Chapter 5 - Strangers In The Night part 2
When the day came, I got up and went to my room, leaving Patricia asleep, as soon as I entered, I got rid of my shoes and my pants, going straight to the bathroom to shower and get rid of the nauseating smell of Patricia's perfume, I let the cold water clean my body and take the thoughts along, As soon as I'm done, I'll get ready for my first day as a business owner. I finish putting on the suit and choose a watch to wear today, grab a steel Rolex with a gold band, grab my bag and put it through.
When I enter the kitchen, Marilyn is sitting facing the window looking out at the view of Central Park, I look away and go get coffee, put some pancakes on a plate and go sit on the free stool at the counter.
"Good morning, Monroe." I speak, taking a good sip of my coffee.
"Look, I need to say something really serious to you, man." Marilyn says, turning in her chair. "I accept that you don't respect me, that you spend the night with whomever you want, but one thing I won't admit is you bringing this kind of woman to your father's house." He speaks harshly. "You can use a motel, or your old apartment.
"Look, Monroe, as far as I know this apartment is mine now, and there's nothing in my father's will saying I can't bring whoever I want here." I speak staring at Marilyn. "You can do the same thing, or not since I'm sure you shouldn't have anyone for that sort of thing.
"Go to shit, John." Marilyn speaks, getting up and leaving the rest of her coffee. I look at her on top of her high heels, she looked different with a black pencil skirt and a white blouse full of black and gold stars. As soon as she reached the room, Patricia turned in the hallway in the same outfit as yesterday, Marilyn looked her up and down grabbed her bag and what looked like a tailleur and walked out stomping hard. Before Patricia got to the kitchen, I had already gotten up and was already walking past her in the hallway.
"Good morning, sweetie." The woman came over to kiss me, but I turned away from the kiss.
"Do you have money for the taxi?" I ask dryly.
"I do." He talks looking at me and pouting. "Can I have breakfast here?
"You can, then the maid will call the elevator for you." I say going to the elevator, as soon as he arrives, I go in and press the garage button and he comes down.
As soon as I get to the garage, I go to my favorite car, a black Lotus Elise model Golden Leaf Type 49, a gem. As I get closer, I realize that it is not parked the way I had put it the day before, somehow it is parked in the vacancy in the correct way and the side is totally dented, that secretary would pay me. I type a quick message to Jared, asking him to send a mechanic to pick up my car and I go to my black BMW, grab my keys and get in the car going to the magazine.
As soon as I arrive, I realize that the magazine has a new receptionist, of course the secretary must have promoted the other fat, the new lady at the reception informs me that they are waiting for me in the meeting room. I go straight to the venue and as soon as I walk in, I see all the shareholders of the magazine along with the directors of each department, the company's new lawyer, Piper, or Tessa, and Debbie Summers.
Debbie is one of my parents' oldest friends, one of the few sources I can turn to when I want to remember my mom, she's my second mom.
I sit on the opposite end of Marilyn's, who glazes at me. Soon the meeting begins and we all receive a cake of papers.
" Yesterday I started to analyze the target audience of the magazine. " Marilyn speaks, starting the meeting. " Today, a lot of the people who buy Empire Kross are ordinary people, housewives from all over the world look for our magazine and long ago Jebediah told me a plan he had. " She speaks, getting up and turning on the television where an image appears where several women stand side by side, thin and fat women, white and black, tall and short. "Jebe wanted to bring real people into the magazine, he wanted to create a new Empire, he was thinking about redesigning the magazine.
" This can only be a joke. " I give a mocking laugh. " We can't change what the magazine is. " I say, staring at Marilyn. " Empire Kross is a fashion magazine, not a variety magazine.
" You're wrong, John, when your parents created the magazine, they had the goal of doing something for all audiences. " Marilyn says, staring back at me. " This brand has become so much that the magazine has several sectors, fashion, gastronomy, economy, sports. " She looks at everyone around. "My proposal is to bring women, men, gays, people who live in the real world beyond the glamour that we already have.
"Are you saying we should put fat models on magazine covers? Or rather, a quarentone housewife? " I ask, standing up. " We can't do that, we're going to lose sales if we do.
"But let's do, the next edit, if you agree, will already be released on the new guideline." Marilyn looks at me. "If you look at this pad of paper, you may have a proof made by Jebe himself before his death.
" I don't agree, I don't want to change the magazine. " I speak loudly, staring at the fat one. "I want a vote now.
" Then it will have its vote. " He says defiantly. " Who agrees with the change of the magazine? " He asks looking at the shareholders. Almost everyone raises their hands except me. "Well, apparently I won, John." Marilyn stares at me wryly, smiling at me.
She could have won this battle, but she doesn't lose by waiting. This is just the beginning of the war.