CHAPTER 2

In the Benson Group, Mr. Taiye Jackson sits in the front seat of the conference hall where they're having a meeting with various board members working under him from his other companies, all of which are registered under his name. He speaks to his personal assistant softly, whispering, "Introduce the new head to them now."

They sit in the meeting hall, waiting to meet with the newly appointed CEO whose name has been announced but whom none of the workers have seen yet. Mr. Taiye Jackson is the former CEO, while his late father, Mr. Benjamin Jackson, was the first to establish the Benson Group of Companies, which means "Benjamin and Sons Group of Companies."

They sit, waiting to witness the new handling of company ownership by Mr. Taiye's only son, Liam Jackson. He's rumored to be cold, unfilial, and the workers know once he assumes the position as the new CEO they will be dealt with as some have heard of him being arrogant, mean, and unappreciative. However, he's very hardworking and runs some private businesses in the states before his father finally announced his retirement plan to him, asking him to return to his country to run his multimillion-dollar companies.

Liam first refused, as he didn't want to return to his country, Nigeria. He doesn't seem to find anything interesting there except for his mother, a God-fearing Christian woman. She dresses modestly and never misses attending church to pray for her husband and him, as he is her only child.

Liam was meant to understand that his mother underwent a lot of marital crises at the beginning of her marriage with his father. His late grandfather, Mr Benjamin Jackson, had refused his son, Mr Taiye, from marrying his mother, Mrs. Juliet. Despite women flocking around him, trying to seduce him and calling his mother barren, his father still insisted on marrying only his mother, Mrs. Juliet, without having any other extramarital affairs.

Liam's father stuck to only his wife, Mrs. Juliet Jackson, and stood by her even though his family refused and stated she couldn't bear him another child even after 10 years of their only child. Liam's mother had a lot of miscarriages, and Liam knew it was because she worried so much about his father leaving her and marrying another woman. That made her lose all those babies she had carried in her womb, except for him. He just turned 30 years old, while his mother is 60 years old, and his father is 68 years old.

Liam loves his parents nonetheless, but his father had tricked him by lying to him that he was sick. He even arranged a fake doctor who called him and told him of his father's ill health over the phone, asking him to return from the States. He was so annoyed to return home to his homeland and saw his father hale and healthy, moving around and even attending business class meetings. Liam is angry that his father had tricked him into returning and refused him from going back to the United States either.

Currently, inside the headquarters of the Benson group of companies where they have the oil manufacturing product, gas implant, steel production, and other production of basic amenities, the company is well known around the globe. Liam is in one of the private rooms on the second floor, adjusting his necktie while wearing a long white sleeve shirt, plain black trousers, and his black suit is kept on the table. His father had spoken to him about introducing him to their various board members and partners managing their businesses.

Liam breathes out heavily and finally picks up his suit to wear. Just then, his assistant, Brown Anderson, whom his father first assigned to him on his first day of joining the company, knocks on the private room door and he responds, "Come in."

"Boss, it is time for the introduction to begin," Brown informs him. Liam nods and puts on his black suit properly. Just as he steps out, his father's spokesperson announces to the rest of the prominent men and women sitting in the large meeting hall, "Welcome Master Liam Jackson, New CEO of Benson Group of Companies Limited," and the hall immediately goes into a round of applause for him as he steps to the front and climbs onto the stage while his father is sitting in the front row and his father's assistant, Mr. Silas Greystone, hands him the microphone to give a few speeches to their staff.

"Thank you all for acknowledging our invitation and being a witness to my submission as the new CEO of the Benson Group. Well, I would like us to continue with our integrities and work really hard to continue building our company into a much brighter recognition of transparency and guaranteed products. Thank you all for being a part of my new journey. Thank you," Liam hands over the microphone back to Mr. Silas, steps down from the podium, and the round of applause increases as he walks to take his seat while a few top heads immediately stand up to shake hands with him as he approaches the seat made available for him.

Liam shakes hands with them before sitting, and they return to their seats, while his father, Mr. Taiye Jackson, smiles faintly at him and stands up to give his own speech before the final closing speech from Silas.

"Thank you all for honoring my invitation and being a witness to this new beginning with our new CEO, who is none other than my son Liam Jackson. I appreciate all our past workers who have been working really hard in uplifting our company's name and creating transparency that we are one of the best production companies here in Nigeria. I would like you all, both old and new workers and those in retirement, to respect and work amicably with our new CEO and follow whatever decisions he implies for our company to grow globally. As you can all see, he just returned from the States to be with us. Thank you all once again. Silas, I hand it to you to close the meeting for today."

Mr Taiye hands back the microphone to Silas, and he reads out some new brief about the new products and prices. After that, Silas closes the meeting with his concluding speech. The invitees and the workers stand up and exit the meeting hall after the meeting with their new CEO ends.

Liam remains in the meeting hall with his father after the number of guests and members reduces to just a few. He stands up and walks over to meet his father, who was discussing with his friend, Mr. John Patrick, one of their managing accountants.

Liam tells his father, 'Father, I want to have a word with you,' so he can round up his conversation with his friend, Mr. John Patrick, who works as one of their managing accountants and is very trusted with their company funds.

"Okay son, I will be with you shortly," Mr Taiye responded, while Mr John finally turned to face Liam. "Oh Master Liam, congratulations on your new position," Mr. John smiled faintly to Liam.

"Thank you, sir. It is an honor meeting you and working here with all of you," Liam replies.

"You can count on us always, Liam. Your father is my boss and a very good friend too, and I am so happy to see you taking over his position. I know you will lead us well to much better growth than your father and grandfather ever did."

"Thank you, sir," Liam smiles faintly, as he loves praise from his friends, colleagues, and even elders as that motivates him to work really hard.

"You're welcome, Liam. Mr. Taiye, I am leaving. My daughter will be very upset with me for not showing up at her school convocation today even after she has called me to come with her mother to the university," Mr. John says as he turns to face Mr. Taiye.

"You know I cannot miss your son being introduced to us as the new CEO, so I asked her mother and elder brother to attend her convocation on my behalf, and she will be very annoyed with me for that."

"Oh, I am so sorry about that, Mr. John. I hope she understands," Mr. Taiye apologizes.

"Yes boss, she will," Mr. John nodded with a faint smile on his face, wanting to leave.

"How about I make up for that and have her introduced to my son, and maybe extend our family friendship to marriage? I'm sure she will be happy about that," Mr Taiye proposed. Liam frowned immediately from where he was standing. He stood beside his father, waiting for him to finish his conversation with his friend, Mr John.

"Oh, thank you Boss, but that's only if she will accept," Mr. John quickly rejects, knowing how stubborn his daughter is and he doesn't want her to bring any problem between him and his boss.

"Why won't she accept? Liam is handsome and every girl wants him. What did she study in the university again?" Mr. Taiye asks, and Liam's frown deepens as he stares from his father to Mr. John. Women aren't in his interest, and Liam doesn't like how his father is trying to court him with a lady he hasn't even met and doubts he will like just because he's friends with her father.