Johanna was sitting at her desk the next morning and looking through a book of previous Who Runway magazine covers when someone entered.
"Excuse me, Johanna. Your ten o'clock is here." Franklin said.
"Thank you, Franklin. Send him in." Johanna said, closing the binder.
Franklin left and Johanna looked up to see a short round man with graying hair and a stern look on his face. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"You must be Johanna Starling." He said sternly.
"Yes. And you are?" She asked.
"Augustus May-Who, but everyone calls me August." The man answered.
"Oh? Oh! You're August? I-I'm sorry. Have a seat."
"Thank you."
August pulled up a chair in front of Johanna's desk and sat down. Johanna twiddled her thumbs under her desk, trying to think of what to say; she didn't want to say anything that would offend him. He cleared his throat.
"What is all of this about, Mrs. Starling? And can we make this quick? I have an important council meeting at noon." He said.
"Yes, of course." Johanna said before sitting up straight and clearing her throat. "Mr. May-Who, you are aware that Martha May, your girlfriend and my second assistant, attended the company benefit last night, yes?"
"I am." He nodded.
"Were you aware that she was wearing an unflattering black dress that was two sizes too small?"
August winced. "I was."
"Good, I'm glad you understand what I'm saying. And I just want to know..." Johanna's face went stern. "...did you tell her to wear it?"
He paused. "...What does it matter to you?"
"The wellbeing of my employees matters to me, Mr. May-Who." She furrowed her brow. "Last night, Martha May nearly swooned from lack of oxygen due to the dress that you told her to wear. Not to mention those shoes she wore gave her unbelievable blisters. And I can honestly say that I couldn't bear to see a horrendous sight like that."
"Horrendous? What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that I am not going to stand idly by and watch any of my employees suffer in silence because of poor fashion choice and people like you." She sneered at him.
"People like me, eh?" He sneered back at her. "For your information, I have very good taste when it comes to fashion."
"Well, your actions speak otherwise."
"Martha May will do as I say exactly when I say it, understand?"
Johanna paused. "I've heard enough. Augustus May-Who, listen to me. If you continue to endanger Martha in any way possible, I'll have no choice but to call the police."
"What will the police do?"
"They can do anything. Everyone listens to Johanna."
She smirked and reached out to grab her phone, only for August to violently grab her wrist and pull her closer to his face. Johanna froze.
"You, listen to me, Starling. Martha May is mine. I'm smart, you're dumb, I'm big, you're small, I'm right, you're wrong and there's nothing you can do about it. And if you ever interfere with my relationship with Martha May again, I will get a hold of your superiors and have them fire you from this magazine. After that, you will never be able to work in this town again."
YOU ARE READING
Working in Fashion
General Fiction[The Grinch 2018] Martha May went to school to become a teacher and she thought that would become just that. But instead, she ended up getting a job at Who Runway Fashion Magazine... and she hated it.
