Chocolate Muffins

11 - eggs and flour

𝓔𝔃𝓻𝓪
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"We can aid in your venture to buy out that hotel business, Ezra. Their company basis will give us a good foundation to start off in order to renovate and expand."

I nodded at Leonardo's words, looking around at the other board members' reactions to his statement. They all seemed pretty happy about the new idea to expand our business into the hotel and tourism sector. So far, we've been focusing on engineering and architecture, which will give us good knowledge going into this new venture.

With a final thanks to everyone for attending, I dismissed the meeting and headed back towards my office.

"How's Olivette?"

"Do you ever work in your own office?" I sighed and turned towards Francis.

"Nope." He mumbled, popping a strawberry into his mouth, where he got it from I have no idea. "Anyway, how's Archie? And your wife? Is she your wife yet?"

"Archie and Olive are both fine. No, she isn't my wife yet, I can't find a ring." I confessed. I haven't told anyone about my plans to propose, but I guess my best friend deserves to know.

"Oop. Well, for some reason she seems to love you, so I'm sure she'll love whatever you get." He mumbled, examining another strawberry between his thumb and index finger. "This one looks dodgy."

"You're dodgy."

"God, your son has better insults, Ezra."

He's right in that sense to be honest.

"How's Emme? She left you yet?" I quipped, flipping through the documents that my assistant had brought me about purchasing that new business.

"No, the opposite actually." Francis' tone became more serious towards the end, which made me look up.

"Everything alright?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we-" He paused, scratching the back of his neck as he made eye contact. "We're having a baby." He smiled, a breath of relief escaping his mouth.

I smiled widely at this news. "That's great, man, congratulations."

"yeah, she's 16 weeks today." He smiled at me, taking a seat in front of my desk. "It's so exciting, we told the grandparents last weekend, it feels good to tell someone else."

"I bet, you'll have to come round to celebrate, the non-alcoholic drinks are on us. Do you mind if I tell Olivette?"

"Go ahead, that sounds great, you can tell Archie too if you want."

"Nah, I'll let you tell that excitable loon yourself." I joked. "God, you're in for such a reality check now you're a dad." I laughed. All those months when Francis mocked me for 'overreacting' about Archie, but now I'm just going to give it all right back once he has his little one.

"I know right, I love Emme, but the things she's eating are just plain wrong." He shook his head. As if she knew we were talking about her, his phone rang, her name illuminated on the screen.

A combination of 'yes' and 'of course not' were mumbled by Francis before he whispered an 'I love you' down the phone and then hung up.

While he was talking, my own phone buzzed, with a message from Olivette. I clicked on the photo she'd sent me and I was just about ready to sell my empire to spend every day with them.

Since Archie had those troubles at school, Olivette decided she wanted to stay at home most of time. She promoted one of her friends, Theia, as the manager of her cafe. I was worried she didn't want to become a stay at home mum, but she insisted that it was what she wanted. She assured me that she had been thinking of stepping back slightly from the shop anyway. She goes in every Monday and Wednesday, to check stock and finances, but she isn't invloved in all of the baking like she was before.