Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
Madison
" I 'm out of money."
"What?"
I was so incredibly distracted and concerned by what was going on in Hunter's office that more woes were the last thing I wanted to have to deal with today. However, at her words, I couldn't help but stare at her message in concern.
"What do you mean by you're out of money?"
"My savings have been depleted!" she cried. "I either have to choose to go ahead with manufacturing the first collection, samples at that, or if I should say reset."
I stared down at her words and couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for her. That was as she was stating the truth though because she was known for exaggeration.
"Why didn’t you move out of your place and come stay with me?"
"Sacrifice and all."
"My space is also a loft," she replied. "Industrial loft. It serves as the company’s office and studio as well."
"Well, you can't afford it now, but it doesn't mean you won't be able to."
"I can't lose this place, Maddy," she said. "You know how much of a miracle it was when I found it."
"Sure," I replied, expecting the other shoe to drop.
"You know I want to ask for your help, but you're not making it easy for me at all with the way you're responding."
She was right, and I immediately felt remorseful.
"I'm sorry. This whole thing with Hunter is crazy and everyone is tense, but none more than me. I didn’t know what they concluded in the office, and now that asshole has left and Hunter is in there in silence. Executives have gone by, and then they've left. They couldn’t just go in because he hadn’t yet called anyone, but everyone's fucking exhausted and anxious."
"Especially you," she said, and I nodded.
"Especially me. Anyway, let's not make this all about me? What favor are you trying to ask me for? Just spit it out?"
"I need you to invest in my company," she said. "We can be equal partners. I can't do it alone anyway, plus the administration side of running the business is so fucking boring and tedious. All I want to do is wake up, design, and sew. So, do you think this is something you can handle?"
I stared at her words, and for a while, I was almost convinced she was joking. And then I was sure she was mistaken.
"You... you want to be partners?"
"Yes!" she said. "I'm getting too burnt out... I need someone to be crazy with me, plus you’ve been involved with this since the beginning, and we could be millionaires. Plus, now that you're having issues with your current company, maybe this is the chance you need. Maybe this is a good thing? I mean, I know we’ve not made any money yet, but we will soon, as soon as we have our samples and can get our fashion show off the ground."
"Right," I replied.
"Please tell me you're thinking about it?" she asked.
I glanced at Hunter's door and told her the truth.
"I am," I replied. "And I can’t believe it. Currently, I'm having a serious identity crisis. I want to leave the company, but then I can't; I need the money. Plus, what else would I do? However..."
"My offer is exciting, right?" she squealed in excitement.
"Interesting," I responded. "Not exciting; there's no money involved. But..."
"But what?" as she asked. "Ask any questions, and I'll be more than willing to answer them."
"What if I run out of money too? I mean, I have some savings, but it's not much; maybe it can last us three months."
"That's enough to get us off the ground," she said.
"No, we need at least a year’s salary to get us off the ground," I corrected. I sighed and could hear the defeat in her tone.
"Alright," she replied. "I know it is not without hardships or risks, but if any part of you wants to consider it, I'll be very, very excited to have you on board."
This made me smile.
"Alright Miss Cullen," I replied. "I'll think about it and get back to you."
"Thank you so much, Maddy, I love you," she sniffed.
"I'm not making any promises," I said.
"I know, I know, I know. You're just considering, and for the record, no matter what you decide, I will accept it a hundred percent."
"Alright," I said, and then I put the phone away. It was dark now. A couple of hours had passed with him remaining in the office, and with executives coming by, but not being allowed to speak to him. From what I had gathered, they had been working, but his instructions were brief and direct to them, with none to me.
I had never felt worse or even more restless. I wanted to know what the conclusions from the meeting were. What had it cost him or what was it going to cost him? He gave me till the end of the day. Was I still allowed to be here? However, the end had come, and I still didn’t have a definite answer to any of the options I was considering.
I had no choice now; I had to go over to him, and we needed to come to a conclusion before I lost my fucking mind.