Chapter 55 — Support Her How She Supports You
Luna's POV:
"Yes Titan?" Malcolm says with a kind expression.
"When were you going to tell me about our newest addition to the board?" Tatum says dryly.
"Ah well it's only been a week and I didn't think it would be a problem." Malcolm replies.
"Then why waste my time by having me attend this meeting as well?" Tatum growls as Malcolm begins to walk around the table towards him.
Tatum's phone suddenly begins to ring and he quickly answers. I catch the faint voice of a woman on the other end and I begin typing slower as I focus on the conversation.
"You are flying back today right? You left so quickly last night I didn't get to say goodbye." The voice says softly.
"Yeah I'm heading to the airport now." Tatum replies in an aggravated tone and I begin to feel sadness creep into my heart.
I begin to focus more on what I'm typing so as to not hear any more of the conversation and Tatum is almost at the door when he finally hangs up the phone.
"I wanted you to see your future wife in action. She's been a huge help and has become a very valuable asset to not only this company but to me as well and despite some resistance here and there she is pushing forward with her head held high. You should be proud son." Malcolm replies and I can feel Tatum's glare on me once again.
"One day you will be taking over the company and you need to know that you can lean on those closest to you as well as make it known to other members that you will accept nothing less than respect both for you and for her. You have to put one hundred percent of your trust in her hands that if needed she will guide you in the right direction. They will question her authority and standing within the clan and the company if you are not behind her supporting her as she is you. She's managed to hold her own this last week here on the board but it's not been easy as I'm sure you noticed today. I've replaced two board members this week and it looks like I'm now in for a third." Malcolm continues.
"What's your point?" Tatum says annoyed.
"Your presence here is the opposite of wasted time son. If you want them to respect and trust her standing in the company as well as within the clan then you have to show them that you also respect and trust her. If they don't see that then you are setting her up to fail and that is something that I cannot and will not allow. She is talented and a valuable asset and should be treated as an equal among us, not as something we can dump meaningless tasks onto to keep busy." Malcolm replies as he walks away from the head of the table.
With that Malcolm walks past Tatum smacking him on the shoulder as he opens up the door and leaves the room. I slowly stop typing and turn to look at Tatum. He looks irritated and stressed out more than normal. I'm just about to speak when Tatum interrupts.
"I'll be home soon." He says as he starts to walk out the door.
"Have a good flight." I say softly as the door slams behind him.
Once Tatum is gone I sink into the chair with a sigh. We haven't spent much time together in the last few months with all his business trips and I'm feeling a bit disconnected from him and my wolf has become restless lately. I let out a small sigh and began to finish up the financial sheets as I wonder if he's feeling the same way I am.
I think about what Malcolm had just said and wonder if being a board member was really the right choice. Malcolm realized mid-week this week that a lot of the tasks I had been given by other members in the firm were things that others just didn't want to deal with. Those members had promptly been fired and replaced and I had assumed Malcolm had already talked to Tatum but from the looks of it he hadn't and seemed upset with the new changes.
Tatum's POV:
I'm turning my father's words over in my mind as I'm boarding my flight. Kin and my father had emailed me something regarding recent position changes but I had yet to read it. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket.
"So are you going to be coming by next weekend too?" Kali messaged.
I sigh inwardly as I look at the screen.
"No. The only reason I was here today was because dad called me to a meeting this morning pulling me from my business trip. If I want to get this over with and get back home I don't need any more distractions or emergency family meetings." I replied back.
"Suit yourself. You're going to miss all the fun though. lol." Kali replies.
"If you're trying to bait me Kali it's not going to work." I text back just as an announcement is made to turn off all electronic devices.
"I don't have to bait you, you big idiot. I just can't figure out why you would want to leave Luna all alone to celebrate by herself next weekend." Kali texts back.
I'm fixing to reply when a stewardess touches my arm.
"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to please turn your phone off so we can take off." She says with a forced smile.
I turn my phone off not replying back and stuff it into my pocket as I turn over what next weekend is supposed to be. I pull out my business planner to check the dates as confusion and curiosity set in. Next Friday is August 21st and I'm not set to be back until the 29th. I turn Kali's last message over in my mind as the plane sets off. Irritation sets in when I can't seem to remember what is going on this weekend with Luna and why Kali would ask if I was going to be there. If it was so important why didn't Luna say anything while I was at the firm today? I ask myself as I recall how cold I had been after the meeting.
I sigh loudly and rub my temples scolding myself for acting the way I had and I just want this trip to be over with. I was trying to secure connections with a new client that would benefit us greatly in the future. Unfortunately this client's daughter has been obsessed with having me do her bidding and since she was daddy's little angel she got what she wanted, and since I needed this connection the client took full advantage of me, having me escort his daughter everywhere. Human clients are such a pain in the ass, especially the spoiled ones I think to myself as I grit my teeth and try to prepare for what's to come.