Unbecoming Lekki ACT 3

Shugs acted as if nothing had happened. Whatever Ike had meant by his words, whatever that lingering moment between them had been, she erased it. She refused to give it power. The real battle wasn’t in cryptic Igbo phrases or moments that felt like something but meant nothing. The real battle was in the office, in meetings, in every decision she made to solidify her place here.

If Ike had been a thorn in her side before, he became a full-blown adversary now. He had always undermined her, but after that board meeting, he had taken it up a notch. It was subtle, insidious. He never outright defied her, but he made sure things didn’t go smoothly either. Delays in execution, conveniently forgotten details, whispered conversations that ended the moment she entered a room. It was a game, and he was playing to win.

But so was she.

Shugs moved with precision. She didn’t confront Ike directly, not yet. Instead, she focused on proving herself in ways that couldn't be ignored. She stayed three steps ahead, anticipating his moves before he could make them. When he “forgot” to loop her in on a crucial project update, she had already gotten the information elsewhere. When he tried to subtly sway the team against her in a meeting, she countered with a decision so airtight, so undeniably beneficial, that even his staunchest supporters had no choice but to go along with it.

The shift was slow but steady. Some of the staff, those who had initially mirrored Ike’s resistance began to soften toward her. They saw the way she handled pressure, the way she made decisions with clarity and purpose. They started listening, really listening, instead of waiting for Ike’s silent approval before responding. She was earning their respect, not demanding it.

But Ike wasn’t backing down. If anything, he seemed more determined. And then, he made his first real mistake.

A critical client report was due, one that Shugs had outlined the parameters for. Ike had taken the lead on compiling it, and when he turned it in, there were glaring omissions. Things that, if left unchecked, would have painted her leadership in a bad light.

It was calculated. A quiet sabotage.

But Shugs caught it before it could become a disaster. And instead of fixing it behind the scenes, she did something different.

The next morning, in a full-staff meeting, she pulled up the report on the projector. "Ike, I noticed some discrepancies in the client report. Let’s go over them now."

He stiffened. "Now?"

"Yes. Now. Since this is a team effort, everyone should be aware of what needs improvement."

The tension in the room thickened as she went through the errors one by one. She wasn’t cruel, but she was firm. This wasn’t just about correcting a mistake. It was about making it clear that she saw what he was doing. And she wasn’t going to let it slide.

By the end of the meeting, the balance had shifted again. The silent war was no longer silent. And for the first time, Shugs saw something in Ike’s expression that she hadn’t seen before.

Uncertainty.

She had won this round. But she knew the war was far from over.

Later that evening, as she packed up for the day, Ike walked into her office. She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, confident that he was about to surrender, to admit defeat.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he shut the door behind him and stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "You think you’ve won, don’t you?" His voice was low, almost amused.

Shugs didn’t flinch. "I think I did what needed to be done."

Ike chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "I know why you’re here," he said, voice dripping with something between disdain and satisfaction. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. All the way from Lekki because you couldn’t keep your legs shut."

Shugs froze. The words hit like a slap, cold and cruel.

Ike leaned in slightly, his smile razor-sharp. "Wait until I tell everyone. Let’s see how respected you are then."

Shugs kept her face blank, but inside, something snapped.

This wasn’t just a power struggle anymore.

This was war.

But if Ike thought he had the upper hand, he was mistaken.

Shugs straightened, tilting her head slightly, her lips curving into something dangerously close to a smirk. "Oh, Ike," she murmured, voice velvety smooth. "Is that what’s really bothering you? That a woman like me has power you can’t control? That I walk into a room and you lose focus? Tell me, when exactly did you decide to hate me ? Was that before or after you started wanting me?"

His jaw tightened, his breath hitching for just a second. Just long enough.

She stood, closing the space between them ever so slightly, watching the way his fingers curled into fists, how his eyes darted to her lips before he caught himself. She had seen this before. This wasn’t just resentment.

This was insecurity. Frustration. Desire tangled up in anger.

Shugs let the moment stretch, then delivered the final blow. "I didn’t open my legs for professional elevation, Ike. I did it because I wanted to. Because it was straight-laced pleasure that you could never give and with a man you could never be." She let the words hang between them, then added, "And I was sent here to lead because I’m the best at it. If you have a problem with that, you should leave. But if you decide to stay, know this, I will no longer tolerate your insubordination. Because I’m done entertaining it."

The flicker of uncertainty in his gaze told her everything she needed to know.

She had him.

And when the time was right, she would make sure he knew it too.

Shugs made sure to play her cards carefully after that conversation. Ike had underestimated her, thinking he could use his knowledge of the past to destabilize her. What he didn’t realize was that every move he made, every insinuation, only pushed her closer to the tipping point where his career would come crashing down.

The next day, the office buzzed with rumors. It was clear something had shifted between Shugs and Ike, though no one could put a finger on exactly what. The silence in the breakroom, the uncomfortable glances exchanged whenever he passed by her office. It was a slow erosion of Ike’s control.

Shugs kept her composure, but her eyes never left him. She knew exactly what he was capable of, and now, he had exposed himself in ways he couldn’t undo. She wasn’t going to let him dictate the narrative. She was the one in charge, and she would make sure everyone knew it.

It started with a meeting, one she called specifically to address the ongoing tension within the team. Ike tried to remain calm, his usual arrogance slipping into a mask of professionalism, but it was too late. The cracks were visible. His colleagues were already whispering behind his back, and no amount of posturing would change that.

Shugs took the floor. “It’s come to my attention that there’s been some dissatisfaction within the team,” she began, her tone neutral but firm. “Let’s address this head-on. Ike, can you speak to the recent issues with project delays?”

The room went still. Ike’s face turned pale for a moment, the weight of her words hitting him harder than any confrontation. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a moment. This wasn’t the questioning of his leadership he had been used to. This was a reckoning.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “There have been some… logistical challenges,” he muttered, his voice barely audible. The confidence was gone, replaced by defensiveness.

Shugs didn’t let him off the hook. “These logistical challenges are affecting the team’s progress, Ike. It’s time we take accountability. I don’t tolerate delays that jeopardize our work or the trust of our clients. If you can’t step up to meet the expectations we’ve set, I will have no choice but to make adjustments.”

The room was heavy with tension, but no one dared to speak. They had seen Ike’s rise, but now they were witnessing his fall. Shugs was unrelenting, her eyes locking with Ike’s as she delivered her final blow.

“Your performance, or lack thereof, is no longer just a personal issue, Ike. It’s impacting the entire team. If you have a problem with that, we can address it one-on-one in my office. But if you decide to stay, you will respect the team and this organization, or I will have to make the decision for you.”

The words hung in the air like a sentence.

Ike’s hands trembled slightly as he leaned back in his chair, the truth dawning on him. The control he had so easily wielded was slipping from his grasp, and no matter how hard he fought to reclaim it, it was too late.

The following morning, Shugs was informed that Ike had resigned. It wasn’t a surprise. His pride wouldn’t let him stay after being publicly dismantled like that. But it wasn’t just his resignation that marked the end of his reign it was the way he left, defeated, knowing that he had lost to the very woman he had tried to undermine.

As the team gathered for the announcement, Shugs stood at the front, her expression unwavering. She had won. And not just the battle with Ike, but the respect of her colleagues. The rivalry was over.

Ike’s downfall wasn’t just about the power struggle; it was about the depths of his insecurities and the way they had poisoned his actions. He thought he could manipulate the situation, but in the end, it was his own inability to accept a woman in power that led to his demise.

Shugs, on the other hand, had proven something far more important: she was here to lead, and no one, not even Ike, could take that away from her.

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The day after Ike’s resignation felt like the air had cleared. The oppressive tension that had once ruled the office seemed to lift, leaving Shugs with a sense of accomplishment, though she was careful not to let herself feel too comfortable just yet. There was still a lot of work to be done.

As she walked into the conference room for her meeting with the board, she noticed someone new sitting at the table, an unfamiliar face with sharp features and a presence that immediately commanded attention. He looked like someone who didn’t just exist in the room but owned it.

"Ah, Shugs, this is Dike," the chairman said, motioning to the man. "Dike just joined us as the new head of marketing. We’ve heard a lot of great things about you, Dike."

Shugs held his gaze for a moment too long. His eyes, dark and calculating, met hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. There was something magnetic about him, something that made her feel both intrigued and unsettled.

Dike’s lips curled into a subtle smile, one that wasn’t quite warm but wasn’t unfriendly either. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Shugs. I’ve heard quite a bit about you,” he said, his voice smooth, deliberate.

Shugs, though usually composed, couldn’t help but notice the way his words seemed to linger in the air. She forced herself to focus on the meeting, but her mind kept drifting back to Dike, to the intensity of his gaze and the way he seemed to understand the unspoken tension between them.

After the meeting, as everyone filed out, Dike lingered, casually leaning against the doorframe. “Mind if I walk you to your office?” he asked, the corner of his mouth tilting upward.

Shugs hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She was used to people wanting her attention, but there was something about Dike that felt different. The tension between them was thick enough to touch, and as he stepped closer, Shugs couldn’t shake the feeling that this walk might lead them somewhere far more dangerous than just the office.