Exposed

TIti was that powerful lady I admired a lot in my corporate world. A purpose-driven lady with that burning desire to rise above the obstacles placed in her way. I'm sure if we were to choose mentors in the office space publicly, I would choose her without second-guessing myself.

She was always in control of the way she handled her clients, spoke at meetings, dealt with office politics and even performed her duties as a team leader. And oh, she was also that fashion icon at the office. Every one of her outfits made a statement. Her red-bottom heels clicked the floors with so much confidence commanding attention with every move. On casual wear day, she made simple casual wear look runway-ready. Trust me when I say she wore fashion like her second skin. Maybe that was why I admired her more.

It wasn't long before the rumours began to spread about an upcoming promotion. I was just a novice trying to break her way into the corporate world so I didn't bother with the buzz around it. But I was happy when I heard that Titi was in the running.

It wasn't long before the whole department caught the flu, and soon, conversations that once had excluded her now revolved more around her. Some believed she earned it while others believed she was too good to be the saint we painted her to be.

"Just two years of her working here and she's already running for promotion." Chinonso had whispered to my ears at the cafeteria one day as I admired TIti while she walked past.

I turned and looked at her, "So? What's wrong with that?"

"There's more to it than meets the eye. Don't worry, you're still a few months here, you wouldn't understand," she whispered again, rolling her eyes when she was sure Titi was out of earshot.

I didn't answer but continued with my food.

"Don’t worry,” Chinonso continued. “She thinks she's playing the game better than the rest of us. But it won’t last forever.”

Irritated by her attitude, I quickly swallowed my remaining food and stood up from my seat. Then I made my way back to the office. I was warned of office gossip and its repercussions, so I didn't want to involve myself in any of it.

Just in my few months of working there, I had already discovered Chinonso to be the type who knew a story about everyone at the office. And of course, her disdain for Titi.

As the promotion approached, the department got divided in their choices of who deserved the promotion more. The more the whispers, the more the air in the office grew thick with suspicion.

A few weeks later, the management decided to gather the employees for a briefing and also announce who deserved the promotion. Just like me, everyone found it to be weird but no one had the guts to ask why.

The tension in the air was palpable as we all sat there in the conference room. Our eyes asked strand questions like Why a general meeting for a promotion? But then again, nobody had the answer.

Then I watched Mr Kunle, head of HR, and a member of the board stand up and clear his throat as silence fell on the room. There was this look in his eyes even though he had his glasses on. I just didn't understand why. Then he spoke.

“You all must be wondering why this meeting. I know this meeting seems odd,” he began, his voice thick with emotion, “but to be transparent, before this promotion, there's something you all need to know about Titi and me.”

Immediately, I could see the confusion on our faces as silent murmurs engulfed the room. It was like a cat had been let out of the bag. But Mr Kunle continued ignoring the murmurs.

"We know the company's policy on 'No relationships between employees' and how we're strict with it. But I and Titi were once married before she started working for us. It was my influence that got her a job here after she lost her job. I was just doing my job as a loving and caring husband" He paused, took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "I thought it was best to let you all know now because the rumours are already spreading. If she gets this promotion, it wasn't because of favouritism but her hard work. Besides, we're getting a divorce, and I'm resigning as well after this," he concluded and sat down. His eyes glued to Titi who was seated a few persons away from him. She had her head lowered.

By this time I was beginning to decipher the look in his eyes. It wasn't remorse or being transparent. It was of bitterness, pain and revenge. He was like a bittered ex trying to pull Titi down with him.

I turned and looked around, the tension in the room was heavy. The murmurs were rising. Everyone looked from Titi to Mr Kunle with questions in their eyes.

I wasn't left out either. I had always admired Titi, but at that moment, I was left wondering if everything was a facade. If Titi's rise to the top was truly merited or out of favouritism because her husband was a member of the board.

The effect Mr Kunle's confession had on the meeting led to the meeting being postponed. TIti was disqualified from the race, and a panel was set up to investigate if her rise to the top within two years was merited. And for weeks that was all the employees could talk about.

It got to a point that Titi was unable to bear the shame and silent whispers anymore. And whenever her heels clicked on the floor as she walked, it wasn't the strides of that confident woman I once admired. She became a shadow of herself.

Quietly, she resigned from her position without a word. Trust me when I say that the absence of a woman whose presence commanded so much power when she walked into a room was felt.

But somehow, in all the controversies, I can beat my chest to say I learnt a thing or two from her role as my team leader.

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Names in this story has been changed to hide the identity of the persons involved