Chapter 6 Gwen #2
“That said, Rushies also like showmanship, which is why we’re going big.”
Harrison cleared his throat and frowned. I pressed on and moved to the next slide.
“Scarlet is in the middle of a major press junket in conjunction with the announcement of her new album and world tour.”
“Love, Scarlet is going to be her biggest album yet,” someone added.
“Exactly,” I agreed as I switched the slide to her cover art.
“She’s hitting every late-night talk show, including After Dark with Ryan Richardson.
I’ve worked with the Richardson team before, and I have strong contacts there, so the plan is to have Ryan present Scarlet with a dozen yellow roses from you, Harrison, right after she performs on the show.
They’re her favorite flowers, plus the yellow ones symbolize friendship, so it won’t seem like a come-on.
Then he’ll give her a check from Ashford Jets for her animal rescue charity, which is her literal pet project. ”
“Hold on, I’m not sure that—” Harrison began.
“There’s more,” I said, cutting him off with a glare. “The next night, you’ll appear on After Dark for a follow-up interview, where you’ll talk about what went wrong on the fateful day, how sorry you are that she missed the show, and how excited you are to support her charity.”
“But why should I apologize for a mistake that was their fault?” Harrison asked, sounding like he was warming up for a full-on tirade.
“Harrison,” Denise chided softly. “That attitude isn’t going to help us put this behind us. Reconciliation isn’t about figuring out who’s to blame. And besides, you need to step up and take some responsibility for what you said after the incident.”
“I hate going on TV,” he grumbled.
“I know that,” Denise said. “We all do. But you also hate losing shareholder value, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now.”
I kept quiet as the two longtime colleagues duked it out.
“Can’t someone else do it?” Harrison asked angrily. “Why me?”
“Because you are Ashford Jets,” Denise said.
“And you’re the focus of the Rushies’ anger,” I added, smug about the fact.
“You’re who they believe is the bad guy, so now your job is to flip the narrative in a way that speaks to them.
A grand gesture like this is exactly what they love.
If you can pretend to be adequately apologetic, they’ll move on in a heartbeat. Hell, they might even stan you.”
“Stan?” Harrison asked with a sneer.
“It’s slang,” Brianna explained from the far end of the table. “It’s like being a fan, but deeper. It’s from an old Eminem song where—”
“Listen, I don’t want fans, or stans, or any of this. I want this bullshit to end. Yesterday.”
“Which is why you hired me,” I reminded him. “My understanding was that you believed in my perspective enough to bring me on board, but if that’s not the case, I can pack up and go.”
It was a bluff—there was no way I could afford to walk out of my new job. I held my breath and his gaze as his jaw flexed.
The room went silent as he considered his next move, and everyone glanced between us like they were watching a tennis match.
“It’s a solid plan,” Denise finally said.
“I agree,” another voice sounded off from the far end of the table.
“Low cost, high reward,” Brianna added.
“Plus, her charity is right up your alley,” Denise said. “It makes sense since you’re—”
“Do you even have a solid commitment from the After Dark team?” Harison demanded of me. “What’s your Plan B if they say no?”
“The only reason I’d need a Plan B is if you refuse my original plan. The After Dark folks owe me a favor. Plus, they’ll eat this up. They live for this kind of multi-show arc and scooping every other news outlet with a hot story.”
Everyone turned to watch how Harrison would react. If a fully grown, adult-ass man could pout like a toddler, Harrison Ashford was doing it now, frowning so hard his handsome face was contorted.
But he was outnumbered, and he knew it.
“What sort of bullshit would I need to say?” he groused. “Because there’s no way I’m getting all flowery and talking about my feelings in front of the world. You said we needed to be sincere. I’d sound fake as hell if I tried to pull that off.”
“We can craft the message together if you want, but I’ll get final approval,” I said. “And yes, you’ll have to at least pretend to have real human emotions while you’re on the show.”
A few people snickered quietly.
I switched to the next slide, which contained a brief script.
“I like it,” Denise said. “A lot.”
I glanced at her, and she shot me a supportive smile. Harrison was a bosshole, sure, but at least my crew seemed to have my back. It was an unexpected bonus after dealing with Alan’s bro-leagues for way too long.
“I’m not dancing,” Harrison snarled.
“Did I ask you to dance?” I shot back.
“What’s the timeline?” Harrison asked.
I held up my phone. “The minute you give me the greenlight, I’m calling my guy at After Dark. Scarlet is scheduled to go on in a few days, and I want to make sure they add some time after she performs for the flower moment.”
I held my breath as Harrison worked through the scenarios before him.
“Fine,” he finally said. “Make the call.”
He stood up abruptly and left the conference room, and I let out a long sigh of relief.
A few people applauded, and Denise gave me an approving nod.
“You just did the impossible,” she said.
I tilted my head at her.
“You got that man to agree to something he didn’t want to do. It’s your first day, and you’ve already achieved wizard status. Congrats.”
I glanced toward where Harrison had just stormed out. I might’ve won the first skirmish, but I had a feeling the war between us was just beginning.