It was with mixed emotions that Adeolu entered the very familiar elevator that cold June morning. He had been with the company for fifteen years, slowly working his way up through the ranks into the upper management levels until, finally, the break he had been waiting for, his boss died. He knew it sounded callous to put it so bluntly but it was a fact of life, everyone knew that he was the best person for the position but that the only way he would get the promotion is if Old Man Jenkins were to retire or die, he died first.
Same people in the elevator as every other morning, each greeting familiar faces. It could have been an ordinary day in every way up until now. Here was the level that he always got off at, but not today. Everyone in the elevator shuffled out until it was only he left in the little cubicle. He reached out and pressed twelve, the level he was going to be working on in future, the top floor of the building and the top floor of his career. At forty Adeolu hadn’t done too badly for himself, he was fit, well trimmed, smart in his tailored suits and now at the top of the food chain, well, almost. He was yet to meet his new boss as his was not the only promotion within the company recently. His superior was from out of town, an import from an affiliated company and, from what he had heard, and an absolute ball breaker. Adeolu was aware that you didn’t climb the corporate ladder by being nice and he was expecting this new executive member to be somewhat of a challenge. All he knew about the guy is that his name was Adeleke.