When Mark got the message confirming the sale of the property, he read it five times before he allowed himself to smile. After almost four months of negotiations, praying, endless phone calls, and meetings that stretched well into the evening well past office hours multiple times, the deal was finally done. A luxury property in Abuja worth ₦2 billion had been sold, and Mark, the company's junior sales associate, had been the person responsible for bringing the buyer to the table.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes for a moment, and exhaled. Two hundred million naira. That was his per cent commission, as clearly stipulated in his employment agreement. For the first time in months, he allowed himself to dream . He could finally move his mother out of the cramped apartment she had lived in for years. He could settle the debts he had accumulated while trying to keep up with work expenses that his employer was always slow to reimburse. Perhaps he could even start saving towards a property of his own.
The following Monday, Mark walked into the office expecting congratulations. Instead, he was met with the usual indifference. His boss, Mr Adebayo, barely looked up from his desk when Mark mentioned the completed transaction.
"Yes, yes, I have seen the report," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "We will discuss your commission later."
Mark nodded and returned to his desk. He had worked with Adebayo Properties for two years, and he knew his employer could be difficult. Still, he had always believed that whatever else could be said about the man, he honoured his commitments. A week passed, then two. Mark sent a polite reminder by text, referring to the agreement they had both signed. He received no response, when he eventually approached his boss in person, Adebayo's expression changed.
"Is that all you people think about? Money, money, money!" he barked, loud enough for everyone in the office to hear. "Have you forgotten that you are an employee here? You should be grateful you even have a job!, you’re still a small boy what will you even do with such money, you need to work harder”
Mark stood there, stunned. "Sir, with respect, I brought the client. The agreement says ten per cent." Adebayo slammed his palm against the desk.
"Get out of my office!"
Two days later, Mark received a termination letter. No warning, no explanation, no discussion. Just a brief notice ending his employment, effective immediately. He sat in his car outside the office building, staring at the letter. He had lost his job and the commission he had worked months to earn. For a while, he considered letting the matter go. He had bills to pay, a family depending on him, and no immediate source of income. Perhaps fighting a wealthy businessman would only make things worse but something about the injustice refused to leave him alone.
That evening, Mark called one of Adebayo's close friends, a man he had met several times at company events. He explained what had happened, hoping the man might intervene. There was a long silence on the other end.
"Mark, let me tell you something," the man finally said. "Adebayo told me himself that he doesn't want to pay you the money because he thinks the money is too much for you. He said you are just an employee and shouldn't suddenly have that kind of money."
So that was it. He had done his job too well, and his reward was to be punished for it. The next morning, Mark visited a lawyer. Within days, a formal demand letter was delivered to Adebayo's office. It set out the contractual terms, the completed transaction, the outstanding commission, and the legal consequences of refusing to pay what was owed.
Adebayo laughed when he read it.
"Who does this boy think he is?" he said to his secretary. "Does he think he can threaten me? I have been in this business longer than he has been alive." He tossed the letter aside and carried on with his day. What Adebayo did not know was that Mark's lawyer had already begun gathering evidence. The employment agreement, transaction records, messages, emails, and communications confirming Mark's role in securing the sale were all being organised. The lawyer was not interested in empty threats. He was preparing to pursue the claim through the appropriate legal channels.
Over the following weeks, other former employees began sharing their experiences. One had been denied an agreed commission on a commercial property. Another had worked for months without receiving the full salary owed. A third had been dismissed after questioning unexplained deductions from his pay.
Then came the court papers, when Adebayo's lawyer explained the claim and the documents supporting it, the confidence on his face began to fade. The matter was no longer a disgruntled employee sending messages or making complaints. It was a formal legal dispute involving a substantial sum and documentary evidence. His first instinct was to call Mark and offer him a smaller amount to settle the matter privately but mark declined. He was willing to consider a fair settlement, but not one that required him to surrender what he was contractually entitled to merely because his former employer thought he deserved less.
Eventually, faced with the evidence and the prospect of a prolonged legal battle, Adebayo agreed to settle the outstanding commission. When the two hundred million naira finally entered Mark's account, he did not celebrate as loudly as he had imagined he would months earlier. He simply sat quietly, looking at the notification on his phone.
He had recovered his money, but he had also learned a lesson he would never forget, some people mistake kindness for weakness and an employee's dependence on a job for permission to exploit them. As for Adebayo, he had learned his lesson too, though far more painfully.
He had believed that because he controlled the office, he controlled the people who worked in it. He had assumed that a man who earned less than him would be too intimidated to challenge him over some money, he was wrong. Sometimes, a rude awakening comes not with a warning, but with a letterhead and the realisation that the person you underestimated knows exactly where to find you.
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