Halloween, The Finale
I briefed Abdel about the internal treachery that was uncovered and, aside from being extremely angry, he was disappointed and hurt. He had worked his entire life to build a business and now a small group of greedy, yet trusted, individuals were trying to sabotage it for personal gain. The fact of the matter was that the potential financial gain for them was relatively minor, something that wise investing and hard work could have easily matched. It appeared to Abdel that they wanted to punish him personally for succeeding and this hurt on an entirely different level.
Abdel told me to go about business as usual but to extend his personal thanks to Adriana for all that she did over the past months and for always being a good soldier. I knew that she would appreciate hearing his kind words but told Abdel that they should be delivered by him personally, not an intermediary. He told me that he planned to do just that but wanted me to deliver this message now for personal reasons. I did not question his motives and simply agreed to do as he asked then took my leave and set off to the main office.
It was difficult to follow my daily routine knowing what I did but that is corporate life. I called Adriana into my office to clarify a point in one of the financial reports and took the opportunity to thank her on behalf of Abdel as requested. I used his words and it was as if I were speaking in a code that only the two of them understood. She smiled and said that I should tell Abdel that she was honored to be of service, and promptly left. I felt that I was missing something but could not put my finger on what it was.
The next morning an internal memorandum was sent to all the department heads stating that Abdel was expanding the business and would be setting up a new division to specifically handle Russian interests. Anyone seeing the email and reading between the lines knew that this was a substantial venture that held the promise of lucrative deals in a country that was known for its corruption. A perfect place for shady characters to thrive. Abdel said that he would be meeting with select individuals over the coming two weeks to determine the team for this new operation and all discussions were confidential. Any breach of confidentiality would not be tolerated and would be cause for immediate dismissal. He said that he expected each recipient of the memo to sign it and return the original to me by the end of the week; this was the opening move.
By week's end I had received signed memos from all the department heads and Abdel asked that I prepare a schedule of meetings with each team. I was puzzled why this task fell to me when his personal assistant usually attended to these things but believed his reasoning would be clear soon enough. I did not have to wait long for an answer.
In our end of day meeting Abdel said that he had some things to discuss with me but first wanted to have a drink and unwind. I stood up to fetch our drinks and Abdel followed me with his eyes the entire time. He took the glass from me and commented that I was a lovely person who made a big difference in his life. I felt butterflies in my stomach and did not know what to expect next. Was this the end of our relationship now that I completed my assignment? Was he upset about something entirely different? I was perplexed by his simple statement and went to sit down.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you specifically to set up the meetings for the Russian venture and you are right to be curious," Abdel said. I do not want records of what is being done and going the standard route would have allowed too many eyes to see what was prepared. There is talk now but not too much that is concrete, and the people involved were sworn to secrecy on the pain of dismissal.
"There will be meetings but only two, Pascal and Jason. The meetings will take place here and Jason and Pascal will leave with the clear understanding that they have played a dangerous game and lost."
"What about Danielle?" I asked.
"That is a separate discussion and not for tonight," he replied. "I will deal with Jason and Pascal personally and you will not be involved. I want you to take the next week off and deal with that personal issue that you mentioned. I know that it is something that you want and I believe that you deserve to be happy so now is the perfect time. Arrangements have been made so you can relax and enjoy the change. I will see you here the week after next and we can discuss your new role in the business and your future here."
I rose from my seat, walked over to him and kissed him. "You have made me very happy but what you propose is not necessary. You have given me so much already and I have enjoyed every day here. I don't want to abandon you now when I feel that you need me by your side."
"Rachelle, this is not open for discussion," he said.
"Yes sir," I replied and dropped to my knees to say thank you in a way that I know he appreciates.
The next week went very quickly and I did exactly what I wanted to do for such a long time. I got the implants that gave me beautiful B cup breasts and now my clothes would fit more correctly and I would feel more feminine. It has been over ten months that I have lived as Rachelle and I have gotten very comfortable in her persona but lacking true breasts always left me wanting that something extra. I stared in the mirror each day and fell in love with my new self. I heard from Abdel and Adriana right after the procedure and they both wished me a speedy recovery and looked forward to seeing me. I was glad to have these people in my life for so many reasons.
I returned to work at Abdel's private office on the appointed day and was greeted immediately by George. "Good morning, Ms. Rachelle, I am happy to have you back with us."
"Thank you, George, I am glad to be back," I replied and walked to see Abdel.
Abdel got up from his chair when he saw me and walked to greet me with a warm kiss. He hugged me and said that I felt wonderful in his arms and that he missed me. I told him that I felt the same and was glad to be back. He kissed me again and asked me to join him on the couch.
George came in with two coffees and placed them on the coffee table in front of us and left, closing the door behind him.
"I have missed you and I know that Adriana has missed you tremendously as well. She will be delighted to see you.
"There have been some changes as you might imagine and most of the scores have been settled so to speak. Adriana can brief you on the details but suffice it to say that there is only one loose end remaining and that will be dealt with shortly."
I was glad to hear that matters had been resolved but I was puzzled why Adriana would be sharing the details when I was sitting on the couch with him now. What am I missing? I wondered.
"Rachelle, as part of the changes in the organization I moved Roger back to North American operations. He did a great job there and deserves to be where he is most comfortable and free to continue the work that he started."
"I assume that Jason is gone from that position by now," I said.
"Yes, he has been fired along with Pascal, and both will take the memories of their betrayal with them wherever they go" said Abdel.
