Page 3 of The CEO's Christmas Wife

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YOU’RE A MEAN ONE

Kayn

“No, I’m not interested in creating franchises under the Scenic Vista brand, Sheridan. The result of that is people putting their spin on things. Look at half the fast food places you eat at. They started as top companies, providing excellent service and quality food expediently. Now, the majority of them have become franchises, offering subpar service, crap they want to pass off as food, and the health inspectors will let them pass for a little greasing of the palms. Nah, I’m not trying to turn my business into that. I’ve worked too hard.”

“Emmanuel, your business is growing and quickly. You can’t possibly oversee everything,” Sheridan Parsley, my operations director, stated.

“Which is why we continue to hire excellent staff.”

“Speaking of which, you’ve gone through how many assistants in the last year?”

“That’s beside the point. I’ve got a half-decent one now.”

“Half-decent? You can’t even give the woman credit for turning your life around in the three days that she’s been working for you,” Adam Richardson, our marketing director, complained.

“She’s not been working long enough for me to give her credit for anything,” I muttered before I unscrewed the cap from the water bottle and took a swig.

“Either way, we need to figure out a way to get a hold on the growth and make sure that we’re managing it in a way that won’t undermine the mission, the strategic plan, or your brand. You’re not a Fortune 500 company yet, but you’re damn sure on your way. So we need to get a wrap on this thing and ensure we do everything possible to make that happen,” Adam replied.

“That’s what you gentlemen are for. Come up with something else. Franchising ain’t it.” I grumbled and stood from my chair in the conference room, signaling to everyone that the meeting was over.

I moved to the door, and Paige Knight, our chief human resources officer, quickly caught up with me. She had been quiet throughout most of our meeting.

“Emmanuel, may I speak with you for a minute?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“I need you to promise me that you’ll honestly give Miss Jolly a shot. She’s really good, she’s dedicated, and?—”

“All she has to do is prove herself, Paige.”

“Sir, if you don’t mind me speaking bluntly, several assistants have proved themselves. But you show them the door within a few weeks.”

“They should’ve done their job.” I jerked the door open. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have another meeting.”

I didn’t really look forward to the next meeting with my board, but it was necessary. It was a virtual meeting, which was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. I made my way down the hallway back to my office, and my stomach rumbled. It was a quarter after two, and I still had not had anything to eat all day other than the toast, boiled eggs, and coffee that I had before leaving the house at five this morning.

There was no time to slow down and eat. I planned to grab something on my way home from the office tonight. I frowned when I arrived at my office door and did not see Miss Jolly at her desk. I hoped that she wasn’t screwing up already. I knew that she had left for lunch around one, so she should have been back by now.

A nagging pain started at my temples. The thought of having to get rid of her and find someone else was already starting a headache in my temples. I didn’t tell anyone else, but so far, the woman was good at what she did. She was just too damn happy all the time was all. That shit could start getting on a man’s nerves after a while. She smiled about everything, even when problems arose.

But on the other hand, she also tackled the problems and resolved them in no time like nobody’s business. All the snafus my last assistant had made with my itinerary, Miss Jolly had straightened them out and made room for me to breathe somehow.

My phone buzzed for the fifth time as I stepped inside my office. I glanced at it and saw that it was my uncle calling again. I didn’t want to be bothered, and I had no plans to answer his calls. I wished he would just stop calling altogether.

I sat down, dropped the phone on top of my desk, and rested my elbows on it. As I massaged my temples, the phone buzzed again, but this time, it alerted me that I had an incoming text message.

I picked it up and checked out the series of messages from my uncle. They pinged and arrived back to back.

UNCLE JR: It’s the holidays, Son. Your Aunt Frances and I were wondering if you would come home for a visit.

UNCLE JR: There’s no reason to be alone during the holidays when you have a family. We miss you, Son.

UNCLE JR: I know that you’re busy, but can you make time to see us at least two days out of the year?

I sighed loudly and slid my phone over on its face. A knock sounded at my door, and I dragged my hands down my face.

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