A knight in shining armor

Wednesday had finally arrived, and the workday was winding down. I was determined to finish my weekly report, but Deborah had assigned me a massive pile of drafts and files to review, leaving me little time for anything else. By the time I packed up my things to leave, darkness had fallen, and I had missed the staff bus that usually took us to our various destinations.

As I walked out of the building, I noticed several missed calls from an unfamiliar number. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me it was Segun. My phone rang again as I headed towards the gate, where I hoped to find a taxi to take me to the mainland. Predictably, it was Segun on the other end.

I had been ignoring his calls, but I decided it was time to pick up and tell him to leave me alone. However, I was in for a shock. "I'm in front of your place of work, Susan," he said, his voice calm and collected.

I hissed in annoyance and disconnected the call, wondering if I was hallucinating. How did Segun know my new workplace? It was probably Sarah that told him but I know she meant no harm. But as I stepped outside the gate, my heart sank. There he was, standing beside a Toyota Camry, his hands in his pockets, and a sheepish grin on his face.

"Hey, babe," Segun said, stretching out his arms for a hug as he approached me. But I pushed him back, my anger boiling over.

"Get your hands off me!" I yelled, pulling my hand out of his grip. "You actually have the nerve to face me after everything you did to me?" What are you doing here and who told you where I worked? How did you know I was still in the building, it's quite late.

Segun looked taken aback by my outburst, but he quickly regained his composure. "Easy with the questions he chuckled. Uhmm I have been waiting for you for 4hrs and the security men confirmed you were in the building. "And I already apologized, Susan. I don't know what came over me to hit you that day. I swear it was the devil."

Sarah said she ran into you the other day and she mistakenly spilt the beans on where you worked "Segun said. Yeah I guessed right I said in my mind. 

I scoffed, incredulous. "Blame it on the devil? What about cheating on me? Was that the devil too?

Segun's expression turned pleading. "Susan, you have to believe me, it was just a one-time thing. I swear. Please, I miss you, and I'm here to take you to dinner so you can truly know how sorry I am."

I was disgusted by his words. "Segun, you must think I'm a child or a fool. Please leave right now. I'm done with you, and stop calling my phone."

I turned to walk away, but Segun suddenly grabbed me from behind. "Isioma, I'm not going to let you spoil this for us," he said, his voice low and menacing. "I know you still love me, and I love you too. Stop all this baby stuff; we're both adults."

I felt a wave of revulsion wash over me. "Let go of me!" I shouted, trying to wriggle free from his grip. But he was too strong.

Just as I was starting to feel desperate, the gates of the compound swung open, and a black Mercedes SUV pulled out. The back door opened, and a man stepped out.

"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice firm and authoritative.

It was none other than Mr. Christian Aderiola, my company's CEO. Segun, intimidated, released me suddenly, causing me to stumble forward. Mr. Christian rushed to steady me.

"You work here," he remarked, noticing my ID card. He didn't seem to recall our brief encounter in Mrs. Phillips' office during my first week on the job.

Mr. Christian turned to Segun, his eyes blazing with displeasure. "You better get out of here before I have you arrested."

Segun, regaining his confidence, reached for my hand again. "With all respect, sir, this is a private matter. I'm her boyfriend, and she's outside company premises. This doesn't concern you."

I quickly withdrew my hand from Segun's. "You're not my boyfriend," I retorted.

Without warning, Mr. Christian shoved Segun hard, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Get out of here right now, or I'll show you what a family matter really is."

Segun scrambled to his feet, cast a fleeting glance at me, and then hastily retreated to his rented Toyota Camry. I watched him flee, thinking how pathetic he looked.

"Thank you, sir," I said, deeply grateful to Mr. Christian.

Segun had never been that violent with me before, except for the time he slapped me and his constant cheating. I shuddered at the thought of how far he might have gone to get his way this time.

Mr. Christian instructed me, "I'll have Security arrange for you to be taken home. Try not to work this late again, and inform your family about what happened. Under no circumstances should you be left alone. If that guy ever comes back, call the Police immediately."

I nodded, still in awe of Mr. Christian's intervention.

He smiled and returned to his car, leaving me feeling starstruck.

One of the Security guards approached me, "Madam, we've been instructed to ask you to wait inside until the car to take you home is ready."

I complied and soon found myself in the back seat of a luxurious Toyota Highlander.

The driver asked for my destination, and I suggested CMS to avoid inconveniencing him. However, he replied, "I've been instructed to drop you at home, Ma'am – Newton Street, mainland, right?"

I was amazed by how quickly they had retrieved my personal information.

As the driver navigated through the streets, I fell fast asleep, lulled by the air conditioning and plush comfort of the leather seats.

I didn't awaken until the driver notified me that we had arrived at our destination.

I thanked him and stepped out of the car, looking around cautiously. But there was no sign of Segun.

Once inside, I recounted the entire ordeal to my mother, leaving out no details.

My mom listened attentively, concern etched on her face. "And you've been keeping all this from me?" she asked.

I explained how I had run into Segun's sister, Sarah, and suspected she might have inadvertently told Segun where I worked.

My mom advised, "Please, Susan, you have to be very careful."

I promised to be more vigilant and later that night, I called Nana to share my encounter with Segun and my unexpected rescue by Mr. Christian.

As I lay in bed that night, despite still feeling shaken by the incident, a smile crept onto my face as I thought about my unexpected hero, the one who had rescued me from Segun's clutches.

The weekend passed, and the weeks that followed were blissfully free from any contact with Segun - no phone calls, no texts, no unexpected visits. Maybe he was consumed by shame over his actions, or maybe he was still reeling from the humiliation of being rebuffed in front of me. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for the reprieve.