"Where you always this hardworking?"
"Didn't you say something earlier about me being a gem of this company? This didn't happen by an accident."
"Of course." Gabriel straightened out in his chair. "As you know, we broke off all kinds of contracts with Joneses and Chi Group. It did put a big ripple in our projects and we haven't recovered completely yet, even if Mr Wood tried his hardest, he doesn't have that persuasive nature as you do. Few contractors that the company worked with before withdrew from other contracts."
"As expected." Claire nodded. "I'll check which contractors have left as soon as I get to my office." Claire decided.
"I have a printout of it." Gabriel got up and took out a folder from the drawer of his desk. Soon passing Claire on the list. "Everyone in green remained, in yellow are the ones that we've managed to either renegotiate with or find a replacement, and red is the ones that are at the standstill."
"Thank you." Claire looked through the list. "I think I can manage to get a few of them back and I have already a few ideas for replacement if not."
"Thought so."
"What else?"
"There was one person that left and you had two people joining the team," Gabriel said passing another document from the folder.
"What were the losses?" Claire asked but instead, Gabriel passed her another printed sheet. "Recoverable within the next two months," Claire mumbled. She rubbed her eyes which Gabriel noticed.
"May I get your handbag?"
"What? Why?" Claire asked without losing her focus or looking up. "Whatever. There's not much in there." Claire waved her hand dismissively. Gabriel took the handbag and rummaged through it. He found her glasses case and took her glasses out. He sat back in his chair, which was still just opposite of her, and leaned forward placing them gently on her nose. Claire looked up speechless, still, her fingers by her lips, caught completely off-guard.
"Your eyes will get strained if you don't wear them," Gabriel said as he leaned back in his chair again. "Besides, they suit you."
"I don't tend to wear glasses in front of people…"
"I know. You've also previously decided that I'm not human so please, wear them around me."
Claire smiled as she returned to reading the documents.
"Anything else?"
"Software update was fully implemented. The staff have been all retrained to use it."
"And now, tell me, why do you have an entire folder about my department?"
"It has been reported to me throughout your absence."
"Gabriel?"
"Yes."
"This is not Derek's work." Claire smiled. "Why did you keep a track of my department?"
"I was curious."
"That's not it. If you were curious, you'd get Mark to do it. Mark isn't this meticulous."
"I was hoping that this will help you when you come back. If you were to come back."
"I took two months off, not eternity."
"I wasn't sure what to expect."
Claire nodded.
"Thank you for these. They are all very helpful." Claire stood up. "I'll get going now. I already took a chunk of your time."
"Claire, take as much of my time as you need."
"And you must act professional! I don't want you coming around and wagging your tail in my office." Claire warned him as she put the paper back in the folder.
"Wagging my tail?" Gabriel repeated in confusion but Claire just smiled.
"Besides, this is creeping me out a little. I'm not sure how I feel about Mellow Gabriel. A bit of spice won't hurt."
"A bit of spice?" Gabriel's confusion just increased.
"Not too much, just a bit. But I guess this is going to be some weird honeymoon phase before I wound you up." Claire furrowed her brows again.
"On the topic of honeymoon, would you like to go on a honeymoon?" Gabriel asked.
"No." Claire chuckled. "Take it slow, cowboy. Your cockroach wants to get on with work." She walked out of the door.
"Hey! That's not a fair game!" Gabriel shouted behind her which only made her chuckle under her nose.
"Claire?" Pattison just walked out of the elevator.
"I'm not going to tolerate it!" Gabriel's shout sounded across the office before he shut the door. Claire laughed.
"Hi, Mark." Claire waved at him.
"You're back…"
"Did no one expect me here? Seriously? A two-month career break is meant to be two months."
"It's not that… it's just that…" Pattison stumbled on his words as he remembered the last time he saw Claire. "The last time I saw you…"
"Yeah, I know." Claire nodded. "Maybe we can catch up over a drink at some point?"
"We must!" Pattison eagerly nodded as his phone pinged. He furrowed his brows at it.
"Everything good?"
"Yeah, just odd request from Mr Moore."
"Better get on with it," Claire said with a smile. "I'm sure to see you later. Girls will want a catch-up so I'll try to squeeze it in later in the week if you'd be up for it."
"Of course."
Claire hurried to the thirty-sixth floor eager to start as it was already much later than she hoped.
"Claire-bear!" Zoe ran towards her with full force, almost knocking Claire odd her feet.
"Boss!" Gina was second to join, both nearly suffocating Claire.
"Seriously, why does everyone act as if they never expected me to come back?" Claire grumbled again.
"We're just very excited to see you, boss," Gina replied, squeezing Claire harder.
"I'm excited to see you too," Claire admitted.
"We need to talk, Claire-bear." Zoe declared.
"Why do you make it sound so ominous?" Claire raised her brows as the girls let go of her. Zoe and Gina looked at each other in some unspoken solidarity, pushing Claire into her office.
"You don't have to answer but… where have you been?" Gina asked first.
"With my parents," Claire answered honestly. "My mum had her transplant at last. She was undergoing rehabilitation."
"Couldn't you just tell us?"
"I just did."
"Claire, you need to stop hiding things from us!"
"I am not hiding it from you," Claire said as she put her handbag next to her desk. "Is there anything else you want to say? I feel like YOU are hiding something."
"Okay, listen to this… for the past six weeks, at least twice a week, Mr Moore came down to ask about you."
"Only twice a week?" Claire asked teasingly.
"God, Claire. You're joking as if it were a laughing matter."
"Isn't it?"
"Our CEO, one of the richest people in the world, came and ask for you specifically. He was asking both me and Gina." Zoe grumbled.
"So? He was probably angry that I left after the whole Chi and Jones fiasco before I resolved it."
"Nah, he took that onto himself. He also attended quite a few of our meetings. He's been pestering Derek a lot. That poor kid is paler than a ghost when he comes to work."
"I might get him to apologise to Derek, but I had an inkling that he was a little too involved in the department's matters." Claire took out the folder with clearly labelled tabs.
"Claire… how can you even think that you can get someone like Mr Moore to apologise?"
"Didn't I get him to beg me to stay here before?" Claire asked as she raised her brow in a slightly mischievous way.
"Stop it!" Zoe playfully punched her arm. "You devious girl."
"We need to get together!" Gina decided. "Tonight?"
"Not tonight." Claire shook her head. "Let's get together later in the week. I'm already starting later than intended and I have lots of work to do."
"Is it all about work?" Zoe sighed. "Okay. Later in the week. Also, I expect a sleepover this weekend."
"A sleepover?" Claire looked curiously. "Are we ten, or something?" She giggled. "Sure. Shall I bring my fluffy pink pyjamas?"
"Yes! Fluffy pyjamas, a movie, and lots of alcohol."
"What movie?" Claire asked.
"It must be a hopeless rom-com." Zoe decided.
"Saturday night?"
"Yes, it's a date!" Zoe screamed. "By the way, nice glasses."
"Oh." Claire just remembered about the frame resting on her nose.
"They suit you."
"Thank you." Claire smiled, as she moved a streak of her hair out of her face.
Gina and Zoe grumbled a bit more before leaving Claire alone in the office. As soon as Claire had some peace she started looking more in-depth through the folder made by Gabriel. She smiled at his handwritten annotations, but her smile quickly vanished as she started calling a few of the contractors that didn't want to renew the contract after the Chi Group and Joneses projects fell through. Soon, her hair was all ruffled, falling out loosely from the bun.
"No, sir. I understand the implications of this." Claire spoke on the phone as she paced through the office. "Yes, there was a legal breach of a contract." Claire nodded listening to angry venting on the phone.
She was reassuring enough that one after another the suppliers and contractors agreed to reinstate their partnership.
"Did you have lunch?" Gabriel popped his head into Claire's office unexpectedly a few hours later.
"I understand. I'll send the initial contract by midnight. If you can review it, we can meet in person to discuss it further." Claire continued talking on the phone as she waved dismissively at Gabriel. Gabriel smiled at her with true admiration.
"Get out." Claire mouthed at him.
"I'll bring you some lunch then." Gabriel decided as he left the office.
He came back half and hour or so later with a box in his hands. He quietly left it on Claire's desk as she was on the phone again, and left her without disturbance. Claire smiled at a closed door. As she finished yet another call she picked the box up to find a small envelope on it. She opened it carefully to find a little note saying: "Thank you for your 'maybe'."