One Night With Mr Braxton

” Do you know who I am? Who the hell is the designer behind your collections?!” Talia screamed at Chara.

” I’m sorry but that is information, too sensitive to be shared.” Chara replied curtly. She recognised Talia, but refused to let her walk over her.

” How much would it cost?” Talia asked in a huff, and pulled out a wad of cash from her designer bag, ” Just spill it.” She seethed.

” I’m sorry ma’am. We do not sell out our partners or clients at Soul Shoes.” She gritted, annunciating every word. Gesturing to the door, she added, ” If that is all, I’d like to get back to my duties, please.”

” Are you asking me out?” Talia couldn’t believe her eyes. She took off her shades, trying to prove a point. ” I am Talia Steele. The head designer of Steele-Shoes. Are you sure you want me out of your shabby office, Chara?” She asked again, reading off her name in a distasteful tone.

There was only so much one could take, Chara could feel her disregard and it didn’t sit quite well with her. ” I don’t care who you are. Right now, all I know is you are in my office- a place reserved for clients. None of which you fall into, so please, kindly escort yourself out of this office before the security comes along.”

For the first time ever, Chara felt furious. Who was she to walk into her office and order her around? The nerve of the Steele’s to show up without shame!

Talia sported an icy glare, ” You will regret this!” She fumed, ” You and this entire company! You might have won the battle, but trust me, you would lose this war.”

” Respect yourself and leave before I make you.” Chara stayed in character, meaning every word that left her lips. Talia might be a big shot princess but here, she was an unwanted visitor- only a matter of time before she got treated as such now.

” You will come groveling and when that time comes, I’ll squash you like the cockroach you are.” Talia threatened, and got on her feet. She looked at the little office with disgust, ” You should be proud to host my presence in this cubicle. Whoever that designer is, it’s only a matter of time before I find him anyway.” She hissed, returned her shades to its place and sauntered out of the office building.

Talia didn’t get to her car before she dialed Colton. Her eyes fumed as she got into the car, impatiently waiting for him to pick up.

” Hey babe, how are you doing?”

” Don’t babe me. I just got my face slapped by a mediocre CEO from a peanut company! I am not okay!” She screamed in a bratty voice. ” Just because there is a problem with the company, now everyone thinks they can walk over me. Me!”

” Calm down, my love. Where are you and who is responsible for such insolence?” Colton asked from his office, already getting a headache from how loud and unreasonable she was being.

” Soul Shoes! That fetus company!”

” I’m sorry about that, just… send me their details and I’ll educate them on respecting my fiance, okay?”

” You better. And make it quick!” She ended the call after, and forwarded the details to him.

Talia’s eyes remained ablaze, knowing Colton’s methods, she anticipated news on how he handled the matter. One thing she learned from frolicking with him over the years was the fact that he did things thoroughly. If he wanted to bring down a business, big or small, he went all the way, creating irreversible damage on the other.

Talia’s motive for soliciting his help was far greater than her need to be avenged. She held an animosity for that brand, and couldn’t stomach their designs putting hers to shame. For the amount of insults they’d caused her, it was only fitting they went down too.

And hopefully save her some face while at it.

******

” SOUL SHOES RAPE SCANDAL!”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

The above words became the most searched keywords within the space of five hours. The internet was in an uproar as they devoured the news of the company’s head of production; a sixty-five years old man, raping one of the employees working under him.

When the assaulted lady took to the internet, accusing the company of refusing to do the needful and enabling a rapist, it didn’t take long before the world resumed bashing the company, demanding the man be let out of the job and handed over to the police.

These demands were ones that could have been met if the person in question wasn’t falsely accused and Chara’s father. The company was a mess and she was even messier after trying every possible means to prove her father’s innocence to no avail.

It didn’t help when people, who were supposed to serve as witnesses, suddenly changed their statements, or refused to testify against the motion. At the thick of the events, Chara’s father got taken away, which was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Meanwhile, Asher and Emma were outside the house. After a long day of touring the streets of Paris, they returned to the house and lounged by the poolside.

” I don’t think I’ll do well as an artist,” Emma remarked in a light tone, shaking her head as she tore yet another page from her sketchpad. ” I better stick to designing shoes.”

” Maybe it’s not you..” Asher finally spoke, picking up his glass, ” Even the best artist would have a hard time painting me.”

Emma laughed, ” You sure are humble. Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

” Do you feel better?”

” Is that a trick question?”

The light atmosphere got interrupted by Asher’s phone. He got up with a meaningful look and excused himself, while Emma tidied the place up.

” What do you mean?” Asher spoke in a grave tone, Jason gave him more information.

” It’s hectic over here. They’re suing him and the company too.”

” How on earth-” He stopped speaking when he heard his wife walk in, ” Handle it. Do everything to make sure this is folded up before we return.” Asher ordered, and ended the call immediately.

*****

” … And the enemies submitted, cheers!” Mrs Steele felt happiness course through her as their glasses clinked in celebration. Talia sported a matching smile, while the rest of the board clinked their glasses and took sips of their drinks.

” Cheers, who would have thought this day would come?” She said rhetorically,

” I hear their sales have plummeted.” A director announced, ” Only fitting they return to the slums.” Choruses of agreement echoed from the small gathering.

Mrs Steele cleared her throat, sizzling with joy, ” I called this intimate gathering to convey my gratitude for the support and dedication you displayed during the company’s trying times.” She addressed, ” A lot of people were lost during the wars, and some,” her nose flared, ” went as far as selling us out to the enemy. But rest assured, the truth has prevailed and in due time, everyone will reap as they sow.”

A deathly silence ruled the atmosphere, everyone picked on the double-edgedness of her words.

” Anyways! That is a matter for another meeting, not this one.” She stated and relief poured on some individuals, ” For today, we celebrate!”

Talia motioned to the security detail hanging around and in seconds, the door opened and each participant got a branded tea bag. They looked into the bag, confused at the peculiarity of the gift and there, found wads of neatly printed and packaged cash. Everyone left the meeting with a big smile on their face.

” We need to strike while the iron is hot.” Mrs. Steele said to her daughter who remained seated long after the meeting elapsed.

” I don’t get it, they are doomed already. The job is done- I don’t see any more bad conversations about our company.” Talia deadpanned, unable to understand her mother’s need to have her wedding this soon.

” Listen, you’ve outdone yourself on that. But the idea wasn’t just about getting them to stop talking. We need them talking about something positive- and a new shoe line wouldn’t fix that.” She leaned across the table, ” We need a fairytale wedding, the time is right and it’s long overdue. Except there’s something you’re not telling me.” She stressed, determined to pass her message across.

” Fine.” Talia huffed, she knew there was no going back now. ” Might as well get it over with.”

” That’s the spirit.” Her mother encouraged, ” You don’t need to do anything, I’ll get in touch with the family and we’ll plan everything accordingly. All you’ll ever have to worry about is showing up.”

*****

Colton and Talia agreed to hold the wedding in a month’s time. A news that pleased both the families who believed it to be long overdue. Unlike other couples, there wasn’t any sign of excitement but none of them spoke about it, their marriage was inevitable and holding a wedding felt procedural.

Colton pushed for a private meeting with Asher after his plan with Emma fell through. In recent times, he wasn’t the best to be around as he pursued his project with everything he had, refusing to accept defeat.

Asher watched Emma fall asleep beside him before he retired to work, checking emails and signing off deals. He comes in contact with Colton’s request and with a wicked smile, rejects and blacklists him from further dealings with his company.

There was only so much he could accept from a person who didn’t know his boundaries around his wife!