By Grace[BWWM]

Twenty

It was the day that she had been waiting for since deciding to step away from her company.

Two months came and went, and now it was time to promote Riley. She exceeded Vanessa's expectations during training, so she knew that was Riley was the best choice.

"You've been the manager of Grace by Grace for two years and as you know, today you will be the CEO." Vanessa slid the title transfer to Riley and watched her sign it.

Riley finished signing the contract and handed it back to Vanessa. "I can't thank you enough, Mrs. Portalo. I never dreamed of being the CEO of anything, and now you've made the impossible happen." She said gratefully.

Vanessa looked over the contract and signed her signature at the bottom of the page. She opened her drawer and pulled out her official stamp.

"You have shown me how dedicated you are and I'm more than happy to hand my company over to you." She stamped the paper and put it in her file drawer. "It's official. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me. Just because you're CEO doesn't mean that you'll never need any help." Vanessa stood up from her chair and hugged Riley.

She cringed as a sharp pain hit her spine. "I'll leave you to your new office. Have a great day," Vanessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Thank you again, Mrs. Portalo!"

She tried smiling at Riley, but the pain in her back was making it hard to do.

Instead, she waved goodbye and slowly walked out of her old office.

She got in her car and drove to A Cuppa. She wanted to see her little sister and enjoy a treat, a goodbye treat.

An alert came to her phone as she was driving, but she ignored it. Distractions never lead to anything good.

"Ooh! Thank God," She murmured happily at the sight of a free parking space.

Once she parked, she looked at her phone and saw that her appointment time changed. She looked at the time and groaned.

Another sharp pain hit her back as she walked into A Cuppa.

"Ahhh," She was now glad that her appointment time changed. The Doctor could help with her pains.

"Vanessa!" Eva shouted and ran from behind the counter. "How did it go today? Was it a smooth transition?"

Vanessa nodded and huffed. "Hi, Eva. Everything was great," She hugged her sister.

Eva pulled away and led her to the counter. "What are you getting?"

"A triple chocolate brownie and a water." She was in the mood for something chocolatey and water would help wash it down.

"Kk! I'll have that out in two minutes," Eva said and walked to the sweets container.

Vanessa didn't have it in her to oppose the free brownie. She was just ready to eat and go to her appointment.

She closed her eyes and thought of Reid. Reid and brownies. Two of her favorite things.

"Here you go, Nessa!" Eva's voice scared her out of her thoughts.

She tried smiling, but again, it was a grimace. "Thanks, Eva. I would love to chat, but I need to get to my appointment," She hugged Eva and walked to her car.

-

Dr. Santos walked into the room with a clipboard and a smile. "Hi, Mrs. Portalo. Nurse Bickham told me that you've been experiencing back pains and fatigue. Could you tell me when this started happening?" She asked and sat in a chair.