Coming Home to You

Chapter 8: The Reassignment

For a moment, no one moved.

Wren's back was still against the wall, Theo's hand still at her jaw, the contract still held in his other hand. Standing in the doorway, Richard Whitfield's expression had shifted from mild curiosity to open confusion, while Elliot's face had gone perfectly, terrifyingly still.

Theo straightened first. He released Wren and stepped back, smooth enough that for half a second it almost looked deliberate, like nothing had happened at all.

"Dad." His voice came out calm. "Richard. I wasn't expecting you."

"Clearly," Elliot said. His eyes moved from Theo to Wren, staring at her for a long moment.

Wren kept her head bent, her heart racing.

Elliot's eyes moved back to his son. "We knocked, but no one answered."

Richard cleared his throat, glancing between the three of them, his confusion plain on his face. "We can come back."

"No need," Elliot said. "We're not interrupting anything. Are we, Theo?" His tone was calm, his eyes fixed on his son's.

The question hung in the air.

Wren's heart pounded so hard she was sure they could hear it. With her head still down, she prayed she could disappear and leave the office. It felt hotter than it had a minute ago.

"No," Theo said. "You're not interrupting anything."

Elliot's gaze moved to Wren one final time, cool, assessing, unreadable, before he stepped fully into the room.

"Good," he said. "Because we have a very serious topic to discuss."

Theo walked back to his seat and sat down. Elliot and Richard took the chairs opposite him.

Wren walked gently toward the door, trying to keep her steps quiet. As she reached it, Elliot called her name.

"Ms. Michaels." He turned his head toward her.

Her heart skipped. Her hand froze on the door, and she paused.

"Don't leave. You're part of this meeting." He turned back to the table and flipped open a file.

Wren turned slowly, her eyes meeting Theo's. Something passed between them for a moment before his gaze shifted to Elliot.

"Why is she part of the meeting?" he asked. "She's just a secretary. She's new and she doesn't know much."

Elliot didn't respond. He kept flipping through the pages in front of him.

"Please, come and sit," Richard said to Wren, who still stood frozen by the door.

She swallowed hard, then crossed the room on unsteady legs to a seat beside him.

"Some board members raised a disturbing concern," Elliot said finally, without looking up. "About your secretary."

"What concern?" Theo asked, his voice calm but wary.

"That her appointment happened overnight. No transition period, no formal review, just a sudden promotion from Operations Director to your personal secretary, with direct daily access to you, in the middle of a sensitive acquisition." Elliot finally lifted his eyes. "Some of the board see it as a liability. Some see it as something worse."

"That's rubbish!" Theo's voice rose with anger.

Richard shifted in his seat. "I've had concerns of my own, Theo. I'm not just a board member, I'm the largest outside investor in this company. My name is attached to every decision made here, whether I like it or not." He glanced briefly at Wren beside him, not unkindly, but firm. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, and frankly, I don't want to. But if it affects this deal, it affects my money. And I won't stay quiet about that."

Theo's jaw tightened. "Mr. Whitfield, there is nothing going on between us." He glanced at Wren. "And nothing is affecting the deal."

"That's not for you to decide alone, Theo," Elliot said. "The board has requested she be reassigned. Effective immediately."

Wren's eyes shot to him.

"Reassigned where?" Theo asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"The Chicago office needs operational support. She's more than qualified." Elliot closed the file. "Today's Thursday. She starts Monday."

"That's not happening," Theo said.

"It's already decided."

"Not by me. I'm the CEO. I make the decisions." Theo slammed his hand on the table, sending the files jumping.

Elliot's eyes narrowed slightly, the first real c***k in his composure. "You forget, Theo, that this company has a board for a reason. Being CEO doesn't mean you run this alone. Not yet."

The room went completely silent. The only sound was the low hum of the air conditioning and Wren's own heartbeat, loud in her ears.

"She's going nowhere," Theo said, shooting up from his chair. "She's my secretary. And I'm the CEO."

"Ms. Michaels, you can leave," Richard said. "We'd like to speak with the CEO privately."

Wren rose gently and left the office, closing the door behind her.

She walked into her own office, sat down at her desk, and rested her head against her hand, her mind still spinning. Chicago. Reassigned. Some see it as something worse. She wasn't even sure which part scared her more—that they wanted to send her away, or that they might be right to be suspicious in the first place.

Her phone rang on the desk. She picked it up and saw the name on the screen. It was Priya.

"Hey, Priya," she said, voice low, her head still resting against her hand.

"Wren! How are things going over there?" Priya's voice came through the phone.

"It's really difficult, Priya." Wren's voice came out quieter than she meant it to, the words heavy. "A lot of weird things have happened in just a few hours. I'm not even sure I can keep doing this. They don't want—"

Her office door swung open hard enough to hit the wall behind it. Wren spun toward the sound, looking to see who had entered.

"Priya, I'll call you back." She ended the call, dropped the phone on the desk, and slowly rose to her feet, staring at the person who'd just walked in, her eyes wide with surprise.