The company episode 5

The company 5

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With the phone in her hand, Anita, Stanley’s wife was already crying. Seeing her countenance, Stanley was alarmed. He was about asking what the problem was when she said “honey, they are going after my parents”, while handing him the phone. Stanley quickly collected the phone and read the message. His mind became vague monetarily and fear enveloped him. He knew the case was going to be a tough one, but he didn’t know it was going to involve making threats on human lives. Let alone his in-laws. He held his wife and tried to calm her. As he held her in his arms trying very hærd to say the right words, his mind wandered off.

He thought of the many ugly ways things could play out. He was in a dilemma thinking of who to save. Should he back out and save his in-laws? Or should he proceed and save the general public who could suffer uncountable losses if the fluid was distributed? As he thought, warm tears from his wife’s eyes fell on his arm. He instantly knew he needed to assure her of her parents’ safety. He called his father-in-law’s line and hoped he would pick. Fortunately, he picked. Stanley managed to conceal his mood while on the phone. After exchanging pleasantries, Stanley asked after everybody at home. His father-in-law answered that everybody was fine and also told him that his (father-in-law’s) wife had retired to bed for the night. Stanley ended the call with a promise of calling the next day to speak with his mother-in-law.

With that call which was on hands-free volume, Anita was very relieved. She stopped crying and listened while Stanley told her that the text message was a bluff. As they were still discussing, another text message entered her phone, and it read “they are fine for now. But they won’t be if your husband didn’t play wisely”. With that message, a reinforced wave of fear gripped the couple. Instantly, Anita became decisive. “Honey, you are not doing anything further on this case. You are not turning in the evidence. You will get another job. Let this madness go. I can’t have the lives of my parents as the bait in this dangerous game. No way”, she said while crying loudly.

Stanley understood her position. He was also disturbed that his family would be in such danger because he was protecting people who wouldn’t even recognize his efforts. Looking at how bitterly his wife cried, he wanted to drop the case. But a part of him said no. “Alright babe, this case is dropped. I will not have my family be in danger because I want to protect people who don’t even know I exist. I have done the much I can. I will wait and know what that wicked man’s decision would be. But while I wait, I will be applying in other places. I just hope a good one would come soon”, he lied while holding Anita in his embrace. After some hours of consolations and assurances, they went to bed. In the very early hours of the morning, when Anita was fast asleep, Stanley snuck out of bed into the sitting room. There, he used his children’s phone to send a message to Raphael.

“Please send this message to the chairman using your email address and end it with my name. Mine is monitored”.

“Sir, my family is in danger. Please act fast.

Edeh S. C.”

After sending the message, Stanley went back to bed. He couldn’t sleep a wink until dawn. At dawn, he rushed to check his children’s phone. On it, he saw a message from Raphael which read “State CID, 11 am. – Chairman”.

By 11 am that morning, Stanley was already at the state CID. He didn’t have the chairman’s personal number, thus he didn’t have a means of contacting him. He waited outside the premises and hoped the chairman would contact him somehow. He did. A few minutes later, the chairman’s esc-rt came to get Stanley and led him to the chairman in one of the offices. There, chairman sat behind a desk looking mean and calm as before, and showed no sign of pity for Stanley’s predicament. Immediately Stanley sat down, the chairman bellowed “where is the evidence you said you have?” Stanley quickly brought out the doc-ments from an envelope and handed them to the chairman. He had previously marked the erroneous pages for easy identification. The chairman brought out the doc-ments he had earlier received from the company and started comparing the two.

As he compared, Stanley involuntarily started saying out his fears. “Sir, they threatened to kill my wife’s parents if I don’t back out from this case. I think they hacked my line and email account because they now know every move I make. That was why I used someone’s else’s to send you the message. Please sir, you have to do something”, Stanley begged. The chairman ignored him and continued observing the doc-ments. After a long time of observation, he asked “are you sure this is authentic? And who can collaborate your story?” Stanley told him that all the high ranking staff in the production and quality control departments could collaborate his claims if the managing director hadn’t got to them. The chairman assured him that no harm would befall his family in a very indifferent tone, before leaving the room. Stanley followed behind him some minutes later.

Throughout that day, Stanley lived in fear. He called his wife’s parents individually to know if they were okay. He somehow believed that whoever that was assigned to be monitoring his moves must have found out that he went to see the chairman. He checked his phone severally to see if any threatening message had been sent to him. He also called his wife to inquire whether she’d received any. Even though no message had been received and everyone had been fine, Stanley’s mind still couldn’t rest. Somehow, he believed that whoever that was monitoring him was omini-present. What fear could do to the mind.

Later in the evening of that day, Raphael called Stanley and asked him to check his email. He quickly did. The Human Resources Manager of the company had sent him an email inviting him to a meeting with the board of directors the following day by 10 am. Raphael was invited as well.

What happened next?

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