escape later #2
Lo nods. “I’m with Siobhan. I mean, maybe not a what’s in for 2026 wedding trends issue per se, but maybe covering a celebrity wedding instead.”
My mind goes into overdrive, and I voice my confusion out loud. “Who is getting married?”
“Zendaya and Tom,” Janessa answers. “Well, I mean it’s highly anticipated and rumored.”
“Carina Sterling and Gavin Wade,” Siobhan interjected.
“Oh yes, Carina Sterling would be perfect,” Janessa cheers eagerly.
A few others join her, talking amongst themselves.
And I’m completely baffled, because Carina Sterling is like the Kim Kardashian of socialites.
I’m not knocking Mod. We’re a big deal, but what could we possibly offer someone as big as Carina Sterling when she could be on the cover of People or Vanity Fair?
I’m sure they would offer her a lot more money.
Carina is a high-profile socialite and influencer known for her lavish lifestyle and beauty tutorials.
Not to mention her parents are legends. Her father is one of the wealthiest and most talented music producers next to Dr. Dre, and her mother, whom I’ve idolized since I was wearing jelly sandals and baby tees, is one of the top journalists in the industry and a prominent woman in the fashion world.
“Carina Sterling is getting married this year?” Timmy questions.
“That’s the rumor.”
“I read something about it on Shade Room.”
Lo perks up. “Yeah, she is. A close source revealed to TMZ that Carina Sterling is getting married this month in Hawaii. No one knows when, though.”
“What are the chances that it’s during the same time you’ll be there, Marley?” Janessa asks.
Siobhan’s eyes glow in wonder, and her mouth drops. “Right, right! You will be there.”
“You’re right, I will be there. To vacation. Not to work.”
Siobhan holds a pointed finger in the air as if a light bulb went off in her head. “Maybe no one is supposed to know about this big secret. Which means no one has been granted access to the story.”
“I smell an exclusive,” Timmy grins like a Cheshire cat.
“And that’s what we need,” Lo adds. “This is Taylor Swift-level pull.”
I sigh an exasperated sigh and rest my hands on the back of my chair again.
A new girl from marketing is already scribbling notes on a legal pad. She doesn’t look up when she says, “Her engagement post got over fifteen million likes in like, 24 hours.”
I remember the post. Carina announced her engagement to a longshoreman who worked on the Georgia ports.
They’d only been dating three months when he popped the question.
And it was an awkward choice for a girl with millionaire parents who earned money from her modeling career and high-value brand partnerships.
The story of how they met and fell in love is still untold.
But the fact that Carina chose love over status was what had everyone’s mind blown.
She was known to only date powerful, rich men.
Longshoremen made good money, but compared to what Carina was pulling in, Gavin might as well be making minimum wage.
I finally lift my cup of coffee and take a sip of the double shot of espresso, still too hot, but cutting straight through the tension in my chest. Lo gestures towards Felix’s laptop. “I think covering a celebrity wedding would be amazing. I don’t see this going any other way but right.”
Siobhan tosses her hair over her shoulder and smiles. “I concur.”
“If we lock Carina before ceremony coverage rights go wide,” Lo continues, “we own the narrative. We lock in an exclusive cover with exclusive interviews from friends and family. A behind-the-scenes spread. This could be huge.”
Felix nods slowly. “This is the kind of momentum we need.”
All eyes shift to me. I close my own eyes for a moment, preparing myself to let them down gently.
“I get it, everyone. I really do. But we don’t cover weddings. Not like this.”
Lo drops her pen with a heavy sigh.
“We cover the arts, fashion,” I continue, ignoring the eye rolls and the disappointed looks on all of their faces.
“Power. Black History. Reinvention. If we pivot to a celebrity bridal spectacle, the brand starts to look tabloid-ish. Switching our aesthetic makes us look like we’re desperate and scrambling. It reads reactive.”
“It reads smart,” Lo counters.
My gaze shifts to my best friend.
Whose side are you on? is the look I give her. But she shrugs.
“How do we know this story isn’t prepared for another publication?
” I tell them. “Let’s just say we go this route.
How exclusive would it be if every outlet is covering Carina’s wedding?
” No one says anything, so I continue. “If we’re just another Carina is getting married story, what exactly are we offering that’s different? ”
More silence. Now it’s my turn Kayne shrug.
“I rest my case.”
The clock on the wall tells me this meeting needs to end.
Now. We’ve gotten nowhere, and I have no choice but to leave the ideas in the hands of my trusted comrades.
I’m more than exhausted, and the fact that I have a dozen other things I need to do, including packing luggage, isn’t making it any better.
“I thought we could find a solution before my trip, but this isn’t it. Making a drastic turn is too risky, in my opinion. We would benefit more with a solution aligned with our voice. A story that will put us back in the spotlight.”
There are a few cheerless faces flickering across the table. Felix shakes his head and closes his laptop with a little bit too much force.
“Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts. I appreciate you. I would like to come back from Hawaii with some concepts that will raise these numbers and get us back on top of our game.”
Everyone stands, some wishing me a safe trip before leaving the conference room and others mumbling things I’m sure they wouldn’t repeat in my face. Lo stays behind. Arms crossed. Face vexed.
“Don’t give me that look,” I tell her.
“I’m just saying. You’re going to Maui. She’s rumored to be there.”
“Yes, rumored. We don’t know that for sure. We also don’t know if it’s the same time I will be there. Do you know how many people get married in Hawaii? Destination weddings are a thing of the norm.”
“Yeah, but this is a celebrity destination wedding. A-list.”
“I don’t know.”
“Fine. Forget it. Take your little trip,” she quips. “Relax. Have a ball. Maybe a little Hawaii Bliss will get you to see that this is a good idea and you’ll change your mind.”
“Sure. Ok. If I happen to randomly see them in Hawaii, we can put it back on the table.”
I huff out a sigh. I don’t have any more energy to give to this topic of conversation. My thoughts have already moved past Mod and onto the chaos of packing a week’s worth of clothes, beauty products, and accessories.
“Deal?” begs Lo as she follows me out of the conference room.
“Deal,” I roll my eyes because that’s about as likely as a snowball's chance in hell.