CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

“The CEO was just here,” he told me. “He unexpectedly asked about your folder, and when I told him that it was a proposal, he asked to see it. And he was very impressed. He asked if we were going to show it to the client, and although that was definitely not the plan, I’m going to take this over to the VP right now. I think your idea is very interesting, but this is basically the VP’s account which is a problem in itself. I could sense how irritated even the CEO is about the personal ties to accounts that the heads sometimes have for bringing in certain clients. Anyway…” He rose. “I’ll head over now, so let’s hope he doesn't reject it. That’s going to make my life harder which automatically means I’ll make your life harder. Seems fair doesn't it?”

I was too startled to be alarmed. “Yes, sir,” I replied.

I returned to my office in a daze, my mind pondering on how exactly this had played out.

Carter had stepped in personally, and although I appreciated it, his interference brought along certain pressures I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with.

Like what if this caused a strain between my bosses, especially the VP who seemed to want to be unaware of my existence these days… and Henry. He was as straight as an arrow, but if he found out that Carter’s visit was influenced by my relationship with him, my job would definitely get harder to endure.

My head fell onto my hands as I pondered about in confusion. I didn’t know how to feel. Would this help the client’s account, or would it just bring me chaos?

An hour later, I found out.

Our client’s meeting was in twenty minutes, and we were all setting up in the conference room, the needed documents and reference materials arranged as needed around the long oval table. I looked through the glass then, and saw Henry and the VP approach.

My heart began to pound in my chest, but I focused my attention on the presentation slides that I was reviewing on the desktop.

The door opened, and the two bosses came into the room.

“How’s it going?” Henry asked.

Aarif, who was setting up the projector by my side, replied. “We’re ready.”

I tried to convince myself that I had done nothing wrong, but it became impossible for me to lift my gaze to look any of them in the eye. Until I sensed the VP’s approach. “Sir,” I greeted and his responding smile made my blood curdle.

“You finally got your boyfriend to help you,” he derided.

The room went utterly silent. From then onwards, a pin could have been heard dropping to the floor.

“Well done,” he went on, and slammed the folder I recognized, on the adjacent table. He went on with clenched teeth, and although he was just speaking to me, I knew that at least Aarif could hear every word.

“The purpose of a team, Leah, is for all its members to work collectively towards a goal. One goal, not two. Did he help you out? Give you the idea during pillow talk so that you could come back here to flaunt your genius idea?”

My lips moved then, “That is very inappropriate… sir.”

He took a step back from me, his gaze condescending. “What you have done, is what’s inappropriate. Your idea was rejected during the last meeting wasn’t it? Then why keep pursuing it, and run over to your boyfriend to plead your case for you. What exactly is your intention by going this route? What exactly are you trying to say? That the rest of us are morons? That we don’t know how to do our jobs? That you’re the only one on this team with a brain?”

I couldn't believe his accusations. My chest seemed to be closing in on me, making it almost impossible to breath. “Sir, that wasn't what—”

“Get out!” he yelled. “You’re off this team. Go design some T-shirts or whatever you want to do.”

I trembled, the deep breath I inhaled, released in a shudder.

I couldn’t meet anyone’s gaze. I went over to my chair, and with as much dignity as I could muster, picked up my folder, and fought to keep my head high as I left the room.

Chapter 31

Carter

I was on a call with Mark from the Minnesota office, when the knock came to my door.

“Come in,” I said, and was surprised to see that it was my secretary, Joseph. I looked at the time on my watch. “It’s 2:30 ,” I said. “Is there a meeting I missed?”

“No, sir,” he replied.

I noticed then that he seemed uncomfortable.

At his fumbling hands, I briefly returned my attention back to Mark. I finished the call and faced Joseph. “What’s the matter?”

“Um… I’ve received some calls from some colleagues downstairs within the last hour, sir, and I thought that you’d want to know about them.”

“Why? What are they about?”

“Miss Peters,” he said.

My brows furrowed.

“It seems as though there was a tense exchange between her and the VP, and uh, it was insinuated that she used her relationship with you to her advantage with the Vita500 project.”

I felt my body go still.

“They’re calling to ask if you both are indeed in a romantic relationship.”

I moved my gaze from him, my mood instantly darkening.

Joseph understood he should make his exit accordingly and left without another word.

Calmly, I picked up the phone and began to dial Daniel Coghlan’s office.

Then I stopped myself.

I put the phone down, and got back to work.

Leah

It felt as though there were a thousand eyes on me.

I had since jailed myself to my cubicle, my gaze completely focused on the trip advisor’s comments I was replying to on behalf of one of our travel accounts. My cubicle neighbor had quickly passed it onto me upon my request of anything she needed help with, since I was now halfway to being unemployed.

At my sighs, her head would turn to mine to confirm that all was well, but I couldn’t