After whispering, Vlora let go of Andreas. Her teasing look turned into a playful grin and she headed for the bathroom.
Andreas could only take a deep breath as Vlora left him. But a moment later he chuckled softly.
Something crossed Andreas’ mind. He shook his head repeatedly as he picked up all of Vlora’s clothes from the floor.
“I tend to retaliate.”
Ah! Andreas’ eyes changed and he grinned mischievously. His gaze was fixed on the bathroom door.
Deciding to follow Vlora, Andreas seemed to have a plan in mind to get another form of revenge. It seemed to be a pleasant idea.
*
That evening Vlora and Frans met. Perhaps it was not their first meeting, considering that Frans had also been involved in organizing Vlora and Andreas’ wedding. However, due to time constraints and opportunities, they had not had a real chance to meet until now.
So, Andreas had invited Frans to his house that night. It wasn’t just that Andreas wanted to talk about work, he also wanted to introduce Vlora to Frans.
“Let me introduce you, Vlo. This is Frans, the personal assistant I told you about.”
Vlora and Frans exchanged short greetings in an unusual atmosphere. They watched each other, and Vlora felt that Frans was judging her, which made her slightly uncomfortable.
Andreas laughed as he watched the interaction between Vlora and Frans. They seemed to be cautious with each other.
“Maybe you two need some time to get to know each other. No need to rush.”
Vlora and Frans both turned to Andreas. In a relaxed tone, Andreas said, “Anyway, Frans, Vlora is my wife.”
Even with a funny expression on his face, Frans understood the underlying seriousness in Andreas’ words. He did it now, too.
Frans nodded. “Of course, sir.”
The three of them enjoyed dinner a short time later. No important discussions took place during this time. They only had light conversations, such as Andreas’ plans to have a family dinner at their home-considering he had not really introduced Vlora to his core family yet.
After dinner, Vlora went to her office while Andreas took Frans to his study. The newlyweds clearly had different plans.
“I apologize for my behavior towards your wife, sir. It’s just that I haven’t gotten to know her yet.”
Andreas leaned back on the couch. His demeanor was relaxed as he began to open one folder after another that Frans had brought.
“That’s not a problem. You’re always cautious and not quick to trust others. That’s why I chose you, Frans,” Andreas replied as he carefully read a document. “You’re always careful, but you don’t have to worry.”
That’s why Frans became Andreas’ personal assistant. Even when he had to give up his position as secretary at Progun to work with Jonas, he made sure not to lose Frans.
Andreas did not choose people lightly. He vetted them carefully and made sure he got them. Not only that, but he also made sure not to lose them.
Frans continued to work for Andreas, even though he was no longer the CEO of Progun. However, he would make sure that Frans’ loyalty over the years would be rewarded.
Andreas closed one folder and opened another. He continued to study all the documents and spoke again.
“Just as I was right to choose you, the same goes for Vlora. She won’t ruin everything we’ve built up over the years.”
Just as Andreas had said, Frans had a cautious, not easily trusting and always cautious nature. He trusted his instincts, and strangely, he felt uncomfortable when he saw Vlora.
The way Vlora looked at him and her manner made Frans uncomfortable. But he stopped himself from acting.
Frans assured himself that he knew Andreas’ character well. Andreas wouldn’t choose someone lightly, especially when it came to his spouse, the person closest to him.
Although he felt uncomfortable when he saw Vlora, Frans had to admit that Andreas’ choice was indeed the right one. He knew who Vlora was, and he was mature enough to admit that Vlora was the right woman for Andreas.
An educated, quiet, and independent woman. At least Frans was sure that Vlora was not the kind of needy woman who would disrupt Andreas’ life.
Strangely enough, this made Frans worry. For some reason, his instincts were on alert. He felt that there was something unusual about Vlora that made his intuition cautious.
“How long has it been since the last Unsect product was released?”
Frans’ daydream was interrupted. Quickly he replied, “Three months, sir.”
“Um. Three months.”
This time Andreas turned his attention to the marketing documents. The graphs made him furrow his brow.
“It seems constant.”
Frans nodded. “Unfortunately, sales have remained constant at a time when competing products, such as Cut and Ranger, are experiencing declining sales. Progun hasn’t been able to capitalize on that situation, and their customers haven’t switched to Unsect.”
“Craft.”
“That’s right, sir,” Frans said, continuing his explanation. “Initially, the launch of Unsect’s latest product was expected to attract customers to switch from Cut and Ranger, but what happened was that Craft took advantage of the situation. Even though the development and planning department had predicted that this Unsect product would dominate the market.”
Andreas moved to the next folder. “What about the other products?”
“You could say they’re almost the same. That’s why there have been rumors lately that the shareholders want to have a big meeting. They’re worried that Ariel Sebastian Ramirez might make an unexpected move.”
Andreas understood very well. He knew that people were holding back their con
Andreas understood that very well. He knew that people were holding back their concerns about the stock value.
“It seems that Jonas cannot be relied upon.”
Frans did not say anything, but that seemed to be the case. Three years had passed with no significant improvement. Even the insect products, usually Progun’s strong suit, had struggled lately.
Shareholders had initially thought that Unsect would be able to revive the stock price, but they were disappointed. Three months of sales had failed to meet targets.
“If this situation continues, Lostic will benefit.”
Andreas grinned. He looked at his personal assistant and asked.
“Does that mean our time has come?”
*