CHAPTER 26:
A weekend getaway to Daniel's house in Amagansett seemed to have done the couple some good as it allowed them to talk through their issues and strengthen their relationship. And slowly the anger seemed to subside and things began to look up and their relationship was returning to what it was. On Monday morning the couple sat beside one another on Daniel's chaise, working and reminiscing about their weekend getaway, flirting and smooching in between. However, their harmonious moment came to an end when Claire knocked and walked in with Mort; one of the company's accountants in tow. Wilhelmina just rolled her eyes.
"Mom, come in." Daniel offered.
"We need to talk." Claire announced.
"Honey, I'm gonna go." Wilhelmina said to Daniel, rising to her feet.
"You should stay, Wilhelmina, because this concerns you as well." Said Claire. Wilhelmina just folded her arms and waited for the older woman to get on it. Claire signaled to the accountant, giving him his cue.
"The magazine industry is getting hit hard. I know I'm just an accountant but budgets are a lot like fashion. You'd rather not see red." The man explained in attempted humor. Willie gave a small sarcastic laugh.
"Very funny. Perhaps we can wrap this up. I have a meeting with Tom Ford." Willie said dismissively.
"Yeah, this was great, Mort." Daniel said standing up, his attention now on his blackberry.
"You two, stop. I may not be the owner of this company, but my last name is on this building, and I am telling you to wake up." Claire scolded.
"Mom, we've got it covered." Replied Daniel.
"I don't think you do. Now Alexis may have had the occasional murderous impulse…" Claire realized what she just said upon watching Wilhelmina's expression hardening, accompanied by her renowned dangerous glare.
"Seriously?" Wilhelmina spat venomously.
"Mom!" Daniel warned.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm really sorry that was the wrong thing to say in this room. I really…"
"JUST…say whatever you want to say, Claire and stop apologizing." Willie said with her defiant stare fixed on the older woman.
"I meant that Alexis had a keen mind for numbers, which you two do not. You need to bring in someone to run this business." Wilhelmina scoffed at Claire's suggestion.
"Dear Claire. Setting us straight like a poor man's Sally Field. Neither I nor Daniel cobbled our power together with the intention of giving it away."
"I'm not talking about giving anything away. I'm talking about a CFO, a managing director, someone who reports directly to you." Claire noticed that the two were still skeptic and it was getting on her nerves "Mort, enlighten my friends. Please give them an honest assessment of our finances."
"If we keep going the way we're going, before you know it, you two will go from being the owners of Meade to the owners of nothing." Explained Mort. Willie gestured for him to pass the documents over and the accountant complied. Willie and Daniel stared at the figures in consternation. This was a little serious than they thought, for once Claire had been right.
"Okay, Claire, you made your point and I see what you're talking about, thank you and you too, Mort. Now, Daniel and I need to talk." Willie stated and Claire and the accountant left shortly after.
"This isn't good." Spoke Daniel after his mom and the accountant vacated his office.
"No, it isn't. What do you think? Do you think we should follow your mother's advice and hire a CFO?"
"I think we should, babe." Daniel said running his hand through his hair.
"Daniel, honey, this isn't our fault. The economy is crappy right now and this company was in trouble even when Alexis was in charge. I admit that we spent the past few weeks focused on Mode." She explained.
"You're right. We had forgotten that we run the entire company now. But with everything that's transpired, who can blame us?"
"I guess we should start looking for a CFO." She suggested.
"Yeah, I'll talk to human resources." He agreed.
A few days later, Willie impatiently waited for her town car to take her to a meeting across town. As the minutes passed by, she got really pissed and took out her blackberry and pressed speed dial number 1.
"Marc, the car is not here. Make it get here….Well, do something. Now!" She huffed and hung up.
"Aren't you Wilhelmina Slater?" A gruff voice called out behind her. She rolled her eyes and whirled to the source of the voice and there stood a tall, handsome gentleman.
"Dear Lord." she exclaimed monotonously.
"I'm sorry to bug you. I know you must hate this, but I am such an admirer."
"Well you're probably either gay or a gossip."
"Neither, I'm afraid. Connor Owens." The gentleman proffered his hand.
"Connor Owens. From Crittenden?"
"Formerly. I just too my stock options and ran."
"You did a nice job over there."
"A good book always sells itself. The trick is marketing the brand."
"Well that's not happening for our company." She admitted.
"Really? That's criminal. Any publisher in town would love to have your titles." Before the conversation could go any further, her town car pulled up in front of her.
"Nice meeting you, Connor." She said before swaying towards the car. She stopped shortly before climbing in the back seat "Connor. Would you have any interest in coming to Meade?" She asked and his face suddenly resembled that of irritation but Willie quickly brushed it off.
"Oh? Does…uh…Daniel know you're trying to recruit me?"
"Actually, no. I was just making a suggestion but I'll definitely run it buy him."
"Oh. You know, he and I go way back."
"Really? Then I won't have trouble convincing him that you are the best. So, you'll think about it?"
"Oh…Uh…I'll think about it. You take care, Miss Slater. It was great to meet you."
After a long day of work, dining at a fancy restaurant for the evening wasn't in the cards for the couple. The press was still obsessed with them that they had no interest in being watched by the paparazzi while doing something as simple as eating dinner. So they opted to enjoy their evening in doors at Daniel's place, having dinner while watching a movie.
"I can't believe there's a French version of this film." Daniel said slightly astounded.
"Correction, baby, there's a BETTER French version of this film."
"Yeah, you're right. Too bad, DJ took the copy with him."
"We can always get another one, Danny bear. How is he anyway?" She asked.
"He's good actually. He loves being back in Paris, although he says he misses us terribly."
"Maybe we could visit him in maybe say 2 months or so?" She suggested.
"That'll be great, Willie. He'll love that." He agreed with a hint of enthusiasm.
"How is he adjusting? You know, to the fact that his dad is a woman?" She questioned.
"We haven't spoken about that yet. But I'm sure it's confusing."
"And Alexis?"
"I really don't know. We haven't spoken since…I'm just not ready." He admitted.
"I understand, Hon. Danny, I've been thinking."
"About?"
"What your mother said…about hiring a CFO."
"Oh, yeah, do you have any candidates in mind?" He asked.
"I bumped into Connor Owens today and I asked him if he's interested in coming over to the company." Daniel halted chewing his food as his heart hammered in his chest.
"Who?" He asked trying to mask the shock in his voice.
"Connor Owens, from Crittenden. He claimed that you two know each other."
"Yeah, I…I know him. From Harvard…we went there…we went to school together." He stammered.
"You went to school with him?" Willie questioned in astonishment.
"Well, he was a few years ahead of me. You caught me by surprise…I…I didn't know he was in town."
"Well, he is. Apparently he left Crittenden after taking his stock options. He has a terrific reputation and I thought instead of going through countless candidates, we could snatch someone like him." She proposed.
"That's a… great idea. Really good." He managed to stammer.
"You actually think so? I told him if he's interested, he should set up an interview with us. But it was just a suggestion as I planned on speaking to you first. We can decide after his interview if he's good for the job or not." Explained Willie at seeing the uneasiness on his face.
"That's…that's good." He replied. Wilhelmina now became certain that he wasn't completely on board with her idea but opted not to probe.
"Well, I obviously know him by reputation only but you know him personally. So tell me all about him."
"Well, we went to Harvard together, I was a sophomore and he was in grad school and we became friends. He went on to get a masters degree in financial management…." He told her all about Connor, alright, however he left out an incredibly crucial detail.
A few days following Willie's encounter with Connor, the couple had met with him for an interview and according to Wilhelmina, he was exactly what they needed. He had the skills, experience and work ethic in his possession. However, Wilhelmina could tell that Daniel wasn't completely comfortable during the interview and then there was Connor's quip about not being born rich as a dig on Daniel or both of them. During the interview, Wilhelmina realized that maybe Connor misrepresented some facts about his friendship with Daniel. Maybe they were in the same fraternity and ran in the same circles or maybe they had a fall out but they were definitely not friends, not anymore. And she sort of decided to let the idea of Connor Owens working for Meade Publications go. She didn't want to force Daniel into working for somebody he obviously didn't trust.
Sitting beside each other in the car on the way to the Tico Berry photo shoot, the couple chatted casually about work.
"Now I believe that the 'Sizzling Hot' March issue is actually going to be sizzling hot." Said Willie.
"Tell me about it." Daniel agreed.
"And I have to admit that the ideas for the editorial are not half bad. Sizzling Hot Resort, Sizzling Hot Club, Sizzling Hot shoes, you name it. And not to mention the exposure we've been getting since that train wreck girl got a makeover and is now partying around the city. And I've got to admit Betty's last minute concept of the Sizzling hot Fruit was a great addition."
"Really?" He asked, clearly amused.
"She really is creative when thinking on her feet."
"You should tell her that." Daniel suggested causing Willie to scoff.
"Never."
"Why not?"
"I never give a pat on the back, especially to people I work with. Because as soon as you complement them, they get too comfortable and they fuck up."
"Fine, I'll tell her." Daniel said.
"I'll deny it if ever questioned…Since you haven't said anything, I assume it's a no-go on hiring Connor Owens?" Willie enquired.
"I didn't say that." He protested.
"You didn't have to, Danny. I saw and felt the tension between the two of you in your office during the meeting."
"That was just Connor being Connor."
"I don't need to know all your shenanigans from your past, Danny. Obviously something happened in Harvard. What, he got all the ladies and you got jealous?" Willie quipped, nudging him.
"No. Why did you jump to that assumption? Couldn't it be maybe something to do with our academics?" Daniel snapped.
"Well, first of all you were years apart at Harvard there's no way you had the same classes. And second, it was a joke, Danny. Calm the hell down."
"I'm sorry, babe." He apologized.
"So, it's nothing personal between the two of you?"
"No. I didn't think he was the right fit."
"Fine. I'll give him a call, tell him we didn't think he was the right fit." Said Willie as she scrolled on her phone for Connor's number. Daniel knew he had to put his personal feelings aside for a while and gestured for her to hand over her cell phone to him.
"I'll talk…Hi, Daniel Meade for Connor Owens….Connor? Daniel Meade and Wilhelmina Slater here. So, how'd you like to run the business side of Meade?...Hmm…You'll have the offer in writing tomorrow morning. Yep."
"You're right. We need him." He admitted.
"Well, thank you, honey, for putting your ego aside and respecting me on this."
Finally after two weeks of drafting and finalizing contracts, the Editors-in-Chief welcomed Connor as CFO of Meade Publications and he hit it off with the staff. Even though their encounters with him weren't frequent, there was no doubt he was a hit with the ladies as they were hanging around him every time he made a visit to the Mode floor. In the one week at Meade Publications, he had already come up with sound money saving strategy proposals.
The trio was gathered in the conference room for a meeting concerning photo shoot budgets. For almost an hour, they had been going back and forth about which locations were cost efficient and which ones weren't and the meeting seemed to be getting on Wilhelmina's nerves because she wasn't getting her way.
"I'll have to agree with Daniel." Said Connor, earning himself an eye roll from Willie.
"Again?" Willie questioned throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.
"Well, shooting in the Caribbean is just more cost-efficient. And as Daniel's already pointed out…" Connor elucidated.
"Yes, yes, yes. Daniel has had so many great ideas today." She cut Connor off in the middle of his explanation.
"Guess I'm just lucky." Daniel said jokingly accompanied by a smirk, earning himself a cool look from her.
"Wilhelmina, I'm just giving you my honest opinion. There simply aren't funds for your proposal." Connor clarified.
"Well, then find the funds!" Snapped Willie.
"Okay, I'm going to be blunt. This company owns too many magazines. Now if you want to funnel more money into Mode, I suggest you have a look at selling off some of your titles."
"Finally, an idea, I can agree with." She said.
"Now, I have a very strong relationship with Condé Nast. I think there may be interest in a sale." Said Connor.
"No." Daniel said quickly "We are not selling off a single magazine. They're part of my father's legacy."
"It's ridiculous. Connor, come on!" Willie spat.
"It may be too drastic. I'll explore other options." Before Willie could fire back, Connor's phone rang and he excused himself. Willie began to gather her files without saying another word causing Daniel to stop her by grabbing her wrist but she snatched it from his grasp.
"Willie…" Daniel pleaded.
"Daniel, I have another meeting to prepare for. My ideas are obviously not welcome in this conference room, so I better leave."
"Willie, c'mon this is my father's legacy. Please, try and understand…"
"Let go of me, Daniel! Before I say something that'll hurt your feelings." She hissed and stormed off.
A long shower is exactly what she needed after a long and strenuous day. It was a perfectly good distraction needed to rid the guilt she was feeling over her fight with Daniel. As soon as she stepped out of the shower, her blackberry chimed and she picked up the device, her mouth twitching into a smile upon seeing that it was Daniel.
"Daniel." She answered nonchalantly.
"Willie, I'm sorry if I woke you, babe…did I wake you?"
"Not really, but I was mentally worn by a couple of advertising contracts I was going through. What's going on?"
"I called you several times."
"I had meetings back to back, you know that."
"I know but, I can't sleep knowing that you're angry at me."
"I'm not angry at you, Daniel. I was earlier but I'm not now." She admitted.
"For real?"
"Yes and I'm sorry for the way I reacted."
"Look, I'm sorry too. I was…I'm sorry if it seemed that Connor and I were sort of ganging up on you. But Willie, babe, you gotta understand that my father's legacy…"
"Daniel, I understand, Honey. That is why I spent the last few hours drawing up cost-reducing strategies to keep our magazines afloat without taking major budget cuts."
"You have?"
"Yeah, and I'll run them by you one on one tomorrow morning."
"Great, so are we good?"
"Yes, Danny bear, we are." She replied in a dulcet tone and he could hear that she was smiling.
"Then I'm glad. I love you, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know and I love you, too."
"So, what are you doing?" He asked.
"I just got out of the shower." She answered with a sultry tone.
"Mmmh, what are you wearing, baby?"
"I think I just told you…I just got out of the shower." She replied seductively.
"No clothes on, huh? God, I'm getting hard as I'm imagining your wet, glistening caramel skin. God, just thinking about you makes me…" He sighed heavily "…uh…can I come over?"
"You are such a hornball." Willie replied chuckling.
"Well, it runs in the family."
"Are we joking about that now?" She challenged.
"Oh, no, no I'm sorry." Daniel said apologetically but suddenly relaxed when he heard the sound of her laughter that he loved so much.
"That was fun." She teased.
"You got me. So…can I come over?"
"Yeah, you get your horny ass over here."
"Damn it!" Cursed Claire as she knocked over a glass of water, spilling the contents all over the floor. Daniel who was standing at a distance noticed and rushed over.
"You okay?" He asked.
"No, I'm wet. Why did you replace our nice bottled water with glasses we now have to fill ourselves? Why don't you just hang a hamster bottle in the corner and we can all take turns sipping off it?"
"Mom, relax, okay? It's probably one of Connor's cost-cutting ideas."
"Oh, like that memo telling us we now have to sign out a key to the supply room? Is that Connor's idea as well?"
"I told him he didn't have to run everything by me." He replied.
"You be careful, Daniel. This is a pattern with you. Whenever you admire someone, you tend to give your power away. Just like you did with your brother."
"That's not true. And that's beside the point. I hired Connor because he's the best." He countered.
"Are you sure about that? Or you hired him because your whor-…your girlfriend pushed you to because she's a manipulative bitch who always gets her way?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No, it's because he's great at his job and I can trust him. And mom, please stop talking about Wilhelmina that way." Claire rolled her eyes.
"Then I suppose you're not worried that he and your girlfriend are meeting together tonight. Privately."
"It's probably business. Unlike you, I trust Wilhelmina." He said defensively.
"Well, Daniel I don't trust her because I'm not sleeping with her. You see, I make it a point to know everything Wilhelmina Slater is up to. And if they are meeting alone, I don't like it." She retorted.
"What, you think Wilhelmina's gonna cheat on me? There are a million reasons why they could be meeting. Don't worry."
"I didn't say anything about cheating. I don't give a damn about that, although I wouldn't put that past her. What I care about is this company and my husband's legacy. That woman has been fighting for control of this magazine and this company for…"
"Okay, mom. I'm going now." He said rolling his eyes before walking off.
Lying back on her chaise, Willie went through the Tico Berry proofs with a loupe. Suddenly, Daniel's distinct knock came on her door and he walked to stand in front of her, towering over her.
"Willie."
"Daniel" She replied.
"Uh…I heard you had a meeting with Connor yesterday." Daniel continued, not really sure how to approach her cool demeanor.
"I did."
"What was it about?"
"If you think that meeting was a response to you making decisions with him behind my back, you can relax, I'm not that petty. I had a private meeting with Connor because I didn't want to fight with you when you'd attempt to talk me out of it." She said.
"What?" Eventually, she put the proofs aside and looked at him.
"My meeting with Connor was about how WE hired him and that HE shouldn't be making major decisions about OUR company without consulting with us…but that was before he told me that he got that permission from you, making me look like a goddamn fool because he assumed that as partners and as a couple we had discussed it."
"I'm sorry. I just…I just wanted Connor to be comfortable." He said as he nervously shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Why? We are not paying him to be comfortable; we're paying him to do his job, which involves reporting to us."
"Exactly, Connor is completely capable, he has years of experience. He doesn't need us dictating…" He stopped when she sat up from her position with her eyes narrowing, eyeing him suspiciously "Wh-…what?"
"What the hell is going on?" She questioned, her brows furrowed in anger.
"Huh?" He asked, stepping back in fear.
"Daniel, what's going on between you and Connor Owens?"
"What? What are you talking…" He asked guiltily.
"I noticed a vibe between you two…a vibe I do not like. And I vividly remember during his interview with his mini biography about how nobody ever gave him anything and he didn't grow up rich, unlike some people. Now I'm a hundred percent sure he was referring that statement to you."
"Willie…"
"Don't try to lie to me. I know how to read, people, Daniel. Whenever Connor is around, you become uneasy. When I mentioned him to you about hiring him you almost choked on your dinner. Not to mention the face he made when I asked him if he was interested in working for us; it was like I dared him to lick the interior of the subway. What's going on, Daniel?" She questioned, losing her patience.
"I think you better sit down."
"I AM sitting down." She stated firmly.
"Okay, er…years ago, Connor started seeing this girl, her name was Molly. They got engaged and were together for a little more than four years and…in 2004 when I was in LA and I…I slept with her." He confessed.
"You screwed his fiancé?" She asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"Yes. I was and still am ashamed of that. I can never…I wish I could undo it."
"Why…"
"Willie, I know there's no excuse and I'm not trying to justify my actions but I was in LA and I found out that Alex had died in a skiing accident. I was so devastated, lost and confused that I went to the bar and that's when I ran into Molly. She told me that she and Connor had broken up because he was too jealous and I told her about my brother's death and…we comforted each other…we spent the night together. The next morning we agreed that we made a mistake and she told me that Connor called her to apologize and wanted to reconcile and we agreed not to tell him anything."
"I was just gonna ask why didn't you tell me the truth in the first place."
"So you don't care why I did it?"
"No, I don't because I'm not your judge, Daniel. Everybody has a past and I don't care about yours, I care about who you are now. People make mistakes. But the mistake that's bigger than nailing your friend's fiancé is hiring him to be in charge of your billions of dollars." He looked down shamefully "Why did you let me persuade you to hire him?"
"Because you wouldn't shut up about him." He exclaimed through gritted teeth.
"What?"
"Connor this, Connor that…" He began.
"Don't you dare try to put this on me! It will never work with me. I was trying to put our company's future in the hands of an experienced man. I thought he would be a better fit because of his credentials, and I took the fact that you two are friends as a bonus. I actually felt comfortable being in business with someone YOU trust. And now we might get screwed…God, does he know?" She asked angrily as she swatted the stack of proofs and sent them flying
"No."
"Are you sure about that?" She asked as she shot up from the chaise and began pacing.
"Yes."
"Is that why you told him not to run everything by you? That he should do what he thinks is best? You gave your power away because you feel guilty?"
"Wilhelmina, that's not…"
"God, Daniel! Why did you lie about it?" She said slamming a fist on the desk causing a fear to rise in him.
"I just…I didn't…I don't…"
"Please leave, I need some time to think." She said dejectedly.
"About?"
"How to fix this fucking mess. We have to get rid of him. We can't jeopardize…"
"Willie, you don't need to…"
"OUT!" She screamed.