"Boss, I am so, so sorry. I have no idea that…"
"That you were going to fall sick? Who has prior ideas about stuff like that? Come on, stop worrying your head and get the rest you need."
"It's just that I understand that you had no intention of showing up now, and yet I messed it up. I…"
Phil's croaky voice turned into a wracking cough that had Reyona wincing from her end.
"Sorry, are you sure you don't want me to come take you to the hospital? I can do that and still…"
"No, no…." cough "I have done enough. I can just…"
"Babe, you really need to stop talking. You are going to keep hurting your throat."
Reyona raised her eyebrows in amusement as she heard Phil shush the male voice at the other end "Sshh. I am talking to… this is important, okay?" cough.
"Oh, I am sorry, but you shouldn't be talking this much. See? We need to go to the hospital right now. Jeez, babe, you are burning up."
"I know… I… just…go, okay. I need to…"
Phil must have covered the phone because Reyona stopped hearing anything.
She leaned back and laughed softly as she pictured Phil's embarrassed face at that moment.
He came back on almost immediately. "I… uhmm, boss. I…"
"He is right, you know. You should stop talking right now and go to the hospital." then she grinned as she added, "Let your baby take care of you."
"Ah, he is, you know. Someone I just met and… I can assure you that this is not affecting my work. I…" cough.
"Listen to yourself, Phil. I am not your mom. Now, why would I think that a capable CEO like you would let your personal life affect work? Now, get off the phone and go do the needful. I don't want to see you around when you still have as much as a wheeze left in you."
"Uhm, okay. Are you sure…?"
"Of course, I am sure. This was my idea, remember? Also, I know all of them even though you were supposed to be the one meeting with them. I will just be your perfect little replacement until you are back, and we will all be fine."
"If you are…"
"I am sure. Now, bye. And I mean what I said, if I so much as see your shadow around the company while you are still down, you are fired."
She disconnected the call before he could croak out some other excuses or concerns again.
She laughed softly at how his voice sounded after he had finished speaking with the person with him.
Reyona supposed she would probably die of embarrassment too if her partner or, well, someone she just met had also interrupted her business call like that.
"Guess what, baby? You are going to see Mommy in action today. You and I get to play the CEO for the day, or well, till Uncle Phil gets back from sick time."
She scrambled off the bed to get ready.
Her phone pinged before she could go far, and she went back to check it.
It was Phil sending her all the little details they had not discussed since he was supposed to handle this, and she trusted him to do a good job.
He also informed her that he had informed his assistant about the change, and she would take over what needed to be done.
Reyona shook her head at her worrywart employee and imagined that "baby" was going to have his hands full that day.
She was sure he would probably stay glued to the TV until the event was over.
It was a live event after all.
The thought of being on camera for that long gave Reyona a pause for a moment, but she shrugged off her concerns and intended to be extra careful that day.
She knew what she had to do.
First, she was going to have a meeting with the representatives of the law firms, consultant companies, financial institutions and startup companies that were coming.
After that, the networking event would start fully.
The goal was to ensure that SEA gets more recognition in Sydney, to make more people know about it, and to know more about the key players in the industries that could bring referrals and eventually conversions for Summit Edge Accounting.
The goal was to let others have an enjoyable day in a relaxing atmosphere as they network among people from the same industries or networks and also find relevant connections which would make them remember the event where they got those connections.
If they can make good connections by coming to the events, they will certainly have Summit Edge at the back of their mind someway, somehow.
It was meant to be a win-win event for everyone.
Reyona was not going to allow some reservations to hold her back from that.
Yes, she had intended to stay as far away from the limelight as possible until she had her baby, but the company was her brainchild and she was not about to let it down.
"I am sure you will understand, right?" Reyona asked her baby with a smile as she gently trailed her hand over her barely-there bump.
She looked back at herself in the mirror and smiled.
Not to mention it would also be a great distraction from the thought of…
"No, I am not doing that," she said emphatically as she rinsed off her brush and practically leapt into the shower as she stripped.
She was done within a few minutes.
She needed to be at the company on time to receive their guests after all.
It was one thing that they would expect to see the boss only to find his replacement.
Reyona could imagine what it would look like if that replacement then decided to waltz in long after they had been received and seated.
"Nah, we don't do unprofessionalism here. We show up and we make things work. Hear that, baby? If you are going to take anything from me, take that."
As she continued to apply her minimalistic makeup, Reyona wondered if it was weird that she had grown comfortable talking to her baby anywhere, anytime.
It just felt so natural and made her feel not so…alone.
She frowned at that thought.
"Alone?" She was not feeling alone.
Her life was going great, and she was living the dreams of many other women right now.
Her companies are thriving and after this event, her new brainchild was going to excel more.
What on earth did she have to feel alone for?
Dressed in an emerald green sheath dress with a modest neckline and cap sleeves, accessorised with gold drop earrings, a thin bracelet and a stylish gold necklace, Reyona smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
Her classic gold watch glinted in the mirror as she added a slim black leather belt with a subtle gold buckle to her dress.
Ensuring that it didn't fit too snuggly against her stomach, she added her moderate-heeled, black leather pump to the ensemble and topped it off with a black leather handbag with gold accents.
"Are you ready, baby?" She nodded to herself in the mirror as she slicked down her polished chignon, glad she had decided to go with the earthy tone makeup.
She checked the time and reached for a very important part of her looks that morning.
A Cartier dark shades.