The Accountant
EPISODE 1
Like every other Fridays of every week, the banking hall was so busy that Deji could barely eat throughout the day. Though he had two assistants, but that was still not enough to make him work less due to the location of the branch. The banking job was tasking, but he preferred it to managing one of the many companies owned by his late father. A decision his mother was totally in agreement with.
Rising to his feet, he made his way to Amanda’s cubicle. He had noticed how unsettled she was and knew something was definitely amiss.
’’What’s happening?’’
‘’I’m not good. I’m having a deficit of three hundred and sixty thousand.’’ She explained worriedly.
‘’Have you checked all the transactions properly?’’
‘’I did, but I still can’t figure out where it’s coming from.’’
‘’Let me take a look at it.’’ Deji said siting on the chair in Amanda’s cubicle while she stood behind him .
Deji was loved by the cashiers due to his kind-heartedness. He wasn’t the type of branch manager who will leave a cashier who was having trouble balancing to sort him/herself out, nor was he the type who will be quick to ask the cashier to pay for the deficit he/she had. He always try to get to the root cause of either the deficit or surplus of any of his sub-ordinates.
After over an hour of going through Amanda’s transactions for the day, Deji still couldn’t find the error. He decided to take the next available option. He got in touch with his own superior through mail to get an approval for him to close the branch account with the deficit for the night which was granted. He informed his two assistants and Amanda to be in the office the next day and make sure they detect the error before leaving.
Stealing a glance at the time on the monitor, Deji noticed it was fifteen minutes past eight. He ensured proper closure of the branch as he shut down his CPU.
Aremu quickly opened the door as he sighted his boss stepping out of the mantrap door. Deji hopped in instantly.
‘’Are you going in this Ankara outfit?’’ Aremu asked as he sat on the driver’s seat.
‘’I don’t get? I’m going to where?’’ Deji responded innocently as he unbuttoned his shirt.
‘’Mrs Williams’ pre-xmas party,’’ Aremu reminded him starring at the mirror.
‘’Oh my!’ the enormity of situation hit him. He had forgotten tonight was the pre-xmas party he had promised his mother he would attend. Deji knew exactly what his mother could do if he was absent.
‘’I need to change into something better. Let’s get home real quick.’’
‘’Off we go boss.’’
Deji emerged from the crowd at the front door and immediately caught his friend’s gaze just behind the crowd. Kola smiled and waved.
Some ladies stared at him as he walked towards his friend. He was used to that.
He had a clean low haircut and scythe-shaped eyebrows. His aquiline nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above an oaken jaw. His mellifluous voice, his brown eyes, his manly physique, with the fact he was six feet were enough features to attract the opposite S£x.
Since their days at Oxford University years ago, Kola and Deji had been good friends.
Kola was not as tall as Deji, but his punk hairstyle didn’t make it obvious. Kola was burly and round faced.
‘’You’re early this year. I was already on the bed when you arrived last year.’’ Kola Williams teased his friend.
‘’Yeah. i don’t want a remix of mother’s last year reaction.’’ Deji said, picking up a filled glass of wine from a footman’s tray. ‘’When did you get back?’’
‘’Yesterday.’’
Kola has been on a business trip for three months.
‘‘Now that you’re here. I want you to meet someone,’’ Kola Williams said eagerly.
‘’Female?’’ Deji asked with slight scepticism.
‘’Yep. My cousin and she’s one for the eye. I must warn you, Deji. She might tempt you away from Nike.’’ Kola raised and lowered his eyebrows in a devilish manner.
Deji gave him a doubtful look as they made their way through the hall, where sophisticated and fashionable dressed people swarmed about. A cool music played at one end of the elaborately decorated room and couples danced in the centre. It was the former Commissioner for Women Affairs’ party and she was renowned for her lavish and extravagant entertaining. Her informal style and manner were often imitated but never matched, for no one could host a party quite like Mrs Williams.
Tonight was the kick-off for the Pre-Xmas Party. A lot of activities await the fortunate guests who were extended an invitation.
Deji truly, didn’t even wish to be at this party in the first place. He has made a promise to his mother, as well as Theresa, that he would attend, and he could not break it.
His mother’s wishes were not easily foiled, she had wrangled this particular promise out of him when he had been overly distracted with work and he had seen no decent way out of it. If it had not been for the imbalance of one of his cashiers last night, he actually might have enjoyed this get-away on the island. He wouldn’t worry much about the work as he had two assistants to back him up.
He had dedicated so much time to his work, giving his mother enough reason to try her luck in her matchmaking talent.
Deji’s mother, Ireti, had arranged a meeting between him and Theresa. Theresa had liked him instantly, although she tried to hide it. Deji on the other hand, had had problems getting romantically involved with another lady since he broke up with his first love back in Ife. He initially thought with time he would get to reciprocate Nike’s feelings for him.
But it’s been over 9 months since they met and yet the spark he has been hoping for was still absent. The decision about Nike was one he has to make sometimes in the future. He probably should just propose to her and get it over with. She expected it by now, and perhaps even deserved it, but she was too much of a lady to ever pressure him about it.
Now at this party, he planned on reaching out to Nike and his mother, after meeting Kola’s much talked about cousin. They would be expecting him already.
Then Kola poked at him slightly, saying in a low tone, ‘’there she is.’’
Deji glanced ahead. He was blown out of the water by what he saw that he almost spilled his drink.
Standing 5 feet from him, was a lady with a midnight-black hair that flowed over her shoulder. She had an oval face shape, arched eyebrows, small nose, smooth and regular jawline with small distance between her upper lip and nose that made her incredibly gorgeous.
He has seen this face before. In fact, ten years ago. It was none other than Nike Akomolede.
His first love. Matter-of-factly, his only love. The one who has made falling for another lady an impossible task for him.
She was wearing a red cocktail gown that was 2 inches above the ankle. She looked more beautiful than he could remember.
Oh my! The enormity of the situation hit him. Nike is Kola Williams’ cousin!
‘’Do you believe me now, buddy?’’ Kola asked not looking at Deji.
Deji hesitated, ‘’she’s okay.’’
‘Seriously?’’ Kola stared his friend in disbelief, expecting a better adjective than an okay. ‘’Alright. Come over.’’
A friend of Mrs Williams waved at her. ‘’Nikky dear, I’ll see you around.’’ Noticing the duo approaching, she said over her shoulder in a low tone. ‘’I think you have company.’’
Tilting her head slightly to the right side, her eyes caught Kola and… Deji. Deji Adelowo. What the hell is he doing here? She thought. The duo was close now. She maintained her composure.
“Nikky, I’d like to introduce to you, my friend, Deji.’’ Kola beamed as he made the introduction. ‘’Deji, here is my cousin, Nike.’’
Deji hesitated, expecting Nike to say something. When he realized she wasn’t ready to talk, he did. ‘’Nike and I have already met.’’ If her game plan was to ignore him and act like they’ve never met, he wasn’t in on it.
‘’Yes. That’s true.’’ She finally said with equanimity. ‘’That was about a decade ago.’’ Her voice was sweet and smooth like silk.
‘’You’ve got to be kidding me!’’ Kola said with his eye brows raised. ‘’Where did you guys meet?’’
‘’Ife.’’ Deji responded with his gaze locked on the beauty in their midst. ‘’Time has done nothing to change you, Nike.’’
‘’I’ve changed more than you think,’’ she said softly. She tried to appear unruffled. It was working.
Deji smiled. An argument with her right now will make no sense. He thought.
‘’Deji, I’ve been looking all over for you.’’ Theresa said behind them with a warm voice. She came to Deji’s side.
For once Deji was grateful for Theresa’s presence. She couldn’t have timed it better. His heart beat rate was unusually high at this very moment. Nike had become more breathtakingly beautiful than he remembered. Now with Theresa, an escape was the only way out. The reasonable way out of the uneasy feeling he was having was to leave her presence.
Kola Williams made his second introduction for the night. ‘’Tessy, meet my cousin, Nike. Nike, here’s Theresa Bruce.’’
Unconsciously sizing Nike up and down with a cool glance, Theresa uttered politely, ‘’it’s nice to meet you.’’
‘’My pleasure,’’ she simply responded with a smile.
Theresa whispered something into his ear, then Deji said, ‘’if you’ll excuse us, we need to see someone.’’
Like Theresa knew Deji could not endure standing there any longer. Gosh! If he had known he would be trapped all weekend with Nike, he certainly wold have made up an excuse, any excuse, not to be here.
But one thing is, if Theresa was going to continue making his night like this, he might as well propose to her this very night. No, he wasn’t.
With a glass of wine in his left hand, he took Theresa’s hand with his other hand as they both made their through the crowd. Some were dancing, while some were just roaming around as a soft music played at the background.
‘’I hope Senator is not crossed at me, I had promised him I would be early for the evening game. He was so keen on having me play the Dart game with him.’ Deji uttered sadly as they walk hand in hand.
‘’Well, I’m sure he will understand the nature of your job.’’ She said and then stopped abruptly. Deji was forced to stop too. He gave her an inquisitive look.
Tbc
Nice