Page 31 of Legally Yours

“Trust me, Emma. That wasn’t my intention at all. We could have had that discussion at Anderson, in a quiet room. It was David’s idea to sweep me away to a public spot. And you know David as well as I. He never takes no for an answer, and he never knows when to stop. I had to make a scene in order to get out of there. He wouldn’t let me go otherwise.”

“Well, I for one…”

“Emma, listen. You know I’m not leaving Anderson. I work for Liam, end of story. And I’m proud to work here. It was dumb on David’s part to think I would. In his crazy brain, I guess he thought a Hail Mary pass had promise. Sad, really.”

I hear enough of the back and forth and march up to the women to break up the party. I pull both of them into a corner so the entire office can’t overhear. In a hushed tone, I speak. “Emma, what the hell are you doing? Why are you putting your beak into things not concerning you?”

“Liam, hi. Listen, I was only wondering why –”

“I don’t care what you were wondering. To confront Cassandra like this, in front of everyone in the office, no less, is highly unwarranted and unprofessional. I’m putting you on warning. Never confront Cassandra like this again, or I’ll fire you on the spot. You hear? This kind of childish behavior has no place at Anderson or in our private lives as well.”

“How dare you threaten me –”

“How dare I? After what you’ve said and done, you’re still damn lucky to have a job around here, Emma. And after what I initiated today in the way of legal proceedings, there won’t be an agency for anyone to go to under David’s leadership. Manolito will be a thing of the past, Emma. I’ll wipe it off the face of the Earth. Nobody steals models from me and threatens and coerces Cassandra and gets away with it.”

“You’re joking.”

“Really, Emma? You just try me.”

I watch her turn on her heels and go.

“Are you okay?”

Cassandra smiles warmly at me. “Yeah, sure. I’ve been through worse in this industry.”

I know Cassandra is putting on a face for me. Emma, after all, was once her best friend. But I leave it for now, and I return to my desk. I have lawsuit papers to file against David Brown and the Manolito Modeling Agency to protect Anderson and dear Cassandra, too.

27

LIAM

Cassandra and I produce a grand fashion show to showcase our new models and to put Anderson back on the world’s stage as the premier modeling agency out of the Big Apple. On the face of it, the show is a way of offering a unique challenge to the employees and models. Privately, it’s a way of thumbing my nose at David and his illegal ways of trying to bring my agency down.

Cassandra rents out the biggest ballroom in town. It’s our goal to rival the Met Gala in class and cache.

“Cassandra, I mean it. Pull out all the stops. Money is no object when it comes to this show. I want to tell the world we’re back on top, and we intend to stay there.”

“But the floral arrangements alone are coming in like a house mortgage.”

“I don’t care. I want the best of everything. Michelin-starred chefs, the best NYC servers, the best of the best. Make sure you get the roadies who do the Milan Fashion Week for the catwalk, will you?”

Cassandra laughs and shakes her head at me. “I’m on it, Liam, but you had better not gripe at me when the bills start flooding in.”

I walk up to Cassandra and put my hands on her arms to look deeply into her rich brown eyes. “Bills? What bills? Now make modeling magic.”

“Before I do, can you let me in on your plan? What do you hope to gain from this extravaganza?”

“Big clients scout big shows. I want to prove to the modeling world we can easily match whatever Europe has going on and more. A few big names and Anderson will be set for life. We’ll be set for life.”

“We?”

I smile. “You know what I mean.”

* * *

The day of the show,everyone, including me, is running around putting finishing touches on the venue and answering two phone calls at once. I arrive early in the morning at the ballroom and most everything is in place. I see Cassandra hard at work with her personal assistant. She’s ticking to-dos off her clipboard list. Her diligence makes me smile.

“How are we doing? Will we be ready in time for tonight?”