corporate affairs [Niall Horan AU]

T H I R T Y S I X

[thank you for all your comments and votes. it makes my heart swoon. ily all.]

T H I R T Y  S I X

"I'm sorry, Elouise, there are a lot of people on Jones' side." 

I huff, crossing my legs over one another in the plush seat. Mark's airplane is the largest private plane I've ever been on, with rows and rows of tan leather seats. Everyone's here, Zayn, Calinda, Liam, Harry, Katherine, and Mark (of course); and their support comes unwavering. They make no questions of my actions, which makes me feel accomplished and terrified at the same time. 

"Well, find the people who are feeding him information and fire them." 

"Fire them?" Louis asks, feeling stunned.

"Louis, how long have you been a board member?" 

"Almost seven years," he admits. 

"Well, I'd like to make you my CFO. You're honest and loyal and hardworking. Fire anyone who you think doesn't deserve to be there and I won't ask any questions." I clear my throat. "I want you to clear the board and restructure it with your most trusted coworkers."  

"And Jones?" 

"Leave him for now. I want to make sure when we nail him we do it right. No risks." 

"Okay, boss. I'll see you when you land tonight. Have a safe flight." 

"See you then," I reply before hanging up. My inbox is full again, an unfamiliar notion after being out of work for a while. I try to sort through the useless junk and the important emails, though it wastes precious time. After a minute Calinda takes my phone from my hand. 

"Let me," she says, smiling. "I'll be your assistant. But I want ten percent of the contracts I handle." 

"Done." I smile, resting my head against the back of the seat as she expertly scrolls through my inbox, her fingers swiping and tapping until the unread emails significantly reduces. "I'm going to log into my old work account so I can sort your inbox for you from my phone." 

For the next hour or so Calinda and I reply to emails and get caught up on the various projects and deals going on. Louis sends me a file called 'Elouise', which I open cautiously. 

"What?" Calinda says at the look on my face. 

"Niall broke down everything for me in this. I'll send it to you." 

A moment later Calinda's reading it on her phone, her smile a copy of mine. "That bastard, he really was thinking of everything." 

"It would appear so," I murmur, my eyes landing on the corner of his letter poking out from my purse. "I'm going to take a quick nap so I won't be a zombie when we land." 

"Alright, boss. I'll wake you up if anything happens." 

I stand and make my ways towards where Zayn is seated, a phone pressed to his ear. I can hear him saying goodbye as I draw nearer, plopping down in the seat beside his when I finally get to it. 

"Was that Gigi?" I ask, snuggling into his arms when he opens them for me. 

"Yeah, she's got a meeting today with Ted Baker. She's very nervous." 

I smile. "Well, I put in a good word for her." 

He grins as he wraps his arms around me. His fingers find their way into my hair, running gentle paths along my scalp. I hum in satisfaction, my eyes closing in content. "You doing okay, kid?" He asks softly.

I nod. "There's a lot to do, but Niall had been structuring things so it would be easier for me. I gotta get him out of this, Zayn." 

"You will. When we land you think about that. For now, rest."