The Cherished Wife

Wife 83

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“Why, am I not allowed to call my wife?” Charles’s voice had a teasing edge, as if he was playfully challenging her. “You sound like you’re not exactly thrilled to hear from me.”

Noelle was at a loss for words for a moment. “You can’t even see my face, so how would you know if I’m thrilled or not? And about my tone…” She sighed, a mix of exasperation and affection in her voice. “Look, I’m at work. What’s this really about?”

“Swamped, huh?” Charles juggled his phone in one hand and a pen in the other, signing off on a stack of papers. His eyes flicked down, caught something that made him pause, and his mood dropped. He shot a glare at his secretary. “Get the finance chief in here, now!”

Noelle heard that and said, “Looks like you’re the one who’s tied up! If you’re too busy, I’m just gonna hang up!”

“Wait!” Charles cut Noelle off, “How’d you figure I’m busy? Just give me a second!” Without waiting for a reply, he slammed the phone down and drummed his fingers on the desk, fixing his gaze on Joey, the secretary, “I brought you on board to lighten my load, not to make a mess. What’s the deal with this?”

He jabbed a finger at the price on the document, “Explain this, now.”

“Mr. Hoffman, I…” Joey stammered, his face going pale with shock. “I… I’ve got no clue!”

“No clue? You’re telling me a hotshot from Harvard can’t make heads or tails of a simple report? Did you just pass this mess to me to sign off on?”

Charles’s voice was frosty, all business, “Where’s the finance chief?” He hit the intercom, and Ronald was in the room in no time. “On their way.” Ronald caught a glimpse of Joey shaking like a leaf and mentally paid his respects. “Mr. Hoffman, what about this?”

“If you can’t even get a report right, I don’t see why you should stick around.”

Charles’s words were like a final verdict for Joey’s future. To work at the secretary’s office of the Collosus Group was a dream job for many. Getting the boot from Collosus meant you were pretty much done for in Brookville. Because no one would touch you with a ten–foot pole since nobody wanted to mess with the big dogs at Collosus.

Joey went white as a sheet and crumpled to the floor. “Mr. Hoffman! Mr. Hoffman, you’ve got to believe me! I’m innocent. It was…”

“What?” Charles looked up sharply. “Out with it!”

“The finance department chief told me everything would be fine as long as my part went smoothly, that you’d sign off without a hitch,” Joey spilled the beans, scared out of his wits. “You’ve never checked the finance approvals yourself before, so…”

“So?” Charles’s gaze was icy, a warning flashing in his eyes, “You thought you could pull the wool over my eyes? You know what’s waiting for you outside Collosus’s doors.”

“Mr. Hoffman, I’m begging you, just give me one more shot, I…”

“Ronald!” Charles didn’t even need to finish; Ronald got the message. “Right away, Mr. Hoffman!” He shot Joey a look. “On your feet. You’re coming with me.”

Charles drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in thought, before finally reaching for his phone. “Are you

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still there?”

“Yeah,” Noelle’s voice trembled a bit, “Right here. Hey, your work was cut out for you. We could catch up after you clock out!”

Charles let out a soft chuckle, his eyes twinkling with a playful glint. “Did I startle you?”

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