Cheer Up, Daddy!

Chow Garden

It was funny how these pile of papers in front of him actually made him less angry at the world, he needed a break from the twins even though he missed them very much in between the hours. The silence in the room sounded a bit out of place after few weeks of crying and giggling was all he could listen to. During a conference meeting, he excused himself and called Ryan in his private washroom to check up on the twins. Hebe knew what he was doing and she did not appreciate it, telling him she could do it for him instead running off in the middle of someone's presentation. He waved her off and stood back into his seat, looking blankly at the screen in front of him. The man, Gerald, was the Creative and Art Director and he was solely in charge with this year's winter showcase since it had always been the biggest event for CM Ford Mall.

"This year we managed to collaborate with two of the world's top-leading fashion brands, both Versace and D&G have expressed their liking to be part of our annual winter showcase. As we all know two of these companies have different styles and tastes so I have come up with a non-biased and neutral shade of ivory and flaxen for the theme color, as well as the entire settings and decorations. Here you will see we're aiming for a 1960s Victorian style as the backdrop for their timeless collections and instead of putting the stage in the middle we have prepared separate stages for both brands to display their couture. We have talked to each representative team of designers and they've agreed to our concept. If there's no question, my team will push forward the project and begin the procedure with the help from all departments."

It had been a long day and the directors and chairpersons seemed eager to just put the approval forth so they could leave early to enjoy the beginning of their weekend. Jackson noticed Finn, the asshole who punched him, was quiet and already gathering his stuff as if the meeting was done. Letting out a big tired sigh, Jackson instantly gained everyone's attention in the room and he could see Gerald's smile dropped from his face. The truth was almost the entire company hated his gut, they had their reasons to but they should think twice that Jackson would ever come up with unnecessary comments.

"I won't approve it," Jackson took a sip of his coffee, "change the color and the backdrop."

Standing, Jackson picked up his file, "meeting's dismissed," he said before heading for the door.

"But it is the best color and backdrop without offending both of the companies," while voicing out his reluctance, the redness slowly crept its way up from Gerald's neck.

"I don't care, I won't approve until you fixed them." The entire conference room fell silent as he exited it with Hebe in toll.

Then as they stepped out, Jackson asked under his breath, "What's he doing?"

Hebe glanced back and winced. "He's charging."

"Fuck," Jackson whispered and prayed for the second time in a day.

"What do you know about art and fashion?" Gerald came out of the room screaming. Jackson sighed and glanced around. The entire office had gone silent and everyone was watching them. "You know nothing! I have poured my blood and soul into this project. I even flew to Paris to talk to the representative and back in a day! You are such an arrogant man. You think because you're some hot-shot CEO that you can just do whatever the hell you want? That you can bully me into doing shit just because you feel like it?"

Hebe glanced at Jackson, who looked tired but on the verge of getting angry. She leaned away from him and against the wall and held her breath. Jackson did not trust anyone and she wasn't saying that he trusted her, but Hebe was the only one who had seen the broken mirrors and vases behind the room. She knew how angry he could be.

Instead, Jackson said, "Three problems. First, have you even gone through the designs they are going to showcase for the winter collection? The ivory and flaxen clash with every color of their couture and that's the first class you should have learnt in your Fashion degree. Color matters. Second, by setting a 1960s timeline is going against their theme which you have already mentioned, timeless. Finally, Victorian style is a London architecture in early 1950s when both of the brands are founded in Milan, Italy. You care too much of not offending them that you missed all the important and necessary details, normally your incompetence does not interest me but you should have known better. You're getting lazy, Gerald, a mediocre employer at best. The boss has assured me your replacement will be not placed if you're actually doing your job."