Chapter 163 The Meeting
Emily was in a playful mood the next morning. She didn’t want to get out of bed, even though she had an important meeting.
The date night had ended in a rather passionate episode. Mandy was already asleep by the time they got back home, and they made the most of their time. It was not exactly rare for them to have alone time, but maybe it didn’t happen as often as before.
“You’re very giggly,” Byron noted. “I thought you’d be tired after last night.”
He was a bit sleepy but didn’t mind indulging her desires when she kissed his face and body all over.
“Thanks for helping me feel relaxed when I should be nervous,” Emily said as she got up to get dressed. “Simone Cather is coming in for a meeting today. I’ve never worked with her before, but I hear she can be difficult. I’m going to bring Mandy with me to win her over with cuteness.”
Simone had just taken over leadership of Charmers, the biggest fashion retail store in the country. Emily had a good relationship with the previous CEO, and she hoped they would continue to carry her brands.
Emily greeted Simone at the front desk, preparing to give her a tour of the new building of which she was so proud. Mandy stood by her side wearing the cutest yellow sun dress, one of their latest designs for a children’s line.
“I didn’t know it was Bring Your Daughter to Work Day,” Simone observed dryly. She was a tall woman with a strong jaw and a commanding presence.
Clearly, the kid’s cuteness was not winning her over.
“A large percentage of our workers are women,” Emily said, “and we encourage them to bring their children. As you probably know, it’s not always easy to find good child care.”
“You have a turtle in here?” Simone made a disgusted face as she caught sight of Turtle Corner.
“The turtle doesn’t ‘slow’ our productivity,” Emily tried to add a bit of humor to the atmosphere, but Simone was having none of it. “As I told you on the phone, we allow pets. I always check with visitors like yourself whether they’re allergic to animals so that everyone can be safe.”
Michelle added, “We try to make the office an enjoyable place for everyone. We’re not in the 20th century anymore.”
“Are you saying I’m old?” Simone asked bluntly.
“No…” Michelle stammered.
Emily was taken aback and almost couldn’t find the words. “It wasn’t a personal comment about you. It’s more about what our company decided was going to make us happy.”
“Working in the fashion world is not a spa experience. It’s not your ‘happy place’. It’s a freaking jungle where everyone fights to survive.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Emily said. Although she believed in meeting the client halfway when it came to the products, nobody was going to tell her how to run her company. She was not afraid to express her opinion on this. However, she had a bad feeling about how this meeting was going to go.
She led Simone into the design studio and showed her some of their latest creations. Simone didn’t react either positively or negatively, but her restrained manner seemed telling.
Finally, Emily and Michelle took Simone into a small meeting room to discuss their future transactions. Emily had a coloring book for Mandy to work on, and the child was perfectly quiet as she labored over its pages.
“What can I say?” Simone began, “My predecessor, Ronette, carried many of your products, but I am taking the stores in a different direction. Your recent lines, the ones you’ve shown me, are not really what I’m looking for.”
Emily was willing to fight for the right to stay with Charmers. “Is there anything you would prefer to see?” she asked. “I’m willing to work with you.”
Simone’s phone suddenly rang, and she apologized as she took the call. “What the f*ck! I told you not to call me. I’m in a meeting,” Simone looked even more disgusted than she had been when she saw the turtle.
Mandy giggled because she knew the ‘f word’ was bad, and she always considered it funny when adults were ‘being bad’.
Emily was furious, while Simone put a hand up to her mouth when she realized she had just uttered a swear word in front of a child.
“That girl shouldn’t be here!” she said, taking an accusatory stance instead of apologizing.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be here,” Emily said in a level but firm voice.
She had been willing to be diplomatic, but Simone had crossed a line. Besides, she seemed disdainful of the company and their culture from the start. Even though Charmers was a big seller, the biggest in their domestic market, Emily had no desire to deal with them.
“I’m going to go now,” Simone said, trying to muster up some dignity. Just then she uttered a tiny scream. “But I can’t! There’s a beast out there!”
A big fluffy white Spitz dog was visible through the glass wall just outside the meeting room. It trotted down the hallway and leaned its forepaws on the door, looking like the friendliest creature in the world.
“I’ll get it,” Michelle said, but Paul, one of the designers, was already grabbing his dog’s collar and leading it aside to let everyone exit the room.
“Can I see the dog?” Mandy asked.
“Yes, ask Paul’s permission first if you can pet it,” Emily advised.
Simone walked out of the room holding her chin at a haughty angle and wincing as she passed the ‘beast’.
