Disclaimer: I only own the story specific characters I created. The originals belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"Hi, Daddy," Charlotte greeted her father the next day at his office. He was hard at work like always but immediately put whatever he was working on aside when she came into the office.
"I thought we were meeting at the restaurant for lunch," Chuck was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter.
"We were," Charlotte hugged him, "I was calling in by HR."
"Oh," he raised a curious brow.
"Reinstated," she held up her company badge, "Effective next Monday."
"Why next Monday?" Chuck congratulated her with a hug.
"There is some additional paperwork which needs to be completed and education the division will need to go through," Charlotte explained, "I'm not complaining."
"Have you told your mother?" Chuck asked.
"You were my first stop," Charlotte replied, "And the second person I told."
"You told Eugenia before me, didn't you," he scowled playfully at her.
"I couldn't help it," Charlotte released a giddy giggle, "I'm just so happy."
"You should be," he smiled, "I never had any doubt."
"Now promise me you won't do something you can't undo," Charlotte demanded.
"Charlotte, I'll wait for HR to present their report to me along with their recommendation," Chuck's CEO voice came out, "I will do what is appropriate."
"Dad, if you fire this person or people, this is going to spiral out of control," Charlotte's own stern voice came out, "They'll spin this as you retaliating against them for going after your daughter."
"No," Chuck held firm, "I'll be terminating an employee who not only engaged in bullying, but filed a bogus complaint against one of my employees. Yes, you are my daughter, so yes, this is personal, but termination is the appropriate reaction no matter who was the target."
"What about the fall out?" Charlotte held firm.
"I can promise you the fall out will be minimal," Chuck reassured her.
"How?" she challenged him, "How does this not turn into a wrongful termination law suit?"
"That will be between HR, the terminated employees and myself," Chuck responded.
"Are you going to pay them off?" Charlotte asked.
"No," Chuck shook his head, "We will simply enforce the policies of our corporation. Every employee signs a code of conduct contract when they are hired. In our code of conduct contract, we cover filing a knowingly fraudulent HR claims. The contract covers the punishment for such claims, which include the option of termination. Employees terminated for such claims waive any right to sue our company for wrongful termination. They can certainly try to make their case, but I'm confident our attorneys will quickly get the case tossed."
"You're assuming the person filed a knowingly fraudulent claim," Charlotte pointed out.
"Did you bully any of your coworkers?" Chuck inquired.
"NO!" she exclaimed.
"Then I don't see how the claim could be anything less than knowingly fraudulent," Chuck replied, "Before any action is taken, we'll wait for HR to make their determination."
"Okay," Charlotte bobbed her head.
"I've read your merger report," Chuck held up the file she turned in before her suspension, "Excellent work."
"Is that my father talking or my boss?" Charlotte asked.
"A bit of both," Chuck smiled, "Most of your recommendations are spot on, though with your conclusion, I thought you might recommend more cuts."
"You said to cut fifty percent, so I stuck to fifty percent," Charlotte replied.
"Yes, I said fifty, but I didn't have benefit of reviewing the reports you did. Don't be afraid to push the boundaries if the situation warrants it," Chuck encouraged her.
"Do you want me to redo the report?" she bit her lip nervously.
"No," he assured her, "I want you to keep my comments in mind for next time."
"Okay," she bobbed her head.
"How about you take your old man to lunch?" Chuck grabbed his suit coat off the back of his chair and slipped into it.
"So long as you're the one buying," Charlotte stepped forward and straightened his tie, "I have been out of work for a few days."
"I think I can swing it," he smirked. "How about you call your mother and have her meet us? You can give her your good news in person."
Charlotte pulled out her phone and called her mother. No surprise, Blair immediately agreed to join them.
Charlotte was putting the finishing touches on the dinner table. She'd called Eddie after her celebratory lunch with her parents to invite him over. He jumped at the chance.
"Mister Aiden says dinner is almost ready," Daniella came into the dining room.
It was a risk Charlotte was taking. She didn't want her little brother to know yet she was dating Eddie, but she also wanted to show off his talents. She'd made Aiden promise not to be her nosy kid brother and leave immediately after he finished without peeking in the dining room. She sold the idea as getting an impartial review of his cooking from a self-proclaimed foodie. Always eager for an unbiased opinion, he agreed with very little arm-twisting.
Charlotte entered the kitchen to see Aiden hard at work. "You amaze me, Brother," Charlotte took a seat at one of the stools to watch him work.
"Because of my cooking skills or are you generally commenting on my awesomeness?" Aiden smirked.
"Both I suppose," Charlotte laughed, "How is today's masterpiece coming?"
"It should be ready when your mystery guest arrives," Aiden grabbed a spoon from the drawer to give his sauce one final taste.
"Mom and Dad filled me in on your weekend showcase. Apparently you were the star of the event," Charlotte replied, "Are you learning anything at this fancy culinary school of yours?"
"It's not just about the education, it's the connection opportunities," Aiden replied.
"Which is code for nope, you haven't learned a thing," Charlotte surmised, "I bet you're pretty popular with all the ladies too."
"I've met a few," Aiden gave a coy response.
"I'm betting the, 'I'm Aiden Bass' goes quite a long way," Charlotte teased.
"I haven't needed it," he snorted.
"Dad's charmed had to rub off on at least one of us," Charlotte mused.
"I think Dad's charms rubbed off on all of us, just in different ways," Aiden pulled his latest masterpiece out of the oven.
"Smells terrific," Charlotte replied.
"I figured since you couldn't enjoy my flavors during the weekend's showcase, I'd duplicate them for you tonight," Aiden smiled.
"I'm sorry I missed it, Aiden," Charlotte frowned, "I would have been there if…"
"No apology needed," Aiden cut her off, "I know you would have been there if that bogus HR claim wasn't made."
"I promise to be at the next one," she vowed.
"And maybe with this mystery foodie you're seeing," Aiden added a few more ingredients to his dish. "You certainly have both Brice and I curious."
"Good," she responded with glee.
"Ms. Charlotte, your guest is here," Daniella entered the kitchen.
"Thanks, Dani," Charlotte's smile widened. Aiden noticed immediately. "Keep your eye on this one. He comes nowhere near the dining room."
"Of course," Daniella smiled as Charlotte went to greet Eddie.
"You said I couldn't bring anything to contribute to the meal, so I brought something else," Eddie held up a bag from Tiffany's.
"What's this for?" Charlotte snatched up the bag eagerly.
"A little birdy told me we had some celebrating to do," Eddie beamed with pride.
"Birdy, huh," Charlotte frowned, "I was hoping to tell you the good news myself."
"It's better this way," Eddie encouraged her to open the gift, "I came appropriately prepared."
Charlotte immediately pulled the jewelry box from the bag and pried it open. Inside was a beautiful platinum pendant and chain. "It's beautiful," she pulled the pendant from the box to examine it more closely. Inside she felt like swooning. She'd never received jewelry from a man she was dating. This was uncharted territory for her. "Will you help me put it on?"
Eddie fumbled for a moment with the clasp before wrapping it around her neck.
"Thank you," Charlotte took a moment to look at her reflection in the mirror.
"Simple, elegant, like the woman wearing it," he smiled.
"You should have saved the jewelry for Christmas," Charlotte spun towards him and pecked at his lips.
"I have my Christmas gift already picked out," he responded cryptically.
"No hints?" she asked.
"Nope," he replied.
"Fine," she frowned momentarily, "Are you hungry?"
"Famished," he bobbed his head.
"I promise you are in for a gourmet feast," Charlotte guided him into the dining room, "Have a seat. Dinner will be served shortly."
"Can't wait," he took his seat when she guided him to the table.
Charlotte went to check one more time on Aiden's progress. He was just wiping the plate for proper presentation.
"You're the best, Little Brother," Charlotte smiled and grasped both plate, "Now off with you. Dani make sure he goes straight up to my parents' place. Aiden, I'll have a full report for you tomorrow on how amazing the food is."
"You're assuming it is amazing," Aiden replied.
"Of course it is," Charlotte replied, "You made it. You haven't had a dud meal since we were kids."
"Night, Char," Aiden kissed her cheek and then walked with Daniella to the elevator, only a bit tempted to look in the dining room to see who her mystery guest was, but Daniella walked in such a way as to impede his view.
"Finally, just you and me," Charlotte returning to the dining room and set their plates on the table.
"Smells and looks amazing," Eddie took a few moments to let the smells and presentation sink in.
"Aiden's wasting his time at the CIA," Charlotte grabbed her fork and took her first bite, "Oh my god, this is incredible."
Eddie followed her lead and had the same reaction.
"Definitely a dish to add to his menu," Charlotte reached for her phone and immediately texted her brother with her phrase.
"You are right," Eddie took another bite, "Your brother is a culinary savant."
Charlotte had a quick text conversation with her brother and then dove into her meal.
"Have you heard anything regarding fallout within my department today?" Charlotte finally found the will to speak.
"Things are pretty calm at the moment," Eddie replied, "I actually had lunch with your new boss."
"Should I be jealous?" Charlotte raised a curious brow.
"I think she was looking for some feedback on the department she's taking over," Eddie explained, "She knew I was working closely with your department on the most recent merger."
"I'm curious what you told her," Charlotte forked in another bite.
"I told her it's hard to tell at the moment because things with HR haven't been finalized yet," Eddie replied, "I did sing your praises."
"Did she say anything about having to work with the boss's daughter?" Charlotte asked.
"She seemed eager to work with you," Eddie stated, "She's spent the past couple of days reading the merger reports. She was quite impressed by your write up. She did mention being surprised you only recommended a fifty percent cut in work force."
"Dad mentioned that too," Charlotte frowned, "Apparently I took his directive a bit too literal. He's already coached me to follow my instincts."
Eddie could see how much it bothered Charlotte to have had her work critiqued and have flaws found.
"My first report for your father, I forgot to use spell check," Eddie offered, "There were so many errors, your father actually handed it back to me and told me to redo it. I thought for sure he was going to have me fired, but he took me aside privately and coached me. For those he has a vested interest in, he's quite generous with his time and willing to impart his knowledge, and make no mistake about it, your father is a brilliant businessman."
"It's hard to believe he has no formal college education," Charlotte mused, "Here I have this fancy college degree, and I probably know a tiny fraction of what he did when he took over."
"You have a benefit your father didn't have," Eddie reached for her hand, "You have time to learn from the master himself, and you have people who will be with you every step of the way."
"Rationally I know it's going to be years before Dad is ready to retire, but sometimes the thought of sitting in his chair is a bit overwhelming. What if I can't do what he did? What if I can't even maintain what he built?" Charlotte's self doubt came out.
"You'll do great things. I have no doubt," he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Thank you," she smiled. "Changing subject, when does your brother get into town?"
"Tomorrow," Eddie smiled, "I'm taking the afternoon off to pick him and his wife up at the airport."
"Are you excited to see him?" Charlotte asked.
"Ecstatic," he nodded, "I haven't seen him since just before I left London."
"I'm going to lose you for a few days, aren't I?" she smiled.
"Perhaps a day or two," he chuckled.
"Just don't get yourself injured or arrested," she cautioned him, "I really don't want to have to explain a bail expense to my father when our business manager reviews our expenses."
"Here I just figured all your bills are paid no questions asked," he teased.
"They usually are," Charlotte chuckled, "However I think a bail expense might raise a red flag."
"It just might," Eddie snorted.
"So keep it on the straight and narrow or call your parents for bail," Charlotte cautioned him.
"Noted."
TBC…