Chapter 26

At exactly Nine a.m, Rita walked into the office with Rodrigo in tow, carrying her bags. She nodded at Yasmin who greeted her. She took the elevator all the way up to her office, quietly thinking about the forthcoming meeting.

"You should stop thinking", Rodrigo said.

They were in her office. Rita was on her seat, her thoughts in disarray. She had expected Rodrigo to leave but she was surprised to see him standing there which showed that her mind was completely off.

"I'm trying but everytime I remember what that bastard did, I'm always sad", she said.

Rodrigo moved towards her, picking her up as he placed her on his lap. Rita cradled his neck, breathing in his scent. She laid her head on his chest, wishing she could remain like this for as long as she wanted.

"I'll be with you in the conference room", he said.

Rita whipped her head up, staring into his blue eyes. She didn't know if he was joking or serious but looking at him now, she realized he was serious.

"Oh no, Rodrigo, I'll never ask you to do that"Rita chuckled.

"I'm not saying you'll ask me. I'm just doing it because I love you and I never want to see you in distress", he said.

"I know Rodrigo but I don't know if you should be there. I mean, wouldn't it be awkward", she said.

"No, It won't. Remember, I'm your personal guard and I'm entitled to your safety. I'm sure your father wouldn't suspect anything since he'll be busy with the task before him", he said.

"Okay, if it would make you happy", she smiled.

"It would surely do. It's better you get prepared, it's almost time",he said.

"Yes", Rita said, giving him a long kiss.

Rodrigo smiled before placing her on her feet. Rita took the necessary things she needed, making sure to jot some of the important things she earlier thought about.

When she was done doing this, she left the office together with Rodrigo. Just before they walked into the conference room, Rodrigo gave her hands a gentle squeeze, silently reassuring her that everything would be okay.

Rita walked into the room and immediately, all conversations seized. She was surprised to see a lot of people already seated. Her father was the only one absent but she knew he was already on his way.

About ten minutes later her father walked through the door in company of his personal assistant, a young woman whom Rita suspected was having an affair with him.

"Good morning, please take your seat", Lawrence said.

As the founder of the organization, he sat at the head of the table while Rita, who was the president sat at the right hand.

"Without wasting much of our time, I'll go straight to the issue at hand. But before then, I'll allow my daughter to give us a brief summary of why we're all here", he said.

Rita nodded, her eyes seeking Rodrigo who sat at a far corner opposite her. He gave her a brief nodded, informing her that she would do great.

"Good morning once again ladies and gentlemen. Like my father said, I'll give a brief summary of why we're here. I believe as the leading board members of this organization, you have a right to know what has been happening for some time. If you look around, you'll realize that the head of the financial department, Gabriel is missing. He was purposely exempted from this meeting because we've gotten reports about him about his fraudulent activities in this organization", she said.

There were collective gasps from the members as each had a shocked expression on their faces. Rita smiled sadly, thinking about what they'll do if they got to hear about the amount of money that had been stolen. No doubt, they'll call for his immediate arrest and prosecution. She knew Gabriel would be arrested but she wanted to give that power to her father to decide.

"And for what this organization stands for, honesty and transparency has been far from us for some time now due to this. I know we're all angry over this but I promise you that justice would be served and everything that had been stolen from us would be recovered in due time. So ladies and gentlemen, that's the issue before us, Rita said, finally.

"Thank you Rita. Ladies and gentlemen, you've heard it. Let's talk", her father said.

Rita had an inkling of why he was doing this. She knew he had already given his judgement on Gabriel and the only reason why he needed their opinions was to inform them on what was going on. Gabriel was already a dead man walking and in little or no time, he'll face the wrath of Lawrence Anderson.

"Why do we still need to discuss about this. Gabriel has already been found guilty, what's left for us is to hand him over to the police", a short portly man said.

Rita couldn't remember his name at that moment but she knew he was a major investor in the company.

"I agree, Gabriel needs to be arrested and all the monies stolen should be recovered. We can not allow this company go bankrupt", a voice said.

Rita couldn't keep up with all the conversations and simply settled for being quiet. She listened to what each of thtk said, seeing understanding in everything they discussed. She stared at Rodrigo and he seemed to know she was looking at her because right at that moment, he stared back at her with an amused expression on his face.

She knew what that look was for. Sometimes, he told her that he didn't really understand the ways of the society men and women. Rita chuckled, covering it with a cough before she got caught.

"Alright, I agree. We'll have Gabriel arrested. But first, I want to urge you all to report any suspicious activities going on in the organization. Please, it's pivotal we work together for the success of this organization", he said.

"Just to add to what my father said, as from now on, we'll be looking at each financial report that goes in and out of this company. Please, inform all staff members under you. This is just to curb the rate of extortion that has suddenly increased".

Few minutes later, when everything was agreed on, her father dismissed the meeting. Rita breathed a huge sigh of relief, happy that one part of her problems had gone.

She escorted her father out of the building, promising to see him at the close of the day. She went back to her office right into Rodrigo's waiting arms.

He gave her a long kiss, feeling proud of his girl.

"I told you, you did great", he smiled.

"All thanks to you for your encouragement", she laughed.

"What time would you be done today, I need to take my mother somewhere quickly", he said, twisting a lock of her hair.

"By seven p.m, I'll be done".

"Okay sugar girl, I'll be back", he said, kissing her before walking away.

Rita smiled, happy that the meeting went well. Now, she could fully concentrate on Edmundo and his family's insistence on her marriage to him.