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I opened my mouth and pointed to myself. “Me?”
“Pa was hoping so. Well, so was I,” he admitted. “There could be few complaints from the old farts in suits if you went from working on the project as Theo’s secretary, then as the manager. You’ve been with it since the very beginning, and you’ve been with the company long enough that a promotion would be inevitable.”
I looked down. Everything he was saying made sense, but… “But when people find out about me and Theo, won’t it look as though I got the position because of our relationship?”
“There will always be people who think that way,” Alastair said softly. “But there are always ways to mitigate such rumours. After all, as far as anyone else is concerned, you were fully aware of this promotion before the trip.”
I met his eyes. “You’d lie?”
He shrugged. “Nobody knows you were trying to resign, not even Theo’s other secretaries. It’s quite clear that you both became closer during the trip, so we can just fiddle the truth a little.” He cast his gaze between us. “For you to have this level of concern… I’m assuming you’re aware of what happened before Theo came here.”
I nodded. “He told me.”
“Well, speaking as a father, not the boss… You’re both overthinking things.”
Theo tensed. “What do you mean?”
“You were in the situation you were in because Lily was the one with the power,” Alastair said, looking at him. “She was your superior and twisted the narrative to suit her, leaving you unable to do anything. People only talked the way they did because she was in control. That’s not the case this time.”
“But I—”
“He’s right,” I said quietly, looking over at Theo. A small smile crept onto my face. “You’re the one in the position of power this time, and I know that even if our relationship didn’t work, you’d never do anything to make me uncomfortable.”
His jaw clenched. “But other people…”
“You can’t control what other people do and say.” Alastair got to his feet. “If you keep your relationship a secret, people will talk. If you tell everyone, people will talk. It doesn’t matter if Chloe resigns or gets a promotion, because people will talk. People will always draw their own conclusions about what’s going on, and there’s nothing you can do about it. All you can do is control how you respond to it.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I think that helps.”
He grabbed his suit jacket and slung it over his arm, then smiled at me. “I want you to seriously consider what I’ve said, Chloe. Adair Travel is a project you’ve worked on for months and know better than anyone else in the company. There’s currently no manager for the team—Theo is still filling in for that role, and he will continue to do so until you make a decision either way. Consider this an unofficial offer.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded.
“Remember that we had you earmarked for this before you ever left. Your relationship has no bearing on this decision, and we would have offered it to you when we discussed your resignation anyway.” He looked at me pointedly. “It’s a position you earnt through your own hard work, Chloe. If you’re worried about the change, we can have you take over slowly over a couple of months so you can hand over your current responsibilities to your successor.”
I pressed my hands to my cheeks. “It’s just… a lot to think about.”
“It is.” He smiled. “But I believe it’s the best way to alleviate all your concerns—the both of you. Of course, if you wish to leave the company entirely, then I will keep my word and will have your resignation processed as soon as you submit it.” He patted my shoulder. “Think on it for a little while. Talk it over between you and let me know when you’ve decided how you want to move forwards.”
I nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
He gave my shoulder a light squeeze before stepping back. “I have a meeting. If you have nowhere to be, you’re both welcome to talk things through here so you won’t be disturbed.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Theo said. “We have a bit of time.”
Alastair nodded and pulled on his jacket, then left us in his office with a wave of his hand. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I collapsed into a heap on his desk, burying my face in my arms.
Theo touched his hand to my back and leant in, kissing the back of my head. “You okay? That was a lot.”
“You could have warned me,” I muttered into the crook of my elbow.
“You wouldn’t have accepted it from me. You had to hear it from Dad.”
“Did you really only just find out about it?” I turned my head.
He crouched down next to me, bringing himself equal with my eye level. “Just this morning, like I told you. He called me not long after I got the office.”
So, that was what they were discussing for long. “Mmph,” I grunted. “Do you really think I can do it?”
