CHAPTER 3:
At Mode, it was business as usual. Or at least it appeared so as Daniel had a scheme up his sleeve. Only he and Marc knew his intentions to push Cal out. The man he had great respect for had proven to be just like his own father. He was a controlling soulless asshole who had to prove what a big man he was by calling the shots where he had no business doing so.
Marc sat opposite Daniel in his office listening intently as he went over he and Willie's plan in detail. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as Daniel assured him of Wilhelmina's return. He was still feeling guilty after he revealed to her that he was going to work for Daniel. She barely said anything to him after that, not that she needed to as her face and her mere congratulations said it all. They hadn't spoken since that afternoon. Daniel finally wrapped up his explanation of the secret operation.
"Marc, I'm gonna need your discretion with this. So, please no talking about it to anyone. Not even Amanda." Said Daniel after telling him the full story
"Daniel, I'm always loyal to whom I serve." Marc assured
"That would be easier to believe if the entire staff didn't know that I had…some problems getting it up in the Bahamas."
"I'm so sorry about that. You know it was the margaritas talking, I…"
"Let it go, Marc. Now can I trust you with this?"
"Of course you…" Just then his mother marched in the office, chiming in.
"No you can't. He's Wilhelmina's minion. Always have, always will be."
"Well, I work for Daniel now and my brain might belong to him but my heart will always be devoted to Willie."
"Do you hear him? He puts that woman before you." Claire said
"Mom, leave him alone. He's just working through a little Stockholm syndrome." Daniel reasoned lightheartedly.
"Daniel, I came to talk about the list of potential candidates for the creative director position. Cal hasn't received it yet." As Claire spoke, Marc slipped out of the office
"Oh, he…hasn't?" Daniel stammered, feigning innocence
"No."
"Well, things have been kind of crazy…it must have gotten lost. I mean, I WAS without a reliable assistant…you know Bahamas everybody going crazy. He'll get it." He stammered
"Well, hurry Daniel because he has a few candidates of his own that he would like to bring on board."
"He what?"
"Well, he's considering a few other ideas that are a little more outside the box." Claire said gaily "Don't worry about it." His expression hardened at his mother's comment
"Don't worry about it? My mom's letting her soulless new boyfriend call the shots. That seems like good, solid business sense to me." The last statement was dripping with sarcasm
"Look, Daniel. It's Cal's money that's keeping this company alive. And if you will recall, our money is gone because of YOUR friend."
"Why don't you throw the fact that he did it because I stole his fiancé, in my face while you're at it?"
"Daniel, you know I have been nothing but supportive of you and Molly ever since you started dating. Now how could you even say that?" His cell phone rang and he stared at the screen, even though it wasn't important, it was the perfect way to get rid of his mother.
"Sorry, Mom I have to take this." She walked out of the office leaving him alone.
She walked in her father's office for their meeting early in the morning. Her father smiled at her as she walked into his office and she returned the gesture with a sneer. To her this was just another business meeting, not a father and daughter reconciliation.
"Willie!" He father said almost enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Dad." She said walking over to the leather chair in front of his large mahogany desk and vacated it.
"Aren't you gonna even give your old man a hug?"
"No, thank you." She replied as politely as she could muster
"Oh?" Said the old man sitting back on his chair, successfully disguising the hurt he felt at his daughter's rejection. "You need my help and you don't even want to embrace me?"
"Dad, that would be manipulation. We both know our relationship has been crappy for more than two decades. And I keenly remember the last time we spoke."
"Fair enough."
"I'm not here to manipulate you, I'm here to ask you for help."
"To get your criminal boyfriend…"
"Ex-boyfriend!" She corrected firmly
"My bad. Criminal EX-BOYFRIEND off a serious crime in exchange for the money he embezzled. Why?"
"Dad, believe me, this isn't just about me. When Connor embezzled from the company, five magazines had to be closed down, putting hundreds of people out of jobs. The people who stayed had to take major pay cuts, myself included. They stayed and kept on working just for job security. They could have walked but we're in an economic meltdown. If Connor gives us this money back we could reopen the magazines and hire back the staff we let go. This is what you preach in your campaigns, doing the 'right' thing."
"I appreciate the air quotes by the way." Said the old man, sarcastically "And I know I was…the worst father anybody could ask for." He admitted and paused for a moment. If he was expecting his daughter to interject and tell him otherwise to make him feel better, he could forget it. "But trust me, I'm trying to be a better person and I'm actually trying to do good."
"Then why won't you try to help me?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't. I just wanted to hear the reasons."
"So, are you satisfied?"
"Yes but I'm still confused. Didn't you leave Meade Publications after Nico lied and…"
"Yeah, I know what she did. And yes I left Meade but when we were at the Bahamas for a shoot, Daniel asked me to stay."
"Why? He and his family have been fighting you to leave for two years."
"It's just that…he recently lost his wife and he sort of needs someone like me in the business right now."
"How are you sure that when he's back on his feet, he won't try to cut you lose again?"
"I'm not. But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt since…"
"Since what?"
"Since we kind of bonded over losing spouses."
"You opened up to him about my son in law? You never talk about…"
"Before you judge me, it was not to get my ass back in the company. I told him because I saw…myself in him. Young, widowed, lost and with demanding career. Friends and family having better things to focus on than you."
"Willie, I know that was a difficult time for you."
"Dad, come on that's not what I'm here for. Can you please help us?"
"Well, Owens can't file a motion to dismiss the case. There's no way in hell that this case could be dismissed."
"Why not?"
"There's too much evidence against him. My investigator found this." He said sliding the file across the desk. He continued "Which means that the prosecution definitely has it as well and they are going to bury him in open court." Wilhelmina paged through the file
"Son of a bitch." She whispered
"What?"
"I'm looking at the dates these bank accounts were opened. That was the time he said he was going to London on business."
"And there's footage of him in these banks. And of course the Meade money transferred to these offshore accounts."
"So our best bet is the trial in which Connor's lawyer could make him come out smelling like a basket of roses for turning himself in and extracting information from that witness who's refusing to give up his boss."
"Yes."
"And there's a strong possibility that I could be named as a witness."
"I'm afraid so. And your business partner Meade and the Suarez woman who came forward and notified you about Owens' indiscretion."
"I see but I'll do my best to get out of testifying if the time comes."
"Willie, why does this man want a trial so fast? The minimum preparation time for a trial is 18 months."
"He wants to get it on and over with."
"He better have damn good lawyer. Damn good."
"He does."
"Good."
"Thanks, dad. Really, thank you." She said sincerely
"I'm glad I could help. I know Cal Hartley and the man can be quite a prick. One question though…how come you didn't come to me in the first place? Why did you go to him?" Willie scoffed
"Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?"
"Watch your mouth, young lady." Reprimanded the old man
"Dad, I asked you for help to start a magazine and you gave me sh-…you gave me a hard time about how I've changed. And now you're asking me why I didn't come to you for help?"
"Well, at the time you were bitter and angry and trying to take control of that magazine. You were trying to destroy and now you're actually trying to build, you're working together with Meade. At that time you were too goddamn ambitious to a point of being obsessed. It was frightening."
"You're unbelievable. You were there one who was pushing me not to depend on any one my whole life. You remember when you came to town and your reaction to my career achievements was that I was still just a Creative Director."
"I was still angry, Wilhelmina. You will understand one day."
"Understand what?"
"When you spend vast sums of money on your child's prep and Ivy League education and then they decide that they want to be a FASHION EDITOR, come find me."
"I'm sorry you don't have a son or any other child who you could be proud of. I know you'll never be proud of me but this is my career. This is it. This is what I do."
"I see that now and you're wrong…I've always been proud of you. It's just…I seriously hoped that your modeling and fashion thing was a hobby or better yet a phase. For what it's worth I'm sorry." Willie's eyebrow quirked in shock
"Are you okay?"
"Meaning?"
"I mean are you dying or something?"
"No. Life is too short."
"Again, are you dying? Do you need a kidney or something…because if so, then our deal is off." The old man responded with chortle
"I'm not dying, Willie. But this isn't how a relationship between a father and a daughter should be like." He said looking her deep into her eyes and Willie was staring at him cynically "And that's my fault."
"Not trying to be negative, Dad but do you think that a relationship that's been broken for such a long time is capable of being fixed?"
"I don't know. But we can try."
"How?"
"How about something simple… like dinner. Just to talk."
"Okay." She replied doubtfully
For the past few days, Daniel had been at loggerheads with Hartley since he brought in Denise Ludwig, a woman who didn't know shit about fashion. After work he went over to Wilhelmina's who had called him earlier to tell him she was back from DC and they should meet up to discuss the deal . He stood nervously outside her door unable to contain the excitement he was feeling. She invited him in as soon as her door swung open.
"Hi" He greeted
"Hello, Daniel. Come on in. Uh…what's with the ascot?" She asked leading him to the living area
"You…you don't like it?"
"I didn't say that. It kind of looks good."
"Thanks. That's what Marc said." His eyes scanned the living room and there was some type of salad and a large glass of wine on the coffee table with the TV flickering in the dimly lit room. He realized that he just interrupted her dinner time.
"Are you having dinner?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"No, it's alright. Want some?"
"No, no. I'm fine."
"You want anything to drink?"
"Sure I'll have the…chardonnay?" He said gesturing to the wine glass on the coffee table
"Actually it's gewürztraminer. Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Daniel walked over to the living area and settled on the chair adjacent to the sofa. His gaze fell on the Thai beef salad and it smelled as delicious as it looked and his appetite suddenly returned. It wasn't long before Wilhelmina returned with a glass and a bottle containing the rest of the gewürztraminer and caught Daniel sampling her dinner with the fork.
"I'm sorry" He apologized with his mouthful "It looked too damn delicious."
"Are you out of your mind?"
"You said I should make myself at home." He argued "I'm really sorry. I haven't had dinner. I was going to order in as soon as I got home but…"
"I asked you if you wanted some and you refused and now you're eating mine!" She reprimanded, her tone virtually childlike
"You were serious? I thought you were just trying to be, you know…nice." She didn't reply instead she set the items down and turned on her heel and disappeared to the kitchen, returning with a salad bowl.
"You can finish that one. I'll eat this."
"Thanks." He said filling his glass
"So, I managed to persuade my dad into helping us with the Connor situation. He's still working on a better deal for him to get out early."
"That's okay. How long is it gonna take though?"
"Not long." She handed him a file "Here, take a look." Daniel reached out took the file from her.
"Shit. He lied and said he was going away on business, all this time he was plotting this mess." He said as he paged through the document.
"Exactly."
"How the hell is Connor going to spin this?"
"He has a fucking good lawyer. Financial crime is his strong suit and has defended more embezzlers, so I think Connor will be fine."
"So what if he doesn't win?"
"That's not our problem. We did our part. We got him a lenient judge, a faster trial and now we are working on him being put in the cell with a federal witness that he can extract useful information from. As soon as I do that, that money is ours."
"Good. And Hartley will be gone. Bastard." Wilhelmina cocked a brow
"Oh? You no longer admire him?"
"I never did, I was just sucking up to him. He's an asshole who made me wear a bunny suit at his charity even just to prove what a big man he really is. I did it because I needed to save my father's legacy. But I'm not gonna lie, he is an ass."
"I'm glad you finally see it."
"I've always seen it. But you know Molly was sick at the time and I was focusing on her and let you deal with him. By the way I thought it was screwed up that he promoted my mom to vice president out of nowhere."
"Really?"
"I mean, she was a housewife for 38 years. She was running Hotflash for few months and she was being made vice president of a publishing empire."
"That shouldn't have been shocking to you, really. You had no experience in writing and publishing and yet your father gave you a job as Editor-in-Chief of a major publication." She said without a care in the world, not realizing how her words stung. But the truth hurts.
"Yeah, you're right. So when you return to Mode, are you gonna want Marc back?"
"No, I don't want him back." She answered quickly
"Wilhelmina, I understand that you probably feel betrayed. I felt the same way when Betty went to work for you."
"Daniel, it isn't that. Marc looked me in the eye and said that you were the only person who would actually try and make his dreams of becoming and editor come true. And if that's how he feels, I can't stand in the way of that. And the way he said it, he thinks that I want him to be my whipping boy forever and the truth is I want nothing but greatness for him."
"Wow. Does he know that?"
"No. You know, before our company got into financial trouble, I was going to promote him. But we got screwed and the editor that was going to leave stayed because we shut down the magazine she was planning on moving to. So, I couldn't do anything about it."
"I'm sorry, Willie."
"Well," She said sighing "I guess I have to find a new assistant. I don't know how the hell I'm going to replace him. He was…like a son to me." She admitted with a trace of emotion.
"Have you ever told him that?"
"I'm not one to share feelings." Daniel laughed softly "Changing the subject…Now I hear that you hired some lady as Creative Director."
"I didn't hire her, Cal did."
"Denise Ludwig, I've never heard of her before two days ago."
"Apparently she was head of development for White Line Pictures."
"What the fuck?"
"Exactly. Hartley thinks her presence at Mode with bring a, and I quote 'touch of tinsel town magic' "
"And I bet when you talked to him, he made a speech about how his money is keeping Meade alive and how you should take his shit."
"Actually his exact words were 'My money, my choice'"
"Asshole"
"And then along those lines, he threw the fact that he and my mother are sleeping together, in my face."
"That is just gross."
"Tell me about it."
"I mean why would somebody brag about the fact that they are sleeping with Claire? That is the gross part." Daniel laughed as he refilled his glass
"More?" He offered as he noticed that her glass was almost empty
"Yes, please."
"So, wasn't it hard sweet talking your pops into helping us?" Daniel asked, interested on how she managed to pull it off so quickly
"Strangely, it wasn't. He agreed to help us on our first meeting."
"So why did you stay longer?"
"He wanted to…have dinner and talk. He wants to repair our relationship."
"That's good."
"Yeah, it is."
"So what's the plan when you're back?"
"First, we open up the magazines we closed down. We give everybody a raise. Don't worry we can afford it. This a lot of money."
"I know and those would be well deserved increments."
"Despite the economy, we'll still be profitable. But we should probably sit down and allocate the necessary capital and not do anything rash. And Daniel, we have to up our game."
"I know. We can't let Elle beat us in sales again."
"No, I meant as CEOs of Meade. Daniel, we can't rely on accountants to run our business. We were fucked over bad last time. We can't let anything like that happen again."
"Yeah. We should share responsibilities of the company."
"Mode is no longer our only priority. The entire company is in our hands now, the senior executive team should be lead by us, not the other way round. And the strategic direction of the company should rely upon us. We should stop trying to fight for control and find a way to work together."
"I'd like that."
"Good. That's it for now. Now if you'll excuse me." She said picking up the remote control
"Hey, can I just finish watching the show before I leave? I absolutely love it."
"If you're not sick of being in the Devil's chamber, be my guest." She said before turning up the volume, her attention returning back to the TV.
