Capitulo 7

Regina and Robin entered the office after a pleasant lunch, arm in arm. Lily appeared to be waiting for Regina, and she seemed eager to share something. Regina watched them closely, her curiosity piqued. Robin greeted his friend, and Regina allowed them to catch up, though she couldn't help but notice how comfortable he looked with Lily.

As they chatted, Robin inquired about Regina's plans for the evening. He wanted to ensure they were on the same page, but he also couldn't help but wonder about Regina's relationship with Lily. Regina explained her busy schedule, emphasizing her focus on work, especially for the upcoming investor meeting. Robin praised her ideas for the presentation and assured her he would provide his report promptly.

With a genuine smile, Regina bid Robin farewell and called for Emma. Emma stepped out of her office, and Regina was momentarily taken aback by her presence, as usual. She inquired about the reports, and Emma informed her that most were received, except for Mr. Locksley's and Ms. Dracon's, with the latter promising to send hers later.

"Perfect," Regina acknowledged, then mentioned her concern about contacting Monica. Emma offered to retrieve Monica's contact information.

"Ah, yeah," Regina agreed. "I'm more worried about the reports, so we'll focus on work first. Did you destroy my black book?"

"It's gone, completely shredded," Emma confirmed.

"Perfect, let's dive into work," Regina said, stepping into Emma's office, which was piled high with reports. Regina couldn't help but comment on the paper clutter, and Emma laughed nervously as she organized her workspace. Regina then requested Emma's help in categorizing her contacts.

Regina began explaining the various categories, including the "high-stress" names. As Emma diligently sorted through the contacts, she couldn't help but chuckle at Regina's sometimes ruthless labeling, especially when it came to certain individuals.

Jefferson burst into Emma's office, bubbling with excitement. "Reggie, you won't believe who called my office!"

Regina's curiosity was piqued. "Who?" she asked eagerly.

"It's Monica!" Jefferson exclaimed. "She said she heard you're getting married and wants to see you to bid you a proper goodbye."

Regina's reaction was a mix of surprise and amusement. "A proper goodbye to Monica's beautiful body would be an excellent wedding gift," she mumbled under her breath, causing Jefferson to chuckle.

However, Jefferson's excitement quickly shifted as he noticed Emma in the office. He turned his attention to her and questioned, "What are you doing with my database?"

Regina explained their project to reorganize the contacts and update categories, especially now that her little black book had been shredded. She emphasized that it was necessary to maintain organization and efficiency.

"That's brilliant," Jefferson remarked, appreciating their efforts to keep things in order.

After they had finished categorizing the contacts, Jefferson left for a client meeting, and Regina delved into preparing the highlight reel in the studio. Her cell phone rang, and she noticed it was a call from Jefferson.

Regina sighed and picked up the call, her annoyance evident in her tone. "Hello?"

Jefferson's voice came through, and he seemed excited. "Hey, Regina, where are you?"

Rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm, Regina replied, "Oh, Jeffy, where else would I be? I'm at work. What's going on?"

Jefferson's voice was animated as he explained, "I'm at Rodrigo's party with these two gorgeous human beings. Tell me, are you with Robin?"

Regina answered, "No, he didn't come down. I'm just going straight home after this."

Jefferson was quick to protest, "No, please, Reggie, don't do this to me! You have a finite amount of nights of debauchery left, and you're going to go home to bed like some old lady? Seriously, I have something for you!"

Regina hesitated, tempted by his words. "No, stop tempting me. I'm not going out tonight. I'm not going to do anything, okay?"

"Give me a moment, please," Jefferson requested.

Regina waited, and suddenly, a sultry feminine voice filled the line. It was Juana, the fiery Latina Regina had met at a club not too long ago.

"Hey, you ungrateful bitch," Juana teased.

Regina smiled, recognizing her. "Juana? Hi, how are you?"

Juana continued in a flirtatious tone, "We're here with my cousin Rosaura, and the three of us are heading to my place... You wanna join us?"

Regina was enticed by the offer and the thought of spending the night with these attractive women. "Oh, baby, I can't. I have an early morning tomorrow, so I can't have a late night."

Juana playfully chided her, "You've learned to be responsible, have you? That's too bad… I could have used a hot tub partner, now I'm just going to be a squeaky third wheel."

Regina sighed. This girl was so hot. And so willing, and very good with her tongue. "I'll be there in 20 minutes. I can't let that happen to you ." She paused as Robin walked up to the door. Of the editing bay. "Ask Jeffy to help."

"Who was that?' Robin asked as Regina hung up her phone.

"Jefferson," She sighed and walked over to Robin and kissed him softly. "I thought you weren't coming is almost 11. I was about to go home."

Robin smiled, "Change of plans, I came to get you. You're coming home with me." His hand ran from her hips to the curve of her ass and she moved away.

"Love you know that I can't I have to get here early tomorrow I can't afford to bounce from your bed in the morning to my place to get ready to come to the event tomorrow," Regina complained.

"I got a little something prepared for you tonight," Robin stated.

Regina looked to the editor. "Robin please… we are at work." to appease him she smiled and said. "Can you save it for tomorrow? I can't wait."

Robin smiled enveloping her in a hug again. "Ah come on Regina."

"Robin I said no!" She growled.

He threw his hands up exasperated. "Fine!" He said. "I give up. When do you leave."

"I was leaving now, Was headed to my office to get my things," Regina said, the atmosphere changed.

"Can I walk with you?" He asked.

"Sure… Let's go." Regina said and led the way back to her office. Once in her office, RObin came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Regina turned and he was kissing her. "Robin…" Kiss. "Robin…" Kiss "What are you…" kiss.

Robin whispered against the skin of her neck as he placed her on her desk and lifted her skirt to her waist. "You are going to send me to sleep in my bed all by myself with this need for you. I just…" Kiss

"But… but here?" Regina asked

"Yeah yeah," Robin said. "This way we both go home, then wake up early in our own beds and we are both satisfied." He explained.

He pulled off Regina's pumps and Kneeled in front of her on the desk. His hands hooking on her panties and they were halfway down her thighs when Emma stepped out from her office exhausted.

Her scream startled the lovers. Regina Jumped back to her feet and pulled her undergarment back in place. "What… are you still doing here?"

Emma stammered, unable to explain her presence. Regina quickly ordered her to leave, trying to regain some semblance of decorum. "Emma, go home!" Regina urged, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Emma hastily retreated, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Y-yes, Ms. Mills," she stuttered before making a hasty exit.

Once Emma was out of the room, Regina and Robin exchanged uneasy glances. Regina sighed, attempting to shake off the awkwardness. "What was she doing here so late, Regina?" Robin asked, his initial arousal now replaced by a sense of relief.

"I don't know," Regina replied, still feeling flustered. "Let's just get out of here. I'm no longer in the mood."

Robin nodded in agreement, and the two of them left the office, leaving behind the unexpected interruption and returning to their own plans for the evening.

Emma arrived home late, and her father was waiting for her as she entered the house. He expressed concern about her working late into the night.

"They shouldn't keep you working this late. It's nearly midnight," her father remarked as he greeted her.

Emma explained, "I stayed because I wanted to create a special report for Ms. Mills to make all the information more comprehensive." She took a seat at the table, and her mother brought her a cup of her famous hot cocoa with cinnamon. Emma continued, "By the way, Mom, do you have anything really fancy to wear? These people are so sophisticated, and I need to dress to impress tomorrow if I am supposed to be rubbing elbows with them."

"You should have said something earlier," her father noted. "Your mother could have bought you something."

"It's too late for that now. Do you have anything?" Emma inquired.

Her mother replied, "You already wore the best we have, Ems..." Mary Margaret added, "Don't worry about it; it's the substance behind it that counts."

Suddenly, a cry rang out from upstairs. Emma hurried to meet her son on the stairs. He smiled and jumped into her arms. Emma knew he missed her as much as she missed him. She showered him with kisses on his chubby little cheeks, trying to hide her fast-beating heart. "Hi, my baby boy," she said. "Do you want cocoa?"

He nodded his sleepy head, and Emma carried him back to the table. Her mother had already prepared a small cup of lukewarm cocoa for him. "If you had bought that little black dress like I told you, you would have had something," her mother remarked.

"Mom, I couldn't justify buying that dress. I never go anywhere, remember?" Emma explained, cradling her baby.

"Well... you can wear mine. I've only worn it once, so I suppose it will work," Mary suggested. Emma didn't particularly like her mother's style, but she often found herself wearing her mother's clothes when she needed something special. Sometimes, she felt like she looked either too old or like a little kid playing dress-up.

"Thanks, Mom," Emma said before standing up and lifting her son onto her hip. "The kid and I are off to bed; we have an early day tomorrow." She kissed her mother and father on the cheeks and then headed back upstairs for a well-deserved rest.

The next morning, Emma was busy gathering all the things she wanted to take into her office to make herself feel more at home. She ran behind Henry, getting him ready for the day, and she wore her mother's black dress, which had a boxy shape that made her look somewhat matronly. At the last moment, she reached for a grey sweater before calling out to Henry, "Come on, baby, time for school," and she took his hand.

David replied, "Wait for me, I'm taking you to work."

"Dad, it's okay. You have to get to work. I'll be fine," Emma assured him.

"Emma, it doesn't bother me. This way, I know you and Henry are safe. You pay for the car too, and the trip doesn't bother me," her father said. "I found the guys that beat Killian."

"Dad, what did you do?" Emma asked concern in her voice.

"I'm looking out for my family like Killian tried to do," David replied. "Killian is family because he has always looked out for you."

Just then, Killian walked into the house. "What are you doing here?" Emma asked him.

"I came to walk you to the bus," Killian said, his protectiveness heartwarming. But Emma didn't want it; she was not a little girl anymore. She could deal with Tamara and Craig on her own.

"Look at your face, Killian. What are you going to do? Let them beat you while I run away with my son? Be for real, Killi," Emma told him.

"Yeah, be for real, Killi," Henry chimed in.

Killian smirked at the boy. "Emma, I can't have them doing these things to you. You aren't alone in this world; I'm here."

"Look, guys, I appreciate it, but I am not about to live my life scared of them," Emma stated. She kissed them all goodbye again and took her son's hand. "Let's go, kid."

"Bye!" the little boy said and waved his little hands at his grandparents and uncle.

As she walked toward the bus stop, she noticed their car following them. She rolled her eyes and continued walking, passing Tamara and her stuck-up friends along the way.

"Whooo, thank god that kid looks more and more like his daddy every day," Tamara said, referring to Henry. Emma frowned, lifted her kid to her hip, and walked a little faster. "Oh, she's mad because we stood her up the other day," they laughed.

Emma stopped and looked at Tamara and her friends. "Do you really think I'm mad at you because of that?" Emma asked. "Do you see this kid? This kid that, because of a joke you pulled, is here. That's my focus. Not you tricking me and trying to humiliate me. You can't humiliate me. You have to mean something to me to do that," Emma stated and kissed her son's cheek. "Thanks for the gift, Tamara. Have a blessed day." Then Emma walked on to catch her bus.

Traffic was heavy, and Henry's daycare was a twenty-minute ride from home. It took almost forty minutes, and Emma was starting to get anxious. She had left extra early for work, but at the rate she was going, she wouldn't get there until the next day.

Emma arrived at work just before Ms. Mills did. Grateful, she hurried into her office to set up the things she had brought with her. She started printing out the comprehensive ledger

Regina walked into the offices flanked by her mother and father. All the other participants of the function were already present, except for Regina's sister, Zelena, and Robin's sister, Kathryn.

"Where are these women?" Cora wondered aloud.

"Your lovely daughter, Zelena," Robin replied, "is actually in the middle of a business meeting, and she's coming directly from that. My sister is on her way from the airport; her plane just landed. She's been enjoying a relaxing month in Rio de Janeiro."

Just then, Regina's personal secretary, Emma, scurried out of the office. She seemed more awkward than Regina had ever seen her. Regina felt a tad embarrassed, but if Emma kept impressing her like she had been, she would get over it.

The rest of the group stared as Emma rushed to the printer room. Some held back snickers, while others barely concealed their disdain. They all looked down on her, and Emma couldn't help but wonder every day why she was even there. Until she looked upon Ms. Mills's face.

"What the hell was she wearing?" Maleficent criticized.

Jefferson chuckled, and Regina pursed her lips. "Well, let's get into the conference room. That's just how she dresses. Leave her be."

"Regina hija," Henry spoke up. "We can't start without your sister and Kathryn."

"No, Daddy, we'll wait for them in the conference room. And if we could start without Zelena, that would be fantastic."

"Regina, please avoid conflicts with your sister," Cora advised.

"Yeah, fine," Regina conceded. "Let's sit."

In the lobby, Emma rushed out to the elevators with the morning dossier and collided with a hard, gorgeous body. Her heart raced the moment she saw Zelena Greene, Ms. Mills's sister.

"Sorry... Sorry," Emma stammered, looking up at the tall, leggy redhead. Zelena peered down her nose at Emma. "I didn't injure you, did I?"

"No, and you're lucky," Zelena replied, then turned to call for the elevator. Emma quickly finished picking up the files and hurried to catch the elevator. "What do you want?"

"I'm going to use the elevator, Ms. Greene," Emma stated.

"How do you know who I am?" Zelena inquired.

"Finance Magazines. You're one of Forbes' Top 30 Under 30, an economic genius. I've followed your trajectory."

Zelena quirked a brow. "You've done your homework."

"I'm a fan," Emma confessed.

"Who are you?" Zelena asked.

"I'm Emma Swan, Secretary to President Mills," Emma answered.

"You're Regina's secretary?" Zelena said, somewhat surprised. She knew her sister's proclivities, and Emma didn't fit the typical profile.

"Ms. Mills has another secretary, Lily Paige," Emma added.

Ah, Lily Paige, Robin's girlfriend. "Regina's so wasteful, starting the trial year off right. This company is going to shit," Zelena sneered as she pushed the close button, leaving Emma staring at the metal doors in the lobby.

"Damn, this job is going to make me old before I even start to live," Emma muttered to herself as she pressed the elevator button again, determined to get upstairs.

In the conference room, everyone had gathered, and Lily had taken charge, ensuring that everyone was catered to. Regina opened the binder in front of her and found blank pages. "Where are my reports?"

"Don't worry, Regina, you'll get your reports," Lily reassured her, glancing over at Robin, who winked.

"Sorry I'm late, though I don't regret arriving late to this funeral," Zelena breezed in with an air of authority.

Regina bristled. "No worries, sis, you didn't miss anything. We would have been just fine without you."

"Well," Zelena purred, "I would have arrived on time if one of your two secretaries had remembered to have security reserve me a parking space."

"Lily, explain to my sister what happened to her parking space," Regina demanded.

Lily, looking abashed, apologized for the oversight and excused herself as the caterers served a light snack.

"Now we wait for Kathryn," Henry stated.

"Oh, please, I don't think we need that flaky bitch for this. We can proceed with this funeral procession," Zelena remarked.

Robin shot Regina's sister a glare, and Regina discreetly gripped his thigh as he sat right next to her.

"Let me make one thing clear, my daughters," Cora spoke up. "We don't need unnecessary aggression between the two of you. I need you to respect the work that we are trying to do here. Respect each other and respect yourselves. This transfer of power is not symbolic. It's about a legacy that Henry and I are leaving to both of you. Do not belittle our hard work."

Emma distractedly answered the phone. "Hi concepts, Emma speaking," she said, her voice preoccupied. It was her mother on the other end. "Hey, Mom, I am super swamped. I have everything ready, but they should be asking for it any moment."

Unbeknownst to Emma, Lily was standing at her office door, eavesdropping on her conversation. She knew that Emma didn't expect to linger in the conference room. "Excuse me, Ugly Betty," Lily stated from her perch.

Startled, Emma turned and blushed a bit. "What?"

"I need the reports. They are waiting for them," Lily stated.

"Still working on them, almost done," Emma answered.

If Emma had been in her right mind, she might have detected the lie in the air as the brunette stepped out of her office. However, she was too focused on her work and her phone call to notice the deception.

In the conference room, Regina was about to go into her office when Robin stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna ask Emma for the reports," Regina answered.

"Don't worry, Lily is fetching them now," Robin said calmly. Had Regina not been so keyed up by her sister's presence, she might have seen through the scheme. However, neither woman was at the top of her game when Lily's diabolical plan went off without a hitch.

While Cora monologued about the legacy, Robin stood and headed to Lily. "Let's go get those reports," he said. They walked into Emma's office together and asked the mousy secretary if the reports were ready. Emma, exceedingly proud of her work, showed Mr. Locksley all of the comprehensive reports and explained what each one showed. While Lily looked on and absorbed her presentation. "Now if you'll excuse me, Ms. Mills is waiting," Emma finished.

"No, you can give those to Lily," Robin said.

"But I need to present my report to the group."

"Lily can handle that, right Lily?" Robin asked his friend.

"Of course, I could have put this together myself. I had six semesters of econ at Wharton," Lily bragged.

"See?" Robin said as Lily left the room. "Now you stay here. We don't want too much in and out at the meeting. We will take care of it. Have a good day." He then turned and strode back to the conference room.

Emma was floored; she hadn't seen that coming, but she should have.

Minutes later, Lily was explaining Emma's work to the committee. Emma's heart plummeted, and since she was no longer needed, she went off to lunch. Lily stayed behind, gloating, as Regina defended Emma's position to her sister.

Emma found herself back at the Mexican Cantina, hoping to drown her sorrows in mid-day tequila. She was sure she was going to lose her job now. Although she knew Lily wouldn't be able to reproduce what she had done, she couldn't help it. She had been conditioned to believe that ugly girls finished last.

"Yo, Ems!" Ruby's voice called out from across the room. The ladies were watching her expectantly, and they invited her to sit with them. She was sure they had been talking about her the day before; she could hear them. But Ruby was there, and she was kind of pretty and super nice, so why not?

She walked over and greeted them. "Good afternoon," she said.

"Hi," they all replied in unison. Emma smiled and took a seat in the corner. It didn't take long for her to feel like she was part of a conversation instead of the cause of it. The ladies loved to gossip, and it was like an addiction they couldn't overcome.

She met Mulan, Mr. Hatter's secretary, who the girls teased was an incurable lesbian. Emma smiled sympathetically, even though the jokes were all in good fun.

Ruby introduced herself again as the receptionist and an incurable party girl. She was always up for a good time.

Then she learned that Ashley worked with Cruella De Vil, the Finance VP, and was a mother to a young girl named Alexandra. She was having issues with her husband, Troy, who was having an affair with a girl from the grocery store.

Then there was Tinker, the janitor, who was a free-spirited, carefree woman and a psychic. She had an adorable Australian accent that made Emma swoon a bit. "I predicted exactly what would happen to Miranda, but she didn't want to listen to me."

"Who is Miranda?" Emma asked.

"That was Regina's old secretary," Tinker said. "She fell deeply in love with that woman and had to turn in her resignation."

"I thought Ms. Mills was straight," Emma stated, pretending not to know, which made the group laugh.

"You're a lousy liar, Emma," Ruby said, and Emma couldn't help but smirk.

"You don't even have to ask me, I'm a widow," Eugenia said, preferring to be called Granny.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Emma said.

"He went out for cigarettes 35 years ago and left me and my daughter alone. Then she up and died in childbirth, and this is what she left me," Granny said, pointing to Ruby. "That's why we all call her Granny."

Emma smiled at Granny.

"What about you, Emma? Who are you?" Ruby asked sincerely.

"Well, I'm a secretary for Regina Mills."

"You can do better than that," Belle, the secretary for Ursula, chimed in. She hadn't shared her story yet, but Emma had talked to her more than any of the other women.

Emma deflected, wanting to know more about Miranda. She didn't want to go too deep into her overbearing parents or her single motherhood. She just wasn't ready to air all of that. She was more interested in whether Regina reciprocated the affection of her secretary and if she was living dangerously by harboring the crush she had on her enigmatic boss.

"The Miranda thing was all one-sided," Mulan stated. "She couldn't take the heartache anymore, so she resigned before Regina figured it out. Could you imagine if Regina had reciprocated?"

"What a lawsuit that would have been," Belle added. "Word of advice, if you lean that way, look away from Regina Mills. Don't fall for her; she's a heartbreaker."

"Oh please, as if she would even look in my direction," Emma said.

"Either way, Emma, Regina is the best boss to have. She isn't closed off or thinks she's better than any of us, and she treats us all with respect," Belle concluded.

Emma smiled, realizing that was precisely why she would have a hard time not falling for this woman.

Yeah, could you imagine if Zelena had been the one to take the reins of the company?"

Tinker made the sign of the cross over herself, and Emma could completely agree. She hated every moment of talking to that envious witch. "What happened there? I mean, Zelena is a financial genius."

"She just wants to take the company and sell it for parts, and Mr. knew Regina will do everything in her power to keep it intact," Ruby explained.

"So Regina had the vote of her father and Jefferson. Because he represents the minority stakeholders in the company. Cora liked the profit the company was going to make had Zelena taken control. So Cora wanted to vote for her. Zelena had also gotten in Kathryn's head," Mulan continued.

"Kathryn?" Emma asked.

"Robin's sister," Ruby said.

"That girl is always flying around the world. She was coming in from Rio today," Ashley added.

"Whoo, and she used to be so ugly," Mulan said.

"Really?" Emma asked.

"Yes, but she's gone under the knife so much they call her the transformer," Belle joked. The group laughed, and Emma started to feel even more at ease. "I don't think she even remembers what she used to look like."

"I don't think she's that pretty," Mulan stated.

"I remember when that girl was ugly," Granny chimed in. "Her aesthetic has definitely improved."

"Well, you know what they say," Mulan said, "There are no ugly women." She paused and looked at Emma, "Only women without money."

"We never finished telling Emma about the vote," Granny got the story back on track.

"Yeah, well," Mulan continued. "Kathryn voted for Zelena because Kathryn always did what Zelena told her, and there was just one vote that could decide. Each party had two."

"So Regina asked Robin to marry her," Tinker added.

"So that he would give her the final vote," Emma finished.

In the conference room, they were talking about the same situation. "I wasn't even going to speak on this, but we all know that if Regina hadn't asked Robin to marry her, this all would have been mine."

"I am not whoring myself out for a position, Zee," Regina retorted.

"Look, Zelena," Robin said, placing a calming hand on his girlfriend. "I am no imbecile. I know that your sister and I agreed two days before the vote that we would get married. But that did not sway my decision," he stated. "I simply voted for Regina because, unlike you, Regina has been working with me in this company side by side. Something you have never taken an interest in. The dedication to your patrimony is unquestionable, and that is why I chose my president."

There was a hush in the room, and Zelena had nothing more to say on the subject.