The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride
Chapter 573 Randall Attends the Meeting for Patrick

Randall sighed, "But he won't stop crying. I can't get him to take the formula."

Patrick glanced at Theodore's tiny face. His heart ached seeing the little guy so upset.

After a moment of silence, Patrick kept trying to feed Theodore with the bottle.

"Go to work," Patrick said, still focused on Theodore.

Theodore cried for a bit longer, then got tired. The pacifier in his mouth seemed to calm him down.

Seeing Theodore finally quiet, Randall felt relieved and left the office.

Once Theodore was full, Patrick held him and walked around the room. When Theodore stared up at him, Patrick chuckled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Patrick continued, "I brought you to the office once, and you cried so much everyone knew. If you take over the company someday, they'll all remember how you cried your first time here. Isn't that embarrassing?" Theodore didn't understand; he just knew he hadn't seen Vera today.

Eventually, Theodore fell asleep. When Patrick tried to put him on the couch, Theodore's little mouth quivered as soon as he was laid down.

Patrick had no choice but to keep holding him.

He tried a few more times, but each time he put Theodore down, the baby looked like he was about to cry.

With Theodore being so fussy, Patrick ended up holding him while working.

Two hours passed, and Patrick realized he hadn't gotten anything done.

He looked down at Theodore in his arms, "Is it this hard for Vera to take care of you at home?"

Theodore, sleeping soundly, nestled his face against Patrick.

During this time, Vera called to check in, "Honey, is Theodore being fussy?"

"No, he's been great," Patrick lied.

Vera asked, "Is he drinking the formula? Don't force him."

"He drank it, and now he's asleep," Patrick said.

Vera asked, "Can you put him on the bed?"

"I'm holding him while he sleeps. Don't worry, just enjoy yourself," Patrick reassured her.

Vera seemed to believe him and hung up quickly.

A few minutes later, Jack came in, walking quietly and speaking softly, "Mr. Olteran, these are the data from the overseas branch. Overall sales have dropped by five percent compared to last quarter. The Rossi Family seems to be making moves."

Patrick took the file, spread it out on the desk, and looked it over, "They keep pushing my limits. Have I been too lenient lately?"

Jack stayed silent. Patrick closed the file, "Contact the overseas branch. We'll have a high-level meeting in an hour."

"Yes, sir," Jack replied.

After answering, Jack glanced at Theodore in Patrick's arms. Even asleep, Theodore clung to Patrick. "Mr. Olteran, what about him during the meeting?"

Patrick looked down at the sleeping Theodore. He had forgotten about him. "You can go now," Patrick said.

Jack nodded and left the office.

Soon, the phone on Randall's desk rang. He picked it up and put it to his ear, "Come to my office."

Hearing Patrick's voice, Randall reluctantly put down the phone and headed to the CEO's office.

Randall arrived, "Do you need my help?"

Patrick handed the file on the desk to Randall, "Look at the data and give me your thoughts."

Randall was at a loss for words. He sighed, sat down, and started flipping through the file without much enthusiasm.

"Business has its ups and downs; I don't see any major issues," Randall said.

Patrick, being a seasoned businessman, knew this already. Holding Theodore, he looked at Randall, "Go find out more about this branch, dig into the data, and then give me your thoughts." Randall took Patrick's laptop and started researching right there in the office.

It didn't take long for Randall to notice something off, "Patrick, the foreign market is doing well. Our sales shouldn't be down. Is there a problem with the marketing strategy?"

Patrick was pleased with Randall's insight, "Keep digging. I'll put Theodore to bed, and then you can join me for the meeting."

Theodore slept for a few hours. But as soon as his little body touched Patrick's bed, his eyes popped open. Within two minutes, he was crying again.

Theodore was looking for Vera. Not seeing her, he opened his mouth and started wailing.

Patrick changed Theodore's diaper and walked around the office with him.

He exposed him to sunlight through the window, took him to the bathroom to hear the running water, and played some music on his phone. Finally, Theodore calmed down. By this time, the high-level meeting was about to start.

Jack looked at Theodore lying in Patrick's arms. "Mr. Olteran, are you taking Theodore to the meeting?"

Patrick knew Theodore's temper. When he decided to cry, he didn't care about anyone and would cry his heart out. The meeting wouldn't go well. "No, he won't go." Randall also looked at Patrick. "Patrick, how about I stay in the office and watch him for you instead of going to the meeting?"

Randall really didn't want to deal with business matters. Even though he could, he wanted to avoid them.

Patrick looked at Theodore in his arms. Theodore was nestled against his chest, and as a father, his heart softened. "Randall, go to the meeting for me. Jack will assist you," Patrick said.

"Patrick!" Randall instantly stood up from his chair, "No way."

Jack also looked at Randall. Since he joined the company, he had been observing Randall under Patrick's instructions.

Randall hadn't made any mistakes in his work, and his mind was sharp. His perspective and thoughts often mirrored Patrick's. However, he was really not interested in this.

He had reported this to Patrick. At the time, Patrick had looked at the surveillance screen showing Randall's desk, pressed his hand to his lips, and responded indifferently. No one knew what he was thinking.

Now, Patrick wanted Randall to take his place in the meeting. Jack didn't know what Patrick was planning.

Patrick patted Theodore in his arms and said to Randall, "You already understand the situation and have your own thoughts. What's wrong with you taking my place in the meeting?" Randall suddenly realized that Patrick had shown him the data and had him research it just for this moment, to have him take Patrick's place in the meeting!

Patrick said, "I had you check the data in advance to be prepared, not to trick you into taking my place in the meeting."

If Theodore hadn't woken up, he would have taken Randall to the meeting. But now, he needed someone to take his place, and that could only be Randall, whom he had nurtured since childhood!