Chapter One

As soon as I got into work, I rushed to Christie's office. She greeted me with a dour look before returning her attention to her monitor but I hugged her anyways. Her and the chair she was sitting on if we were being accurate.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

She continued glaring at her computer screen. "My anniversary. It was yesterday"

"Yeah right. 'It was yesterday'". I mimicked. "The meeting with the director is on Friday, and your anniversary is the day after that"

"The meeting was supposed to happen last week. Remember you were swamped with work and we decided to move the meeting to this week's Friday"

My mouth fell open. "Oh my God, Christie, I'm so sorry. I was…"

My alarm rang perfectly as I'd timed it. I removed my phone from my bag, and put it on airplane mode.

"Good m-"

I made a face and listened for a while before responding.

"I'll be right there sir"

"Oh no, he arrived before you?"

I smiled miserably. "Yes. I'm so sorry again. Look, I owe you lunch."

"It's okay dear"

I walked out then popped my head back in the door at the last second. "Seriously, I owe you lunch. Sometime. I've got to hear the details of what went down from the horse's mouth, especially what gift he got for you"

"Okay. Now go!"

Mission successful. I gave myself a mental high five.

The receptionist gave me a commiserating look as I walked past her so I increased my pace. I fast walked all the way to my office, throwing quick hellos, his and good mornings.

The doom and gloom was radiating all the way from his office within to the entrance of mine, well, technically, the secretary's office.

What was it now? What had triggered his royal righteousness this time?

I strode in.

He perused my figure. Head to toe and then back up. I returned the gesture, albeit, in my head.

"Good morning sir"

"And what's good about the morning Miss Cheryl?"

I smiled that wide smile that I knew aggravated him. "You look dashing as always sir"

"Why do I find your words without respect or sincerity?"

I went down on one knee, left arm dramatically outstretched. "My liege, thine countenance is… "

He waved at me to stop. "Enough of that. What's this?" he slapped the document he'd been holding on his desk. The poor desk had suffered many similar horrors from its current owner.

You've obviously read the contents and should know what it is.

I collected the file and perused. Everything seemed about right.

"It's the funds required for the senior students' external examination. Did you find anything amiss?"

"There's an item listed there. Supervisor's fee. I don't understand. Do their fees come from the school's pocket?"

Ah. So this was the warfront he was choosing to pitch his tent in today.

"They're paid by the examination body sir"

"I thought so too. So why is this supervisor fee itemized here? What are we paying them for? Nisha, are our students lacking in any way that we have to resort to bribing the supervisors so they'll allow them cheat? I didn't expect much from someone like you but this is too much. Even for you"

Someone like me? Hold your horses Addy-boy, I'm not exactly fawning all over you either. You aren't exactly a paragon of virtues I respect.

"It's not bribery, it's more a token of appreciation for them coming all the way here and also safely transporting the scripts back to their office"

"We're appreciating them for doing their job? Just speak clearly, what do you mean?"

"If they're not paid, they could intentionally throw away some of our students' scripts or even report our school for malpractice"

"What? Can't we report or even sue them?"

"That's above my pay grade sir. That's a fight only people at the top like your great self can take on and win"

He looked somber now. I slid the file back on the table for him to sign.

I felt like the devil luring an innocent soul when I said. "Its not your fault sir. It's the situation of things in this country"

I wondered if that would be enough to placate him. He hadn't approved the requisition yet. There was still three weeks before the exams would start but still.

"You are aware I don't condone such dirty practices, Miss Cheryl. That may have been the tradition before my arrival but I'll be putting an end to it"

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it. Have the exam committee prepare a new requisition excluding the supervisor's fee and I'll approve immediately"

Would it be possible to make necessary adjustments to the other amounts without him noticing?

"Make a copy of that for me first before returning it to the committee"

Damn it! I should have anticipated this. This was going to put us in an awkward position with the supervisor's, especially as we'd been having smooth interactions with them for years.

And it wasn't as if there was a staff that could convince, in fact, most did their best to not have direct interaction with him. This man.

My boss. Adrian Richardson. The Third.

Only richy rich people had a third of things. My cousin had the same name as his father and we just called him Junior.

I snatched up the document not afraid to let a bit of my frustration show.

"Nisha"

I made my facial muscles relax.

"Yes?"

"I'll handle this and ensure it does affect any of our students"

I had doubt of him fulfilling that promise.