Chapter 2

Junior could hardly contain his anticipation for friday, he was literally counting the days and his excitement didn't go unnoticed by his wife

Junior had just gotten to MacMatthew corporation to drop off Jasmine, as usual, he opened the door for her, wished her good luck and was expecting her to ignore him like she does always, but this time was different

"What's wrong with you?" Jasmine asked

"There's nothing wrong with me" Junior answered

"You've been buzzing with excitement all week" Jasmine said

"It's nothing, I've just got a good feeling and it's filling me with hope" Junior replied

"Hope? Hope is the fool's ally" Jasmine said. Shaking her head, she continued

"It looks like my mother is right after all, you're lousy and always will be" Jasmine said and walked away

Junior didn't allow her words to get to him. He didn't want to tell her about the resumé he submitted, it was going to be a surprise

With a smile on his face, Junior drove home to complete his chores, he would return later to pick up Jasmine and hopefully, Elise would be waiting for him with good news

…

At the close of work that day, Elise met Junior in the parking lot, her facial expression made Junior's heart plummet

"I didn't get the job, did I?" Junior asked defeatedly

"I'm sorry. I did submit everything you gave me but when I asked my boss what he thought about your resumé, he said he didn't see any resumé with that name" Elise explained

"How's that even possible?" Junior asked

"I don't know. The only logical explanation right now is, someone must have removed your resumé mistakenly" Elise said

"Mistakenly? I don't think so" Junior replied

Junior knew this wasn't a mistake, someone must have done it on purpose, but who was it?

Could it be that Jasmine found out about him applying for a job here and decided to convince them to throw his CV away? 

No, that was not it. Jasmine would have insulted him first, then she would have told her entirely family and he would have been the subject of mockery all week

Junior knew Jasmine could be petty but he didn't think it was her who threw his papers away

He decided to go with Elise's suggestion, it was probably an accident, he would submit another

He and Elise spoke for a bit and afterwards, she left, Junior then walked over to the car to wait for Jasmine

Not long after, Junior saw Micah MacMatthew, son of Michael MacMatthew, CEO of the MacMatthew corporation and his best friend Xavier Harkin walking towards him

Junior knew both of them, they all had attended the same college, they mostly ignored him and Junior expected them to walk past him like he wasn't there, surprisingly, they didn't 

"Hello Junior" Micah said once they got close enough

Micah was perplexed, he didn't know what to reply

"Hello, we're talking to you" Xavier said while waving in Junior's face

"Hi" Junior answered, his voice sounding unsure 

"You're waiting for your wife right?" Micah asked

"Yes. Will she be coming out anytime soon?" Junior replied

"Yea, she's rounding up a few things. But, there's something we'll like to talk to you about" Xavier said

"Me? What's that?" Junior asked, his confusion written clearly on his face

"Well, it's not something we can discuss here. How about, you drop Jasmine off and then meet us up at the 5 Diamonds in 2 hours" Micah replied

"I'm sorry, but I am really confused here. I don't think the three of us have anything in common to discuss about" Junior said

"I think I should just be plain with you, I need your help. I'll tell you more when we see later" Micah said

Afterwards, Micah and Xavier left and Junior stood there feeling even more confused 

Junior couldn't believe what just happened. Micah MacMatthew had just requested for his help, he wasn't sure how he should feel about it

When Jasmine showed up, he drove them home and afterwards, he looked for a suitable excuse so he could leave the house

Two hours later, Junior stood outside the 5 Diamonds. It was a really expensive and popular restaurant, he was about walking in when the bouncer at the door stopped him

"Are you lost?" The bouncer asked him

"What kind of question is that? I'm here to meet with someone. And if you don't mind, I'll like to pass please" Junior responded

The bouncer looked at Junior from his head to his toes, with his scattered hair and very cheap clothes, it was obvious the bouncer didn't think he belonged there

"I'm going to say this only once, take your wretched self and get out of this place. Otherwise, you'll regret the day you were born" the bouncer said

Junior thought he was bluffing and tried to walk into the bar anyways, but the bouncer lifted him and was about to throw him away when a voice stopped him, it was Micah

"He's with me" Micah said

"I'm so sorry sir, I didn't know. You may pass" the bouncer apologized and allowed Junior in

When they got in, Xavier and Micah tried to make small talk, but soon after, they got to business

"As you already know, MacMatthew corporation is one of the country's top companies, but lately, we've been having serious issues

Our competitors are really closing in on us and we can't let that happen" Micah explained

"What does any of that have to do with me?" Junior asked 

"I'm supposed to fix the issue. As assistant to the head of my department, it is my responsibility, but I have exhausted all my options and there hasn't been any change" Micah answered

"Micah, that doesn't answer my question" Junior said

"Here's the thing. I need you to come up with a unique plan that will help increase the number of our customers" Micah said

"Why me?" Junior asked

"Well, in school, you were always really good when it comes to marketing and I believe you can help me" Micah answered

"What's in it for me?" Junior asked

"Well, I know you're broke and your wife is the one who does everything for you, but I can change that. If you help resolve this issue, I'll speak to my dad and let him know it was your idea that helped and trust me, instant employment is guaranteed

With the pay, you can change your life and be the type of husband Jasmine needs" Micah explained

Junior thought about it for a moment, he felt skeptical but considering the fact that he was tired of being seen as a useless son in-law, this will be a chance to prove himself

"I accept" Junior said

"Thank you so much" Micah said, a huge smile on his face

"You're welcome. I'll need you to send me everything I need to know concerning the issue and I'll get back to you as soon as I can" Junior said

"It's in my car, I'll give it to you once we get there and I'll need feedback in a week" Micah said

"One week? I'll need more time" Junior said

"That's all the time I was given, I know you can do it, you've always been really smart at figuring things out, this time won't be any different" Micah said

"Alright. I'll give you my report in a week. And Micah, I'm trusting you here, if my suggestion works, I expect you to keep to your end of the bargain" Junior said

"Of course" Micah responded

After eating, Micah paid for their meals and they left. Once he got home, Junior immediately started working on the problem

…

One week later, Micah and Xavier sat together and paid rapt attention as Junior was speaking

"In conclusion, you have to define your target audience, conduct market research and segment your audience

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, you can put out goods which will be more appealing" Junior said

"This is simply brilliant, I wonder why I didn't think of this before" Micah said, standing up and clapping his hands

"Maybe because you aren't smart enough" Xavier joked and they all laughed

"Thank you Junior, on monday I'll present it to my superiors, when it's approved, we're expecting to see results in about a week" Micah said

"Ten days from today, Junior Smith will be the newest member of the MacMatthew corporation" Xavier said, a broad smile on his face

"I hope so" Junior said

"It's not about hope anymore, you've earned it" Micah said and gave him a pat on the back

"We should make a toast" Xavier suggested

He hurriedly got a bottle of wine and glasses

"To new beginnings and to the genius, Junior Smith, cheers" Micah said

For the second time in two weeks, Junior felt really hopeful. He silently prayed that this time around, his hope won't be regarded as a fools ally