CHAPTER 11

Mr. John walked to the little window. Slowly, he was rubbing his white beard, and Erika's eyes were following his steps.

"You're not even listening to me."

She yelled, and he turned to face her crying face. Somewhere deep in his heart, a feeling of being a father moved.

"It's family traditions for not accepting your mother; it has nothing to do with me but with her family and their strict laws. I doubt that Lara told you something about her origin, but it's okay."

Mr. John said with a vivid, thin smile. Erika held herself and tried not to spoil him.

"Mr. John, for the last time, I beg you, let me be alone; I'm over. I had been bearing  a lot."

Erika stated in a broken soul that she opened the door and pointed for him to leave. He dragged his feet, not turning behind. He wanted to apologize, but his arrogance stood before everything.

Erika wiped her tears and went to prepare something to eat. She noticed that the balcony door was opened.

"Did I forget to close the door?"

She asked herself while shutting the glassy door. She took a deep breath and tightened her hair up. She drank lots of coffee cups to be awake the whole night.

"Yes, please send me the company's history in detail; I'd love to check on the system by myself."

She ended the call and worked on her laptop; she did not ever find such mess and down deals as in this company.

"The main problem of this company is the lack of financial and economic planning for its high revenues. Only if I could take the position of CFO would this be a huge accomplishment."

Erika stated. She put down her laptop and gazed at the ceiling.

"I need a real miracle to have that position," Erika said.

"Beside most of the deals that have been done, the projects do not contain an integrated file that includes a summary of what has been accomplished."

She muttered while leaning back on her chair. She held her mother's picture tenderly and smiled.

"I don't believe him; Mr. John is trying his best to make me his puppet, but I'm your strong daughter; I will be fine."

She said this as she received a text from Mr. Rafael as a reply to her previous message.

"My iron lady, it's too late; you've got to go to sleep, or is thinking about me making you open your eyes till now?"

Erika smiled as she read his message, but she didn't ask herself to respond back; she still had some doubts about Rafael and Redima. Erika had already checked on Redima's file.

"She had joined this company six months ago as a COO; it's really a talent from her to increase the company's income in a limited time; she is a hard worker and an effective one."

Erika stated while drawing in her mind the image of Redima with Rafael; they actually looked like a match. She leaned her head on the desk and then sighed.

"From the very start, even before getting married, I knew he wouldn't fall for me, but my heart always begged me to give him multiple chances."

She hissed with a tear by the edge of her eye, and she took a warm bath.

"Every time he breaks my heart by putting my father's company in a great flaw, if he was just... "

She muttered, not completing her words, and gave up to sleep like a tired little infant.

"Morning, Miss Erika."

Ronald said, while stepping in front of her, that he stopped her before driving her car. She took a deep breath, and she didn't hide how glad she was to see him a live.

"Dr. whatever your name is, please stay a side; I've got to go."

Erika stated that her over-looking gaze at her hail made him bit his lower lips, to be dragged in to her like nuts.

"My name is Ronald; Miss Erika, I will make sure to keep it."

He said, while his huge body was not letting her move a finger. She rolled her eyes carefully.

"Are you done?"

She asked in a harsh tone and made him open the way for her directly. He raised both hands and, like a price, bowed.

"Stay well, Miss."

He uttered; she didn't look at him; she just got in her car and drove it, letting him stock in its dust and smoke.

"That thick-minded doctor"

She said while putting on her headphones that she was talking to Redima, who was asking her to inform Mr. Grand that she would be absent for some days.

"It's a little bit strange for her to get sick out of nowhere."

She said she noticed that Mr. Grand was upset; she greeted him and handed him the reports.

"Sorry, sir, but Redima would not be around. She tried to reach you, but it seems that you're somehow busy."

Erika stated that Mr. Grand nodded his head and told her that he had received Redima's massage and that was fine.

"There's a problem that we're facing. Mr. Dackwyner passed away this morning."

Mr. Grand said in a sad tone that Erike felt sorry for Mr. Dackwyner, for he was the CFO of the company.

"It is true that he is the financial manager of the company, but his investment plans always fail and the company suffers a lot of losses."

Erika thought while waiting for Mr. Grand's reaction that it would be a great deal if she had his position; Mr. Grand had hardly pulled the words out.

"This may be surprising; I know you joined the company recently, but Miss Erika, based on your previous experience,"

Mr. Grand said while Erika raised the roof of her hopes that she was eager to hear those words out.

"Can you be our temporary new CFO?"

He requested that he acknowledge Erika's extraordinary abilities in accomplishing her tasks, and she was not called Iron Woman for nothing.