8. New VP
Ding!
Noah was just coming out of the shower when he heard the notification sound, so he went and checked the phone and saw that it was a text message.
He smiled once he saw whom the sender was. Fortunately, Faiza was taking her bath for the evening, so she wasn't hovering over him right now.
Noah tapped on the message, and it read, "Can you meet with me at the pastry shop opposite your office at 1:30pm tomorrow? It's important."
'What could be the problem?' Noah wondered. He hasn't heard from her since their breakup, despite him calling and texting her often times, so her text makes him both happy and a little apprehensive.
"Sure. Let's meet up there." He wanted to add more to the text, but Faiza soon entered the room, so he quickly sent that short reply and placed his phone back on the nightstand.
"You're still in your bathrobe. Why?" Faiza asked as she went for her nightie.
"It's no...nothing. I was just checking something on my phone." Noah then went to give her a back hug to distract her.
"What did the old Alpha call you for that you couldn't return to the office afterwards? Why did you keep so long with him?" Faiza asked.
"I met one of my paternal cousins today. It's Ryan, the Alpha's heir. He's quite the obnoxious type and I think that he doesn't like me much."
"Is that all? The Alpha wasted your time just for something like that?" Faiza seemed very disappointed.
"Oh, I forgot to add. The old Alpha said that I am to take the company's VP position. What do you think?"
Faiza's eyes lit up, and so did her mood. "Oh, babe, why didn't you say that fast? This is great news. Do you know how many people would kill to have that position for themselves?" She then added. "So, when are you to start?"
Noah smiled and kissed the side of his lover's neck. "Tomorrow."
Noah then remembered Sienna's text about meeting him at his former workplace. 'I'll have to call to cancel before lunch tomorrow then.' He thought to himself.
Faiza was all smiles as she pushed his head off her shoulder and removed his hands from her waist in order to turn and face him. She then circled her hands around Noah's neck and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Mmuah! You did well. I'm going to dress you up in the best suits for your new post. Now, let me spoil you a little bit tonight, my love." She said as she pulled him to the bedside and then pushed him onto the bed with a seductive smile before Noah pulled her to him and engaged her in a wet, passionate kiss.
******
Next Morning...
"Baby, aren't you too overdressed for the office today?" Noah asked his lover who, as he put on the high-end three-piece suits that Faiza had prepared for him.
Noah is very familiar with seeing her dressed nicely for work, but he thinks that her dressing today was a bit too fancy for just the office.
"Babe, I'm not going to the office today. I'm coming with you to the McDermott's Group Quarters. You're going to be introduced to the staff as the vice president, so how can your soon-to-be wife not accompany you? And as such, I need to dress the part."
She turned to look at him as she wore her earrings. "Or don't you want me to go with you? I wanted to show you my support."
"Ah, no, no, honey. It's fine. My father will meet us by there, so let's hurry."
Faiza smiled. She couldn't wait to see her beloved Ryan once again after such a long time. The two had drifted apart after his engagement to her close friend.
****
The office seems a bit quiet and less busy as opposed to their usual day. There were only a handful of people in the lobby.
"Good morning, Mr. President." A security guard at the lobby greeted but got no response, which is very typical of the company's president.
"What's going on? Why are all the floors empty, and where's Eunice? Has she already gone for her maternity leave? But I thought there's a month left before that." Ryan wondered as he entered his own office.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in." Ryan said, and in came his secretary. "Eunice, I thought you had already gone for your maternity leave. Now that reminds me, have you found a replacement yet?"
"No, President Ryan. I have a month more before my leave, and I'm yet to find a replacement. But that's not why I'm here."
"Why are you here then?" Ryan asked from behind his desk.
"Alpha is asking for you in the auditorium. Just to give you a heads up, the boards and the other employees have already been gathered in there, plus some new faces. I heard that he is going to introduce the new VP to everyone."
"Thanks Eunice. You may leave now." Ryan said and made his way to the auditorium, with Keshav quietly following behind.
*
Everyone, including the board of directors, with the exception of Alpha Seamus, stood up as Ryan made his way to his grandpa's side. They all waited for him to sit down before they too did the same.
On the Alpha's right was Ryan, as expected, but on his left was now Noah. He was a new face to the employees, so many of them were very curious as to whom he was to be sitting that close to the CEO.
Faiza was made to sit on the row behind them. Many people did recognise her, making some of the employees speculate if perhaps the McDermott Group and the O'Dwyer Conglomerate are about to engage in a project together.
"I gathered you all here this morning to introduce to you your new Vice President. He is my first grandson, Noah McDermott."
There was murmuring and confusion among the employees. "Hm? His first what? What about the President then?"
Old Alpha Seamus signalled both Ryan and Noah to stand on his right and left hands, respectively. He then handed the microphone to Ryan to take things from there and went back to his seat as he watched the two.
Ryan carried on with his duty as expected and addressed the gathering, "Yes, it's just as you all heard from the CEO. This is Noah McDermott, and he is the interim vice president. I expect everyone to accord him respect and help him to adjust well. Thank you.
Ryan, in turn, gave the mic to Noah and also went back to his seat.
It was a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. The old CEO had already given him some pointers on what to say, so that helped a lot in Noah's speech to the gathering.
The meeting soon came to an end, and the employees went back to their respective offices once the CEO and the board members left the auditorium.
Ryan went back to his office while Noah stayed behind with his father and the Faiza as the three of them followed the Alpha into his office.
"Ivaan, show him to his office."
***
"Wow! Babe, this is big." Faiza said once they were inside Noah's new office.
Noah pulled her and circled his hands around her waist. "I wouldn't be here had it not been for you pushing me. Mmuahh!" He placed a light kiss on her cheeks and smiled.
"And I'm glad that you listened to me."
"Yes. Now all we need is to wait for our baby to get here first and hope that that guy continues to remain childless. I am going to make you the first lady of the McDermott Empire soon. You deserve it, my dear."
Faiza then remembered her main reason for following her lover here today. "Babe, why don't you sit down and wait here? I need to check up on something. I'll be back in a few minutes, please." She gently removed Noah's hands from her waist.
"Why? Where are you going? Can't we go together?"
"No where. I just want to look around. You're now the vice president so I'm sure that people will be knocking on your door soon. I'll only be moment so don't worry. Hm?"
***
"Sir, you have a visitor. It's Miss O'Dwyer, please." Eunice said into the telephone. She then turned to Faiza, "He said you can come in."
"Ryan!" Faiza said excitedly and ran to hug the unsuspecting Ryan but he fast and stopped her with one hand.
He then stood up from behind his desk and asked while he went to sit on his office couch. "Faiza, what are you doing in my office alone?"
Faiza just chuckled and replied as she too sat beside him in the three-seater couch. "He is in his new office, where else would he be?"
Ryan shifted a bit away from Faiza and asked in a serious tone, "Then why are you here?"