The Cherished Wife by Chweety

"Father, do you really think I'm that bad?"

Charles's voice was laid-back but had an edge that made Mateo stop in his tracks. Then, with a chuckle and a twinkle in his eye, Mateo said, "I guess I worried too much."

Charles knew his stuff. His dad should know he would not give someone like her the time of day, which put Mateo at ease. "Alright, back to the grind for you. I'm off."

"Take it easy, Dad!" After waving Mateo off, Charles hit the intercom and told Becky, "Get Janet a spot in the secretarial pool for some busywork, okay? Keep her out of the loop on the hush-hush stuff and away from me." That was as far as Charles would bend. "Everyone, just keep going with your own stuff. Don't mind her."

"Got it, Mr. Hoffman!" Becky now had the playbook for handling Janet, the newcomer with connections.

Becky headed straight for Janet and found her downstairs in the cafeteria, ordering the staff around for snacks. Becky's opinion of Janet slipped a few more notches, but she was practically royalty, so Becky bit her tongue. "Ms. Baker, Mr. Hoffman has set up a job for you."

with her comments, Janet realized Charles was not going to kick her out, and she could not help but puff up with pride. "Yeah? Got

squinted at her. "Ms. Baker, we're

big hurry? Can't you see I'm waiting for some pastries? Charles probably skipped breakfast, and I'm planning

Becky tried to keep

on the clock, and you haven't even started your tasks. Besides, you're just an employee here at Colossus Group; you don't get to tell the catering staff what

her a hint of his commanding presence. "But Ms. Baker, you're under me now. Are you sure you want to keep talking to me this

nobody but Charles gets to tell me what to do. You're just a secretary; what gives you the right to

think you're still a little

where you stand. Welcome to Collosus Group,