Chapter Thirty-Five Ella
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ella
I left Jimmy’s alone and headed straight to Times Square to get to the office, as he was on a pretty intense call about the board with one of the accountants. I had already texted the girls to meet me there, and both Zola and Katy were sitting at their desks when I walked in.
‘What’s going on?’ Katy asked, looking worried. ‘Please tell me you haven’t got a text!’
‘Got a text,’ Zola cackled, impersonating Love Island from her desk. ‘Too soon? Not funny?’
I turned, making sure the door had shut completely behind me before I started talking.
‘No,’ I replied to Zola, then I began. ‘OK, so Travis and Fee stopped by Jimmy’s this morning and didn’t realise I was there.
They were grilling him about investors and talking about fixing it with the board and some heavy stuff like that.
’ I took a breath, trying hard to cover ground before we were disturbed, while at the same time getting to the critical points.
‘So, when they left, I asked Jimmy what was going on.’
Confusion flickered in their eyes, their furrowed brows betraying how quickly I’d lost them.
‘Uh-huh?’ Zola questioned.
‘Basically, Jimmy is at risk of losing his whole company. There have been dodgy deals with app launches and the investors have lost so much money . . . And they are blaming . . .’
‘Daddy Warbucks,’ Katy interjected.
‘Yeah, so TLDR the investors who invest in all the apps Flirtify develops are threatening to pull out of other big deals too if ours isn’t a massive – like world domination standard – success.’
‘And you think this has to do with the stalker?’ Zola asked, biting her fingernails.
‘Oh, come on, is the Pope a Catholic?’ I sighed.
‘Yeah,’ Katy nodded. ‘Obviously. What, he is?’
Zola darted Katy a look, then came back at me. ‘It must be,’ she sighed. ‘But why pester us to go home?’
‘If Stars and Swipes flops, the investors and the board will turn on Jimmy, blaming him, which will possibly allow them to justify taking over the company.’ I peered through the glass, which gave me a view of the office.
I watched everyone working away, struck by the horrible knowledge that one of them was plotting Jimmy’s downfall.
‘Well, we can’t let it fail,’ Katy said quietly. ‘No more distractions. We only have a couple of weeks left before Thanksgiving.’
Zola sniggered. ‘Babe, you’re the one getting distracted all the time!’
I bit my lip so as not to smile. Zola was right, but her shagging antics had come to be an expected quirk of Katy’s personality.
‘Yeah, yeah, but not anymore, OK? I deleted Tinder after that fucking twelve-inches-my-arse fraud last night. No more dates, no more sex. We need to get to the bottom of this shit.’ She sounded motivated.
‘OK,’ I agreed, convinced.
‘Wait, Ella, sorry.’ Zola held up her hand to me and swivelled back to Katy. ‘No more sex? Really?’ she asked. ‘So, I can actually get a decent night’s sleep again?’
‘Really.’ Katy held out a pinkie towards Zola. ‘I’ve decided if I grow the bush, I won’t have sex.’
Zola and I burst out laughing together.
‘It’s true. I’m not going to be tempted to pull with a full-on forest, am I?’ She giggled, mischievous as ever, and I shook my head.
‘Also,’ I added, ‘Philip messaged!’
In all the stress of the morning, I’d almost forgotten about that. I watched my friends’ faces fall in shock.
‘What did he say?!’ they screeched in unison.
‘He said if I wanted to meet up, he’ll be in New York for a few more weeks, or we could catch up when I’m home.’
‘As if!’ Katy spat.
Zola shook her head in disgust. ‘Well, I’ve had zero communication from Curtis, but his mum posted a picture of them out for a meal in London. I don’t know if he’s moved back home or if he’s just visiting family.’
A silence fell. So much had changed in the past few months that it was hard to comprehend.
‘Are you going to reach out?’ I asked, knowing she’d have to sort her house and belongings, but also very aware of how stubborn Zola could be. I watched her run her hands through her braids and sigh.
‘Are you going to reach out to Philip?’ she asked.
I almost gagged. ‘No way!’
‘Same.’ She managed a smirk.
‘Does Jimmy know Philip’s here, Ella?’ Katy asked. ‘Does he know who Philip even is?’
I shook my head guiltily. I was about to ask their opinions on my quandary when a knock sounded at the glass door behind us. Fee stood there, waving cheerily. I gestured her in, and she entered, all excitement.
‘Hey, I was planning on a quick catch-up debrief in the conference room if y’all can spare a few moments? Just to see where everyone is at with the app design?’
I grinned. ‘Sure!’
‘Yeah, right now?’ Zola stood up. ‘We were just having our own little debrief of last night.’
Fee’s face fell, then she burst out laughing. ‘Ew! You mean of my brother! God, I’m glad I missed that,’ she teased.
‘Oh, and Katy!’ Zola added. ‘She’s bringing back the bush!’
Fee gasped, a little uncomfortable at the overshare, then nodded. ‘Yeah? Good for you, girl!’
I laughed, blushing slightly. ‘We’ll be one minute, Fee. And please? Don’t listen to her!’ I shoved Zola’s shoulder as Fee turned and headed back to the conference room.
‘Did you see that reaction?’ Katy whispered. ‘When you said about my bush?’
I nodded. ‘I did. It was weird.’
‘That bitch definitely has one!’ Zola cackled and we joined in, heading out the door.
We moved to the conference room, taking a seat beside Ethan from the tech suite just as Jimmy, Travis, Fee and Britney walked in. Jimmy waved for Fee to chair. She rolled her eyes, drawing smiles from the room. Jimmy was too fixated on his phone, hardly noticing.
‘OK, everyone, I’ll keep it short. We’d love to know where everyone is with Stars and Swipes.
We have a crucial meeting with the board today, and we need to assure them we’re on track for launch.
’ She was smiling and confident, but her tone seemed panicked.
I knew, of course, how important this meeting was.
‘Ethan, Zola . . .’ Fee turned to the pair.
‘I suppose we should start with you guys.’
Both Ethan and Zola opened their mouths to speak, then smiled at one another. ‘You go,’ Zola said.
‘We have the software and linked the relevant dating apps,’ Ethan said. ‘Zola is editing the layout, but we’ll have a useable app by the end of the day.’
I grinned, knowing how much work the pair had put into it.
‘Zola? Does that sound about right?’ Fee seemed surprised at how far advanced their work was.
She smiled. ‘Yeah, the features are all there. I’m basically tweaking the user interface based on feedback from your testing team. We should be able to send out a link tonight for everyone to see and have a play around with.’
Jimmy looked up from his phone. ‘Damn, that was fast work.’
‘We’ve been working fifteen to twenty hours a day on this,’ Ethan stated bluntly.
‘Thank you.’ Jimmy shook his head in awe. ‘And your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed.’
My phone lit up in front of me.
Jimmy: You look so beautiful today x
I was smiling at the screen when Fee called on Katy.
‘Yeah, we have over ten thousand reviews in at present from the university students who have rated their dates so far. But since we changed the app a little, we’ve also used the Flirtify social media channels to recruit different demographics, asking them to review in exchange for a free subscription.
We want a broader age range, so it’s not an app only accessible to Gen Z. ’
Fee nodded. ‘And how many people do we think will have submitted reviews by the time we launch?’
Katy glanced through her phone, checking her notes. ‘We’re estimating fifty thousand.’
Jimmy hummed. ‘Let’s put out paid ads on socials and get that number up. People are sick of how toxic and unsatisfying the dating app culture has become. We can get more people to do the reviews.’
Katy grinned. ‘I can do that.’
‘And PR,’ Fee said finally. ‘How are you getting on, Britney?’
There was a silent tension in the room. Surely, Fee was aware I was doing that now? I thought everyone was. Britney’s face was thunder, her brows stuck to her hairline as she opened her mouth to speak.
‘Ella’s on the PR for this one, right?’ Jimmy cut in, his voice neutral.
‘Yeah, so it’s all going well,’ I said carefully. ‘I’ve planned the investor party one week from today, and I’ve organised the launch party too, which will take place the following week, on the night before Thanksgiving as planned.’
Fee glanced at Jimmy like she wanted to say something.
‘It’ll be a great night. I can send the plans out to everyone when I’m back at my desk,’ I added, keen to reassure Fee I had it all under control.
‘I’m sure it will be, but do you mind me asking why Britney isn’t taking the lead on this one?’ Fee said.
Great.
‘Difference in opinion.’ I managed a smile.
Britney let out a laugh without a shred of humour in it. ‘Yeah, call it that.’
What a Class A cunt, I thought.
Zola and Katy were nudging me from either side so much that it was beginning to hurt.
‘Look, Ella’s sorted it, and it looks perfect,’ Jimmy piped up, shrugging.
Fee held a hand to her head. ‘We need this launch to be more than perfect, Jimmy. Absolutely no dramas, especially when the investors are there.’ She pulled a face at him as if to say, or you could be out.
Her worry was clear – she knew the investors’ reactions would determine Jimmy’s future and didn’t want any mistakes jeopardising him, and by extension, her and Travis.
‘Britney is more experienced,’ she continued, pressing her point.
Katy scrunched up her face. ‘Than Ella? Ella’s knockout at events.’
I nudged her back to keep quiet.
‘But not in New York. Britney knows the investors. She knows what they like. She’s done this a million times before.
’ Fee sounded stressed, concerned that my inexperience in the city and with their individual network could risk the launch’s success.
‘Look, I know you did PR in Glasgow, but this is different, Ella. I don’t mean any disrespect, and I know your plans are advanced by now, but we use specific vendors, we use particular caterers, and Britney is right here. She knows this . . .’
‘Enough!’ Jimmy called out, almost making me jump.
‘Ella, Zola and Katy created this app. They know how they want investors and the public to perceive it. If Britney’s plan didn’t fit their expectation .
. .’ He paused and hummed. ‘Their vision, even . . . then they can change it.’ Jimmy sounded angry.
I had never seen him lose his shit like this before, but I knew how much was at stake for him and how pointed this questioning must seem just now.
I glanced towards Zola and Katy, who looked as awkward as I felt.
‘Fee,’ I said softly, trying to calm the tension. ‘I know how vital this pitch is, and I’m happy for any suggestions on my PR plan. In fact, I’d welcome them. But at least let me send over the details.’ I managed a smile. ‘The investor launch is only a week away. I have it handled.’
‘I’ve worked in PR for years,’ Zola added. ‘And Ella is outstanding at her job. This project means everything to us, too. The events will run perfectly. I do not doubt it.’
I glanced at my friend, my emotions stirring at her words, but doubt lingered. Fee was right: I hadn’t worked in New York or met the investors. But I knew Britney was shady and somehow involved in some of the weirdness that was happening to us. I couldn’t let her near this project.
‘Send over the plan,’ Fee said with a deep sigh.
‘Copy me in, will you?’ Britney added smugly.
Ethan let out an uncomfortable laugh at the tension, then stood up. ‘I need to go somewhere quiet now.’ He headed towards the door but then turned back to the table: ‘Zola, are you coming?’
Zola turned to me, and I offered her a reassuring smile. She stood. ‘Yeah, we’d better get on this. Lots of work to do.’
Jimmy agreed. ‘Yeah, let’s all crack on. You’ve done great work so far. Let’s keep up the momentum.’
His inspirational words seemed to get lost in the awkwardness of the room, and I hurried towards the door.
‘Ella,’ Fee called out.
I paused, letting everyone else leave first until it was just the two of us.
‘That was nothing personal, OK?’ She rubbed my shoulder. ‘I know Jimmy isn’t going to see it like that, but I’m his sister and this app rollout has to be perfect.’ I could see the concern on her face, but at the same time, I felt pissed at her gunning for me in front of the staff.
I gently shrugged off her touch. ‘Look, I get it, but give me a chance, Fee. I changed Britney’s plan because it was tacky and outdated. Mine is classy, and it’ll tie in with the app like a dream. Plus, I’ve shown Jimmy and he likes it.’
Fee laughed. ‘C’mon, Ella,’ she sighed. ‘Jimmy would like your plan regardless. He’s head over heels for you, and I love that for him, for both of you. I really do, but this is work. Important work.’
I felt my cheeks flush.
‘You know, I’ve never seen him like this before, and I hope for both your sakes it works out. But I can’t sit back and let him jeopardise this company because he’s too trusting of a girl he’s only met a hot minute ago.’
I shrugged. I felt unsettled by a strange feeling of happiness at his sister’s blessing, yet disappointment that she thought I was part of the problem. I didn’t know what to say.
‘I’m sorry you have doubts,’ I said at last, ‘but I’m not part of the problem here, Fee. I’m trying to help fix it.’
She paused, then opened the door. ‘It’s been a stressful few days. Please let Britney help. That’s what she gets paid for, Ella. Yeah, she can be a bit of an ass, but she’s damn good at her job, too.’
I managed a smile, but I knew deep down that bitch wasn’t getting anywhere near my project. She was trying to bring it down.
I just had to prove it.