“Sir, a lot of groundbreaking projects are being submitted by most of the employees in the company” Happiness was evident in Sarah’s voice. The company was about to open a new chapter. They were upgrading to a more fascinating spot in the business world
Liam, who was sitted across his office desk had his eyelids closed in deep thoughts. He was satisfied by the progress his employees were making but a palpable sense of unease was persistent in his heart. He thought carefully before speaking. “That’s good news, Sarah. You can send them to my office for review and also prepare the estimated budget that would be used to find them”
“Duly noted, sir” Sarah replied with a much enthusiastic and energetic tone before a question popped into her head. What was her boss planning?…” Sir, you haven’t said anything about the new project that was meant to beat the project Phoenix?”. Her tone was cautious to avoid getting offending him.
Liam’s eyebrow furrowed as his eyelids shot open. The unease in his heart had become more threatening at the sound of Sarah’s question. Unease or nervousness?… Yes, he felt nervous. The previous life-changing project he had carefully and dutifully constructed was stolen and plagiarized. Was the new project safe?….
His gaze lingered on Sarah before deciding to speak. “The new project is in progress, it will be ready in no time. But I need to ensure the security and encryption first before revealing what it entails”
“Alright, boss” Sarah nodded with great understanding. She was fully aware of how Liam had toiled day and night for the project Phoenix only for it to get stolen. His sense of apprehension was justified… Business rivals should never be underestimated.
A knock on the door brought the two occupants in the room, back to earth.
Adrian felt hit by the high tension in the room. He knew this feeling- something mind-blowing was about to be experienced, but the feeling of hesitation was present.
His gaze collided with Liam’s who had his eyes on him since his entrance. He walked closer to the desk that was between them with his laptop in his palms. “Sir, I want you to see the upgrade I built on the company’s security system” his voice was nervous but expectant. “It’s way stronger than the previous and the antivirus is also very reliable”
Liam’s gaze scanned the system with much seriousness and severity. He trusted his tech guy but he needed an assurance that would put his mind at peace. “It’s excellent, Adrian” his complement made Adrian’s heart leap for joy but Liam was done yet, he wasn’t that easy to please. “I want the antivirus system to be stronger than this”
A cold sweat trickled down Adrian’s back, he had spent a whole lot of sleepless nights driving his efforts in building a perfect system but now, he had to exert more pressure, he needed to be more productive because he knew well enough, that the safety and well being of the company rested on his shoulder. Any tiny misstep that he makes would be the determinant of the company’s outcome. So, with a new sense of determination, he accepted to follow his boss’s command without hesitation.
“He inhaled deeply before responding, “I will see to it, boss. I just need more time”
Liam’s pursed lips broke into a smile. He was testing the dedication of his tech guy and was greatly delighted by his response. “Excellent! Adrian, you have my full support but know this, we don’t have all the time in the world”
“I’ll make sure it is ready before you know it” Adrian assured with severity in his tone but his heart was excited at his boss’s compliment. He calmly walked out of the office with readiness to perform his duties.
“Um… Sarah” Liam called out to his secretary who was standing by, watching the scene with earnest eyes. “I need to highlight the newly developed project”
“Oh! Right away sir” Sarah said as she opened the tablet she’s been holding all along. All pieces of information about the projects were stored in it. “Well, we have plans of developing a mobile app for customer engagement, implementing a cloud based project management tool, launching a social media marketing campaign, and conducting a customer satisfaction survey”
She paused a bit to catch her breath then continued, “A business intelligence platform, improving supply chain through process automation and developing a CSR strategy”
Liam nodded with gratification, all the plans were indeed, newly developed. Just adequate funding and they are good to go. “That’s good, Sarah. Don’t forget to get me the budget I asked for”
“I won’t, sir. I’ll get it ready immediately” Sarah assured as she made to walk out of the office.
“Sarah, one more thing” her boss’s words caused her to stop in her tracks.
The moment she turned to face her boss, he spoke. ” When you’re done with it, get me a list of the best neurologists in our country. I need them urgently”
“I’ll get it, sir” Sarah responded but her interest was piqued. She was eager to know what the need for a neurologist was for, so she asked,” A neurologist?… Is there any problem?… I know they treat patients with brain issues but I can’t think of anyone who is suffering from that?”
“Sarah, when did you become a busybody?” Liam asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He knew she wasn’t informed about the incident at Xavier General Hospital. “It’s for a patient I know”
Sarah’s face, down to her neck, was flushed with embarrassment. She didn’t mean to pry but her boss’s demand was strange. “I’m sorry sir. I’ll get back to work now. Thank you”
Liam brought out a file he had placed under another file. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he stared at the file while trying to remember his late father’s face. The file contained a project that his father was working on before his death. A mysterious glint flashed through his eyes, he had been deliberately, considering the benefits and consequences of what he was about to do. He had made up his mind and there was no going back.