored for a second. His looks were highly distracting. She remembered a time when…no stop that, no going down the memory lane. She mentally slapped herself.

‘Good, keep in mind your brother’s life is on the roll here,’ he went back to his work. Neema was pretty much sure she was being dismissed. So with a barely loud excuse me, she turned and made it for the door.

Then,

‘Miss Kadiri,’ Jabali called her again.

‘I will send you the work you are supposed to do today to your email.’

‘Yes sir,’

‘And bring me kahawa tungu,’ he added and this caught Neema’s attention. Jabali looked at her intently as if expecting her to remember the past Neema was willing and ready to forget. She couldn’t read the expression on his face. Like a dark night. She couldn’t tell where she was, where she was standing with Jabali.

Not trusting her voice to speak, she nodded her head and walked out. Cursing Jabali for messing with her head.

……………………………………………….

Neema had been wrong thinking she would be alone with Jabali in the floor, he had a stream of visitors and it was not noon yet. Most of them were employees in the company. They asked her who she was as if they couldn’t tell she was a secretary considering she was occupying the secretary’s desk. Some lady had the nerve to comment that Neema wouldn’t last at that post considering Jabali rarely maintained his secretary’s for more than a month. He was demanding that the poor women quit their jobs. Neema could understand why they quit. The amount Jabali had given her was a lot but she couldn’t complain. It was distraction from everything she faced.

At noon, Neema stretched her back, hunger pains stabbing her. She barely took breakfast in the morning being anxious of her first day and breaking the golden rule of being late in the company.

Her stomach grumbling, she stood up from the desk only for the elevator to ping.

Another visitor.

She prepared a smile for the tall, well-dressed man who was busy on his phone, tapping away.

‘Welcome to…’ she began her mantra for every visitor in the office but straggled off when she noticed whom it was.

The stranger at the bus station. The man she had practically thrown herself at. Neema decided to play as ignorant as possible praying he wouldn’t recognize her. After all it was a night and they were in a congested bus station.

The man placed his phone away and turned to her with a dazzling smile, a smile that grew wider after he recognized her. Of course he would recognize her, she had practically molested him in the station.

‘Neema Kadiri,’ he smiled widely as he crossed over to her desk and pulled her into a hug. Neema was perplexed as she stood rigid not returning his embrace. What was he doing? How did he come to know her name? That night, they hadn’t exchanged a lot of words.

‘Mr.…..she started but trailed off when he didn’t let her go immediately. She tried to pull herself off from his arms but he refused to let go. His arms steel bands, the stranger was well built. Maybe he worked out. Neema thought musingly as she found herself, enjoying the hug.

Wait…what?!It must be the hunger muddling her brain.

‘Fancy meeting you here,’ now that he was close, she couldn’t help but hear the faint accent in his voice. An accent she couldn’t place.

‘Yes…I…work here,’ he released her only to hold her at an arm’s length. His eyes twinkled with mischief and surprise. Neema was surprised too, she hadn’t expected to see him again.

‘What is going on here?’ Jabali curt tone had both of them turning back towards him. The stranger was in no hurry to release her. In fact he tucked Neema under his shoulder, holding her close and smiling to Jabali. Neema tried discreetly to move away, seeing Jabali’s hard gaze on her arm, which the stranger was holding.

Neema hadn’t heard him approach. Like always Jabali walked like a cat, silent and steadily.

‘Neema here is a special friend, we parted in a hurried way. I didn’t think I would be meeting her here.’ The stranger said smiling down at her and Neema wondered what special friendship he was talking about. There was nothing special about their encounter.

‘Special friend huh,’ Jabali sank his large hands inside his pockets, throwing her a scorching gaze. Neema tried to salvage the situation. She didn’t want him to misread whatever the stranger was saying.

Then why was she trying to salvage the situation? Jabali could read into it if he wanted. She didn’t owe him any explanation.

‘It was actually a short encounter, not less than five minutes,’ she corrected,

‘Five minutes Neema, really? All that time you were on top of me,’ the stranger tapped her nose and pulled her closer, his gaze squarely on Jabali. Was he challenging her boss? What was he doing?

And what in the world was he talking about? She wasn’t on top of him? Technically she was but…not like that.

Neema risked a glance at Jabali and if looks could kill, he stranger would be dead and buried six feet under. Jabali’s jaw was ticking and Neema could see him flexing his fists inside the pocket. A clear sign he was riled up. Apart from that, Jabali maintained a stone hard face with an expressionless gaze. Neema knew him well enough to tell he would pounce on the stranger if she didn’t save the situation.

But why was Jabali riled up? He couldn’t be jealous, could he? And why was the thought of Jabali jealous thrilled her? He was murderer. Jabali killed Naiti, her brother, Neema reminded herself. She couldn’t forget the past. What he did to her family but why did her heart miss a beat whenever she saw him? Why did she yearn for him? He should be repulsive to her but he wasn’t. Even after all these years, he still managed to affect her in a way no other man had ever done.

‘Mr. …’ Neema started trying to salvage the escalating testosterone in the room.

‘Mr. Akila Okumu that is not what happened.

Read " The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior " by the same author ( Razia Iminza )

. It was an accident…’ Neema started.

‘Enough of this, Miss Kadiri get me the reports I requested,’ Jabali stated in a grave tone, he spat her name out like a curse, ‘and Mr. Okumu, if you have any business, see me in my office. Both of you should remember this is an office and not the pub. Conduct yourselves in a professional manner,’

He turned and left.

‘Mr. Jabali,’ Neema called after him trying to explain that he had misunderstand the whole situation but Jabali didn’t turn around.

‘He needs to loosen up,’ Akila shook his head at the retrieving back of Jabali and turned towards her. Neema forcefully removed her shoulder from his grasp. Akila let her go, a surprise look on his face.

‘You shouldn’t have done that,’

‘Don’t worry about it,’

‘I really need this job,’ she stated. Ngao was still in probation. Angering Jabali was not going to work in her favor.

‘Hey, nothing will happen to your job. Trust me.’ He turned serious all of a sudden. The playfulness had disappeared.

‘And I want to get to know you better.’ He smiled at her and his whole visage changed again.

Neema could only look at him wondering if he was being serious or he was playing with her.

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