*DISCLAIMER* I DO NOT own The Phantom of the Opera, its storyline, or its characters. Please R&R.
"No sir, Erik and I were just talking away. Sorry for keeping you waiting," I quickly stated. I looked behind the man to see Meg standing there. This must be Nadir, Erik's co-executive officer and right hand man and Meg was obviously his assistant. I looked over to Meg with a bright smile on my face. "Meg! What are you doing here," I asked as I walked over to her. "My boss came over here to ask yours for lunch and I wanted to see if you'd join me for lunch as well." I noticed Nadir's eyes brighten in amusement. "Why don't we all go out for lunch… on me," he quickly stated. "Oh, sir. That would be too much for us to insist," I replied. "Indeed it would. Nadir here, still has much work to do," Erik chimed in. I looked up at him to catch him throwing a warning glare at Nadir. Although Nadir wanted to have lunch with us, it seemed as though Erik would rather have lunch with a pack of wolves instead. I had no idea why but that though hurt me, even if it was only slightly. "Oh come on, old man! Let's go have lunch and I'll even stay for an extra hour this evening," whined Nadir. "Make it two and you've got yourself a deal," were the next words that came out of Erik's mouth.
We arrived at a fancy restaurant and were walked over to our table by the hostess. Meg and I took our seat next to one another, leaving Erik and Nadir to sit together as well. The hostess handed us our menus and quickly ran to grab our drinks. "Have you guys decided what you are having," asked Nadir as he browsed through the menu. "Oh, sir. Everything looks so good! It'll be impossible to choose," I replied. "Now Christine! You don;t have to be so formal with me. I am not as hard headed as your boss over here. Call me Nadir," said Nadir while throwing a devilish grin at Erik. "Um, okay. Nadir it is then."
We all finished our lunch and sat at the table afterwards enjoying each other's company. We talked for a while just about anything. How Meg and I met and the crazy adventures and troubles we got ourselves into growing up. This left both Erik and Nadir laughing their butts off. Meg and I got a kick about all of their adventures and mischievous ways as well. We were all having such a great time that we had begun to forget just how much time was passing by. Before we knew it, it was time to head back.
"Christine! Thank you for coming out for lunch with us. I had a wonderful time meeting you," said Nadir as he walked up to Christine with his arms stretched out. Christine did the same and gave him a quick hug. "I had a lot of fun, thanks for inviting us." Erik didn't know why but seeing this made his blood boil. How dare his perfectly handsome cousin hug his assistant like this? It was not professional, no… not at all. Nadir must have sensed how Erik was feeling, leading him to do what he did next. To Erik's dismay Nadir winked at him and smiled mouthing out the words, 'you're jealous' as he did so. Erik rolled his eyes and proceeded to cough slightly in an effort to stop this absurdity. Christine quickly ended the embrace and walked over to where Erik was standing. "Come, let us all step into the conference room and talk about the big day coming up," said Erik as he led them back towards his office.
Once everyone made their way to the conference room, they all had a seat at the long table. Erik got up and made his way to the large projector at the front of the room. "Now, team. Seeing as today is Friday, let me remind you guys of our quarterly committee meeting. We will be analysing many things in this meeting including funds, expenses, and performance. Christine, I want you to gather all of the information and find a way to report this information to the committee." Erik noticed Christine writing his instructions down on a piece of paper and couldn't help but feel a spark of admiration in her drive to work hard and deliver precise work. He quickly turned to Meg and Nadir to tell them what was expected of them for the meeting. Meg was going to be in charge of ordering the food and providing any needed services for the committee. Nadir, of course, was in charge of making sure both he and Erik put forth the best impression of the company and its progression towards greatness.
After their quick meeting in the conference room, Meg and Nadir made their way back to Nadir's office while Christine and Erik made their way towards Christine's desk. "Christine," said Erik in an attempt to gather Christine's attention. "Yes, Erik?" "Please be sure to let me know if you feel any bit overwhelmed. I understand that you are fairly new in your position and throwing you right into an important meeting like this possibly wasn't the best choice on my behalf." Christine looked up at Erik to give him a reassuring look. "Thank you, Erik. But I've got this, let me prove myself to you… I know I can do this. Don't worry."
Erik couldn't stand to keep looking at her hopeful face any longer. He had to get out of there soon or he was going to catch feelings faster than a speeding bullet. He was quick to give a nod in approval accompanied by a small grin. "Okay, Christine. You can work on the report on your own, on the condition of if you find yourself overwhelmed… you will get a hold of me. Is that understood," Erik questioned. Christine gave him a huge smile and a nod. "Thank you, Sir! I won't let you down!" Erik straightened up and started making his way towards the doors leading to his office. He was about to walk through before turning back and speaking to Christine. "Christine, seeing as it's almost 5 o'clock and you should have been out of here a while ago, you can pack up your things and head home for the weekend." With that, he continued on his way to his office. Erik was becoming excited for this meeting with the committee and he couldn't quite figure out the reason… although rest assured that he is soon to find out.