Chapter 6 The Conspiracy

• Leo hummed a tune as he brushed his teeth vigorously. He was late for work and he was so much in a hurry. Being late was not his usual MO but somehow, he had overslept last night. So much that Dalia who usually went to work after he did had already left before he woke up.
• "Hmm," he sniffed as the bell on the front door rang for the second time. Wouldn't someone go answer whoever the hell was ringing??
• He continued brushing until... the third ring of the bell. This time, it was long and obviously anger-driven. Furious at the inefficiency of the domestic staff, Leo slammed his brush on the sink and hurriedly washed his mouth before rushing over to the front door. He expected to see one of the staff also rushing to open the door, but none of them were in sight! What mad inefficiency and stupidity! He would give them a piece of his mind before leaving for work this morning.
• "Yes?", Leo questioned almost angrily as he pulled open the door to find a young man in a ironed white shirt standing there. He looked a little like a Jehovah's Witness member on a door-to-door evangelism mission.
• "Package for you, sir," the young man said, holding up a crisp white envelope. "Sign here please."
• Leo shrugged and grabbed the clipboard and quickly scribbled his signature before handing it back. The young man nodded his thanks and handed him the envelope.
• "Have a nice day, sir," he said with a slight bow, probably expecting a tip, but nothing came, so he decided to leave.
• Leo, on the other hand, was very much occupied with the envelope in his hands. He even forgot to close the door as he walked back in. The envelope was quite familiar: broad, snow white, with his company's logo at one end. Why on Earth would he be sent an envelope from his company of all places? Who would send such a message? What would it contain? These were the questions running through his mind as he tore it open.
• The paper within was white, thick and sealed. He tore it open too and quickly ran his eyes through the content. He'd hardly read more than a few lines when he gasped in shock. What the f...??! Removed him as the CEO??? Was this some sort of prank or what??
• "Dalia honey!", he called, rushing towards his bedroom to show his wife the crazy letter, but suddenly, he remembered that she had gone off to work.
• He stopped and took a second look at the letter. This time, he read its entire content and he could not help but laugh. This was clearly a joke! A very expensive one at that. Whoever was behind this would certainly find himself in the deepest part of the labor market within the hour!
• Quickly folding up the letter and squeezing it into the envelope, he marched into his bedroom and took off his clothes, throwing down everything on the bed before proceeding into the bathroom.
• In less than ten minutes, he was done bathing and he rushed back into the bedroom still fuming. But, when he opened his wardrobe, lo and behold it was empty! The sight of the blue hangers hanging there on the line made Leo stagger involuntarily. What on Earth was this? What was going on??
• It took him nearly half a minute to recover himself and when he did, he called for the housekeeper at the top of his lungs.
• "Tomasina!", he roared, and then waited for a reaction, but nothing came. He roared her name again, but the result was as before: perfect silence. It was as if the house was totally empty. Leo shuddered. What was he going to do now? There was only one course of action to take: go to the office and then handle the domestic issue later.
• As Leo stepped out into the compound in the same clothes he had slept in, he couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed. But that feeling was quickly replaced by astonishment as he found that there was absolutely none of his cars in sight! He blinked his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. But no, he wasn't. There was just no single vehicle in the compound. With mouth agape, Leo looked all around him at the deserted building, wondering if he had been hypnotized or something. Empty house, empty wardrobe, empty garage... what did it all mean??
• ***
• He was lucky to have found some change in his pocket and it was with the aid of this money that Leo made his way to the office in a taxi. Throughout the journey, he couldn't help but notice as the cabman continually stared at him through the rearview mirror and his feeling of shame came back with full force. A CEO reduced to riding in a cab, but what the cabman was really staring at was the fact that he was in his nightclothes. Who would leave his house in nightclothes??
• When Leo finally arrived at the company headquarters where his office was located and where the letter had come from, he jumped down from the cab, and after paying the driver, he headed straight for the office building. But to his immense surprise, before he could raise his hand to push open the glass door, two of the company security appeared from nowhere and blocked his way. Leo was taken aback.
• "What the hell is the meaning of this?", he demanded testily.
• "Sorry, but you're not allowed here," one of them spoke up.
• Leo knew these men and they knew him too or so he thought. Right now, they were looking at him as if he were vermin that needed to be gotten rid of. He decided to play it cool.
• "Look here, I don't know what conspiracy is going on here, but everyone knows this is my company. Whatever stunt is being pulled by God-knows-who, it won't work. I want you guys to go in there and get me Marks. And Brian too, the head of security."
• Having said that, he put his hands into his pockets and waited for them to carry out his errand, but instead they stood there staring back at him.
• "Hey, did you guys hear what I just said? I said go get me Marks and Brian right now."
• No movement. They didn't even blink. It was as if they were statues. Leo lost it. In anger, he rushed between them, headed straight for the door, but before he could say Jack, two strong pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him back roughly.
• "Respect yourself, sir, or we'll manhandle you!"
• Leo tried to struggle to free himself. He pushed one of them aside and jerked up his elbow to strike the chin of the second guy. But when he saw the truncheon lifted in the air, he knew they were not joking about manhandling him.
• "Okay, okay. Just unhand me," he surrendered.
• Warily and reluctantly, they let go of him and Leo took a step back from them. He was still breathing hard from the confrontation, so he took a few seconds to steady his breath and rearrange his clothes. The men were still watching him, thinking he was going to make another rush, but Leo had no such plans. He would find another way. But as he lifted his eyes to take a parting glance at the building, who did he see but his friend Marks smiling mockingly at him through the glass! Leo was struck dumb. So this was indeed a conspiracy??
• Even after Marks had walked away from the door, Leo was still rooted to the spot, staring like someone electrocuted. His own best friend! Just what was the extent of this conspiracy? His entire domestic staff, his company security, his closest friend and probably even his wife too!
• The sound of hurried feet hitting the ground in high heels jerked Leo off his trance. He looked in the direction of the sound and... thank God! It was Mara! She had her baby in her arms and was rushing towards the glass door, obviously late for work. She wasn't looking in his direction, so she had no idea of his presence.
• "H...," Leo almost called out to her, but he froze. What if she too had turned against him? What if she was part of the conspiracy too? Anyway, there was only one way to find out.
• "Hey, Mara!"
• But it was too late. She had gotten through the door and was hurrying off down the hall. Shit! Leo ran his hand through his hair and nearly pulled off a handful of it. What a chance he'd missed! Mara was the one person who would be most likely to be on his side. Even if not, he knew she would at least be kind enough to tell him a few things that he needed to know. Anyway, all was not lost. With one last glance at the security men, Leo crossed the road and made for the coffee shop opposite. He would wait there for her, even if he had to sit there all day.