Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“The one on your desk. The envelope says “for Eleanor. No sender name, but I recognise Fabrizio’s handwriting. He must’ve left it there after you clocked out. Some kind of note about a design tweak, maybe. Want me to open it?”A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“No. I’ll be there soon Don’t open it.”
“Okay,” Peter Carl sounded like he had more questions, but I wasn’t in the mood.
I called Inspector Silva.
“I was just about to ring you,” he said.
The cold feeling turned to stone.
“Tell me.”
“Fabrizio Marchetti has fled the country.”
“When?” My mouth went dry.
“Sometime last night. More precisely, early this morning, around 3 a.m.
How? I thought you had men watching him.”We did. He slipped out of the city on a bus, ditched his phone, probably crossed into Luxembourg and caught a flight to Sydney. By now, he’s likely landed in Rarotonga.” Silva’s voice was thick with regret.
You can’t touch him there.”
“We can’t.” Silva sighed.
“We were so close. Someone must’ve tipped him off.”
“Last night, at the dinner-“
“Not you. I’m not pointing fingers. Fabrizio had help. Someone with the means to organise a new passport and get him out. We’re working on it. In the meantime…
“I need to get to the office.”
“I doubt he left anything useful behind.”
“He left me a letter.”That got Silva’s attention.
“I’ll meet you there in half an hour.”I rushed out and flagged down a taxi. My thoughts were blank. Fabrizio was gone. Just like that.
I knew Silva had no reason to lie to me, but part of me still couldn’t believe it. Even as he coached me on what to ask, even as I played along, it never felt entirely real.
“We’re here,” the driver said.
I paid and jumped out, rushed past the smiling receptionist, and took the lift up to my floor.
The white envelope was on my desk, just like Peter Carl had said.
Silva wasn’t here yet. He’d probably tell me not to touch it, to let forensics handle it.
I didn’t wait.
I tore it open and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
It was handwritten. All it said was: “I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” Peter Carl strolled over, holding a coffee.
“You look like someone just died.”I looked up, stunned.
Everyone at the company, apart from me, had been kept in the dark about the investigation. But now it was all going to come out. What would happen to Peter Carl To the others? What would they do when they found out that Fabrizio had bankrupted the company and bailed instead of staying to fix what he’d broken?
“I’ve been thinking about your idea for that pierced openwork collar necklace,” Peter Carl said, breezy as ever.
“It could work, but we’ll probably run into sourcing issues. The suppliers are all playing hardball. No one wants to release their stones unless they see a cheq first.” He shrugged “Everyone’s in it for the money, eh? 1, on the other hand,” he said, thumping his chest, “live for the art”I licked my lips, dry and cracked I didn’t have the heart tell him he was about to lose his job.
In fact, everyone at Valmont & Cie would be out of work once the investors realised the company was an empty shell. They’d liquidate everything just to recover what they could.
“Don’t worry. It’ll all be fine.” Peter Carl leaned across the desk and patted my hand.
“You look like you’re about to explode. I ought to tell the boss off for piling so much stress on you. If I can find him. Where is Fab, anyway?”
There was a knock at the open door.
Inspector Silva stepped in.
I handed him the envelope silently.
“Who’s this?” Peter Carl asked.
I looked at him. I didn’t want to be the one to say it, but no one else could.
“Peter, can you gather everyone? I need to make an announcement.”
“What’s going on?” His expression darkened. He could probably feel what was coming.
“Alright. Give me at minute.”Ten minutes later, I stood in front of a familiar group of faces, braced myself and told them everything.
Gasps, frowns, shaking heads and stunned silence followed. None of them wanted to believe it, but Silva’s presence backed me up.
He gave them the rest.
“The company is insolvent and will be liquidated. The public prosecutor will petition the court for a compulsory winding-up order.”That was when the crying began.
Peter Carl found me later in the afternoon, eyes red.
“Eleanor, you’re the only one who can save us now.”
“If the company’s liquidated, we lose everything. The CAD models, portfolios, inventory. I can find a job elsewhere easily with my CV, but I like the company, I like the work, and I want to stay.”Peter Carl’s voice had lost its usual breeziness.
“But what can I do?” I still didn’t see why he thought I could save the company. I was in hot water myself. With Fabrizio gone, my joint venture with him was finished, and the product launch I’d poured the last two months into would die with it.
I’d already given up hope of getting my money back. The only thing left seemed to be leaving.
“You have a studio, don’t you? So you’ve got management experience,” Peter Carl said.
I gave a wry smile.
“As Fabrizio has so clearly demonstrated, running a small independent studio and running a big company aren’t the same thing.”
“I know, but I have faith in you.”
“I don’t have faith in myself.”Come on. Just think about it. If you buy Valmont & Cie now, you’ll get it cheap. The investors will be glad to sell for cents on the dollar just to recoup something. And I don’t know about the others, but I’m willing to take a pay cut. You could still go ahead with your product launch. Valmont has everything: the infrastructure, manufacturing, marketing networks, distribution channels. All that could be yours. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to break into the ultra-competitive Paris fashion market.”I had to admit, he made valid points.
Ten minutes ago, I’d been so discouraged I just wanted to pack up, go home, and find somewhere to sulk and lick my wounds in peace.
But now… maybe his idea could work.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I said at last.
“Yes, of course, but don’t take too long. Will you let me know before the court puts the company up for auction? I can help you get in touch with the investors if you decide to buy.”I was torn.
What designer worth her salt hadn’t dreamed of conquering Paris, the fashion capital of the world?
And he was right, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If I missed it, I wouldn’t get another opportunity dropped into my lap so neatly.
It was like someone offering you Apple shares before they went public. If you hesitated even for a second before pulling out your chequebook, you were an idiot.
Still, buying the company meant a commitment that would tie me to Paris for the foreseeable future. I’d have to relocate, move away from Skyline, from Sebastian I’d have to merge Elean Joie with Valmont & Cie.
And… what would Sebastian think?
How would he react to me moving thousands of miles away less than two months before the wedding?
Would a long-distance relationship work?
I strolled down the street aimlessly, the fragrant spring ir doing nothing to clear my head.
I stared at my phone and almost called him, then decide against it.
My mind was still a mess, and I didn’t trust myself not say something stupid in the heat of the moment.
I already regretted the drunken outburst the night befor, when I’d blamed him for ruining my plans.
If not for his interference, the police might have arreste Fabrizio, and none of this would have happened.
I stopped myself before I could start pinning more blame on him.
I called Priya instead, who’d been sending me regular work updates by email.
Priya said the publicity from the Aureate Awards win was still paying off, with more customer enquiries. coming in.
Octavia Grey, the A-list actress, had been promoting Mia Joie on her social media, and the traffic was higher than ever.
“When are you coming back?” Priya asked.
“I’m starting to feel guilty for turning customers away.”
“Soon,” I lied, just to put her at case.
“No customisation projects for now, stick with the catalogue we’ve got.”
“I know, but even those are selling fast. Our OEM factory can’t keep up. The owner called me the other day, said his is a small-scale operation, he relies on skilled artisans and traditional craftsmanship, and when we signed the contract, we never said it would be bulk production.”
“Reach out to other OEMs,” I said.
“See how they operate get samples, and if the price and quality match what we have now, sign them on.”
“Shouldn’t you be here to make those decisions? I’ll be out of my depth.”
“I’m promoting you to general manager. I’ll guide you along the way. Get me on a video call when you tour the factories and review the samples. We’ll decide together.”
“Okay.” She still didn’t sound convinced. She’d never had this much responsibility before.
I spent another half-hour going over the studio’s operations with her and tried to ease her mind. That part was easy.