His Rotten Apple

44 ~ Contract Promises

Dang it's been a while... Hope y'all still remember me :(

Zailey stood in silence, waiting for Connor to speak up. She fiddled with her fingertips imagining the possibilities of their conversation.

    "In about an hour, there's gonna be a board meeting with all the directors," he started. "I'm going to introduce you."

    "Sure. Anything I need to say?"

    "No, I'll do the talking."

    She nodded, and seeing as he wasn't saying anything else, she took the opportunity to look around. "Your office is nice."

    "I haven't had the time to fix it up yet."

    "Shouldn't be too hard. Maybe if you put a couch over-"

    "What are you doing here?" He asked abruptly.

    "What?"

    "Why did you agree to work for me?"

    "Not everything is about you, Mr. Davis. I can't work here just because I love the brand and think it's an interesting project?"

    "So that's it?"

    Zailey couldn't believe her ears, did he really think she would stoop so low as to tail him like that?

    She clenched her jaw, "Yes. I had no idea you worked here."

    He nodded, "Good. Now pick out what you want for the meeting."

Standing from his seat, he opened a hidden closet in the corner of the room to reveal a jungle of beautiful clothing.

    Zailey's eyes widened, "W-What are women's clothes doing in your closet?!"

"Change. I'll wait for you outside."

    All eyes were on Zailey as the meeting proceeded. Every board member recognized her, all of them showing some sort of appreciation. For some, it took a while to register, as the partner that was always glued right next to her was absent.

    "Everyone, please welcome..." He hesitated for a while, unable to get himself to say her first name. "Ms. Tsang. She will be the new face of Reverie LA."

    The room filled with applause and congratulatory greetings.

    Among one of the voices asked, "Is Gavin Marsh also going to be endorsing us?"

    An uncomfortable silence lingered as both Zailey and Connor thought of a way to address the issue.

    "H-He's not going to be doing it with me," Zailey answered.

    "Our budget only allows for one endorser," he blurted in a more heated tone than needed. "Unfortunately, we can't fit him in."

Sensing his frustration rise, cleared his throat and re-adjusted his tone of voice.

    "It'll be a great opportunity for her to gain a bit of independence from their partnership. I doubt you appreciate your name being automatically linked to his everywhere you go... Right, Ms. Tsang?"

    She nodded and chuckled, "And I don't think modelling for women's clothing and accessories is his forte."

    The board member's laughed, "But we'll see him around, right?! He is your boyfriend..."

    Connor tried to stomach the whirl of discomfort running through his system as he looked down at his paperwork.

    "Y-Yeah," she tossed Connor a quick glance before continuing. "You'll get to meet him soon, I promise."