The Widow and The CEO.

Chapter 9. Pensions

Chapter 9. Pensions.

The sound of the photocopier filled the small office, as Devon rushed to get copies of all the documents that were due to be shredded that afternoon. He would need to examine them later, but for now, he had everything he needed, to get a good idea of what was going on. Glancing at the cheap watch that he had worn today as part of his subterfuge, he saw that Ruth had been manning the reception for over an hour now, and he knew that she would soon return. He quickly piled up the files he had pulled for shredding, and moved the copies into a large manilla folder, placing it on a shelf at the side of the door, so that he could pick them up when he left for the night.

He then grabbed the originals and began to feed them through the shredder, placing more paper in the machine than he should, ultimately blocking the equipment, to give him a reason for not having as much done as Ruth would probably expect.

Ruth watched as Diana walked across the foyer towards the reception desk, her heels clicking on the tiled floor, and a confused look on her face.

“Hey, that took a while,” Ruth commented, grabbing her bag to head back to the cupboard.

“Yeah, it was weird as well. He was asking all sorts of questions, about the working environment, my personal life, and things I felt could be improved. He kept looking at the clock, and I thought it was to hurry the meeting up, but he just kept asking another question,” Diana sighed.

“Oh, well, maybe the new owners want to get to know the permanent staff,” Ruth shrugged, before heading off back up the stairs.

As she entered the office she saw ‘David’ bending over the shredder, attempting to unblock it.

“Oh, it is temperamental, let me,” Ruth offered.

“Thanks. I put too much in. I have pulled all of the urgent files ready for us, so we can just shred them,” Devon smiled at her.

Ruth nodded her head and went to take over unblocking the shredder. Devon took a step backward as Ruth bent over to pull the stuck paper free. He inwardly groaned at the sight of her, then tore his eyes away, reprimanding himself for his lack of control and inappropriate thoughts.

Clearing his throat slightly, he attempted to focus his mind on something other than the amazing body of Ruth. Her husband had been a very lucky man before, he wasn’t, he decided.

“So, what would be your ideal job?” Devon asked.

“Oh, anything in business would be my dream. I was not allowed to work, but I was able to study, and my degree is in Business Management,” Ruth turned her head and smiled over her shoulder at him.

Devon closed his eyes slightly, her looking at him like that was not helping his rather ‘hard’ situation.

“So, you have a degree?” Devon focused his attention on her educational achievements, desperate to think of anything to calm himself down.

“Yes, first-class honours. I was due to do my Master's, but then Clay died, and things got in the way,” Ruth sighed.

“Again, I am sorry that happened to you,” Devon offered a small sad smile. He truly was sorry for her loss, and seeing the sadness in her eyes, made him feel even more guilty for his wayward thoughts about her.

“So why business?” Devon asked.

“I love numbers. I am good at learning languages. I taught myself English and a little French back home before I came to the UK, but I really like looking at patterns, and problem-solving, and business management combines those things,” Ruth said, pulling the last of the stuck paper from the shredder and replacing the lid.

“There, all done. We should be good to go,” Ruth smiled.

“Well, how about we take turns? One of us shreds the other finds the rest of the files,” Devon grinned at her.

“Okay. But, I think I should do the shredding,” Ruth laughed slightly, then lowered her eyes, hoping she had not offended the man.

They spent the afternoon chatting, and the more Devon found out about Ruth, the more she intrigued him. Attraction aside, he knew this woman was wasted in a cupboard, shredding files, and he believed she would make a fantastic junior executive in one of his companies.

As the work day ended, Ruth said her goodbyes, as she left the cupboard, and headed down to the factory for the bread that she could take home to Naomi. Devon watched as she disappeared down the stairs, heading to the factory, before coming out with a bag full of bread and stopping to chat with Diana. He watched through the glass wall, as she disappeared out of the building.

“What are you looking at?” Craig asked, standing next to Devon.

“Nothing. So has Coats gone?” Devon asked his CFO.

“Yeah, two hours ago. Gloria an hour ago as well. Just us and the night shift on the factory floor left.”

“Good. So, I managed to copy a lot of the files, but there were some lost to us I am afraid. Let’s head into your office, and look through what I have rescued,” Devon sighed, then headed back into the cupboard and pulled the file he had made earlier in the day.

“I also have some good news for you. Should make your day,” Craig chuckled slightly.

Devon raised a brow, and gave him a quizzical look, as they entered Craig’s office, and closed the door behind them, then shutting the blinds to be assured of privacy.

“Good news?” Devon asked, waiting patiently for his CFO to give him something that would maybe help rescue this deal.

“I have a buyer for the high street stores. It is one of our companies in America that are looking to expand into the UK marketplace. They have even agreed to keep the Bushman name on the stores, but with their name underneath, as it is so respected around these parts,” Craig smiled at Devon.

“How much have you asked for?” Devon cut straight to the chase.

“Double what we paid for the whole group. But they are negotiating us down, as you might expect. I have said no to the low offer, which is what we paid for the whole group, and they are going to crunch some numbers.” Craig chuckled; he loved the bartering of a deal.

“Okay, do not drop lower than 20% of your original asking price,” Devon reminded him.

“I know the rules boss,” Craig smiled, as Devon nodded his head at him. It was true, Craig knew this business nearly as well as he did.

“Now, let's look through this lot,” Devon said, opening the file, and handing half the contents over to Craig, as they both began to study what Signor Coats wanted to hide from them.

Ruth walked over to the mantelpiece in the small cottage and picked up the picture of Clay. She let out a long sigh, as a tear escaped her eye. Wiping it with the back of her hand, she traced the image with the tip of her finger.

“I am sorry,” She whispered to the photograph.

Guilt that she had spent most of the day feeling more than a little attraction to David Obed, began to consume her. Clay had given up so much for her, and then, just after they had declared their love, which had grown over their years together, he had been cruelly ripped from her. Even though she knew she had loved her husband, never, in their time together had she felt the attraction that she had this afternoon. Clay had been more of a brother until feelings had changed.

“Hi, Charlotte has invited us to the house tonight. William is away on business, and she is rattling around the place on her own,” Naomi said, as she took off her coat, and looked over at Ruth.

Seeing that her daughter-in-law was visibly upset, she walked to the mantelpiece and placed her hand on the middle of her back.

“I love that photo of you two,” Naomi smiled, looking at the framed photograph in Ruth’s hands.

“I know you were terrified, but the trust in your eyes when you looked at Clay gave me hope that you two would find your way together. I was right. But then life happened,” Naomi sighed.

Ruth remained silent, not daring to speak for fear that she would break down sobbing, not just for her loss, but because of the gut-wrenching guilt she felt after that afternoon. Placing the picture back where it lives, Ruth took a deep breath, to steady her emotions, fearful Naomi would push her as to what had caused her to feel so upset today. She would never lie to her mother-in-law, and she really did not want to tell her about the handsome David, who now occupies the ‘Archive office’ with her.

“So, Charlottes tonight. She has some more old VHS movies for us to watch,” Naomi changed the subject, noting that Ruth seemed unwilling to talk about Clay at the moment.

“Yeah, that would be nice. However, I think we should make food and take it over,” Ruth mustered up a smile.

Naomi laughed and nodded her head in agreement.

“There was not a lot of bread available tonight, but I did get three big floured stotties,” Ruth smiled, motioning to the bread on the kitchen counter.

“Well then. I have some beef left from our Sunday dinner. Let's make beef dip sandwiches, and a few chips,” Naomi smiled.

Ruth nodded her head, and headed into the kitchen to help her Mother-in-law, determined not to let the physical attraction she had towards David affect her any longer. She would put all thoughts about him to one side. She could not do that to Clay, or Naomi, who she loved as much as her own mother.

Devon sat back in his seat, his face contorted with anger.

“That sneaky old bastard,” he gritted out.

“We should pull out of this deal,” Craig sighed, as he threw the papers down onto his desk.

“Maybe. We need to know just how much of the pension fund is left. Those poor employees have not a clue he has squandered all of their money,” Devon sighed.

“Please tell me you are not thinking about refunding the money to them,” Craig asked. His boss was ruthless, but also when it came to those who worked for him, he was more than fair, and he knew that Devon would hate to leave any person struggling, or paying into a retirement fund that would be empty when the time came to draw on it.

“Devon, this is not your responsibility,” Craig pushed, seeing the look on his boss's face.

“Nope, but if we pull out, we are leaving not just Signor Coats high and dry, but every person that works for him. We need to know more, and how much is left, along with how much it would cost us to rectify the situation,” Devon sighed, standing up and looking out of the office window.

“Should we tell him what we know tomorrow?" Craig asked.

“No, I need to think this through and get more information. I will keep working in the Archive office, and see what else I can uncover, then make my decision,”