The Cherished Wife

Wife 79

“Morning!” Noelle greeted with a smile, tapping her desk.“Frank, step into my office, will you?”

Frank had been Noelle’s right–hand man until a year ago, when she was sent on an assignment away from the office. In her absence, Frank had been reassigned. Now that Noelle was back, she was ready to bring her team together again.

Frank blinked in surprise at her invitation, quickly straightening the papers on his desk before responding, Sure thing!”

Once inside the office, Frank asked, “What’s up, Ms. Shaw? Did you need something?”

“No big deal,” Noelle said casually, leaning back in her chair. “I just wanted to check in with you. Are you still on board with becoming my assistant again?”

Frank paused, his eyes suddenly misty, “I was worried you didn’t need me anymore.” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Noelle chuckled, a playful arch in her brow, “Why would you think that? I’d be lost without you!” Frank had always been a stellar assistant, organized and reliable. Noelle knew her year–long absence might have left him feeling uncertain.

“You’ve been back for a while, but you never came to talk to me about working together again. I was starting to think that…” Frank’s voice trailed off.

“Hey, let’s not dwell on the past,” Noelle cut in gently, her voice softening. “I should have reached out sooner. I got caught up with some personal stuff and forgot. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me.”

“No way, Ms. Shaw. I’ve heard what’s been going around about you, and they’ve got you all wrong,” Frank said, his loyalty to Noelle unwavering after all the time he’d spent by her side. “Besides, I know for a fact you’re not like that.”

or be

“Okay, let’s keep the personal stuff out of work hours. You’ve chosen to be on my team, so we’re in this together from now on!”

“Got it!”

“If there’s nothing else, you can head out. I’ve got a meeting to catch in a bit.”

After sorting out Frank’s issue, Noelle glanced over last week’s work plan and paused, her brow creasing ever so slightly at a particular set of data.

The Frotconn morning meeting was in full swing with most of the executives present, but Xavier was nowhere to be seen.

Joseph glanced at his watch and around the room. “We’re not waiting any longer!”

“Sorry for being late!” Xavier burst in, immediately noticing the waiting crowd and offering a quick,

apologetic bow. “I got tied up with something earlier. I hope I didn’t delay anything.”

“You’re here now, so just listen up.” Joseph shot Xavier a look that meant business before kicking off the meeting. “Let’s get updates from everyone on their recent work!”

As the Frotconn leaders shared updates from their departments, it was Noelle’s turn. Joseph caught her eye. “Ms. Shaw, you had a tough trip. Are you back in the swing of things?”

17

Noelle squinted with a hint of a smile. “Thanks for checking in on me, Chairman. I’ve been back for a while now, so I’m pretty much up to speed.” As she spoke, Noelle flipped through her work log, “There’s something concerning our department that I need to bring up. Frotconn’s sales have taken a nosedive in the last month, and our order volume is shrinking. Has anyone else picked up on this?”

She glanced over at Mr. Lambert, “Did you catch this issue in your report, Mr. Lambert?”

Mr. Lambert looked taken aback. It was a big deal, and he should have been on top of it. “That can’t be right!”