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 yfully


    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?”


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    “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 re 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 mmed 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, “Exin 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 inte, 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 shing 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’reing 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 yful glint. “Did I startle you?”


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