Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I stared at the contract that had just come through for my upcoming client, Evelyn Laurent. The gala she was hosting for the Laurent Foundation for Pediatric Trauma and Recovery would be hosted next weekend at the Getty Center, located in the Brentwood hills on the west side of Los Angeles.
It wasn’t the first event I’d orchestrated there, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t absolutely love the location and architecture for these types of events.
The place sat high above the city, known for its panoramic views of Los Angeles.
I especially loved the white travertine stone and the architecture’s modern, clean, powerful feel.
It wasn’t gaudy luxury but more of an elevated sense of wealth.
Her event was scheduled for six in the evening, perfectly timed for golden hour, which at the Getty Center was positively unreal.
This also wasn’t the first event I’d hosted for Ms. Laurent, and I was grateful she trusted me with evenings like this. She wasn’t a flashy woman—just intentional with the way she lived. Everything in her world carried meaning, restraint, and a sense of legacy.
The event’s theme was Resilience in Silence, her nod to pediatric neurotrauma. With her location preference and neutral color tones requested for décor, I was really looking forward to this event.
I was in the middle of using my design program to engineer the movement and the experience guests would feel when I was interrupted by a shadow standing in my doorway.
I glanced up. “Give me just another minute to send this to Jules so he can integrate the guest list and seating, and I’ll be right with you,” I told my assistant, Dani.
“Okay, but I think you might want to know about this new proposal from Hawk Enterprise,” she said meekly, with some shock and humor in her voice.
“You know,” I said, dragging another lighting block in the program to another section of the room, “I have always prided myself on not rolling my eyes…” I trailed off, finishing the final touches, saving, and then sending it off to Jules.
I heard Dani chuckle. “Are you saying that because you just did?”
I pushed back from my desk and rose. “Yes,” I said with a smile, noting a paper in her hand. “It appears the name Hawk has caused me to break that rule every time I hear it.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll roll your eyes at this,” she said, holding out the paper to me.
I gently took it, first noticing the emblem at the top was the logo of a hawk, with Hawk Enterprise written beneath it. And then I read its contents:
Titus Hawk
Chief Executive Officer
Hawk Enterprise
Global luxury
Madrid ?New York ?Dubai ?Newport Beach
Subject: Private Event Coordination. An Aegean Engagement
Attention: Ms. Veléz.
You are being formally retained by Hawk Enterprise to design and execute a private, invitation-only event to be held aboard the vessel Eterna in the Aegean Sea.
This engagement has been identified as a priority project requiring a designer with your level of discretion, precision, and creative control.
Event Overview
Location: Aegean Sea (Exact coordinates and docking details will be disclosed upon execution of confidentiality agreements.)
Duration: Three-day private engagement
Venue: Private superyacht (Eterna)
Guest List: Highly selective, international
(Full details to be disclosed under NDA.)
Scope of Work:
You will be granted full creative authority over the event design, including but not limited to the following:
Concept development
Spatial layout and guest experience flow
Floral and visual installations
Lighting and atmosphere design
Dining presentation and aesthetic coordination
All creative direction will be executed at your discretion, within the provided parameters.
Confidentiality:
Due to the nature of this event and the profile of the attending guests:
All participating personnel will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements prior to receiving full event details
Guest identities, itinerary details, and final design intent will remain restricted until NDA execution
Team & Logistics:
You may bring a limited, pre-approved team essential to execution
Travel, accommodations, and operational logistics will be fully coordinated and covered by Hawk Enterprise
A dedicated liaison will be assigned to meet all requirements
Compensation:
Hawk Enterprise is prepared to offer the following: three times your standard project rate.
This includes:
full design fee
travel and accommodations
operational expenses
The compensation structure will be finalized upon acceptance.
Timeline:
NDA execution: Immediate upon interest
Design briefing: Within 48 hours of agreement
Deployment: As scheduled per the finalized itinerary
Closing:
This engagement requires a designer who does not rely on convention but defines it.
Your work reflects that standard.
If you are interested in proceeding, please confirm availability. NDA documentation will be forwarded for execution.
I look forward to your confirmation.
Respectfully,
Titus Hawk
Chief Executive Officer
Hawk Enterprise
Global Luxury
Madrid ?New York ?Dubai ?Newport Beach
I glanced up at Dani, who was likely waiting for my reaction to Titus’s offer to pay me three times my usual fee for these events.
I smiled at her. “Well, let’s see if I can fit Mr. Hawk into my schedule. It seems the man already believes I’m formally retained by him and his company for this.”
“You would turn him down if you were already booked?” she asked with wide eyes.
“I would and I will,” I answered her directly. “Thank you for this. Forward me the email, and I’ll respond—” My cell phone buzzing on my desk interrupted me while I was finishing my sentence. “You handle that, and just let me know whether we’ll be moving forward with Mr. Hawk as a client.”
“I will,” I forced a smile after seeing that it was Titus calling me.
“Ms. Veléz,” he said when I slid the phone to answer, “I trust you received my contract?”
“I should give you credit for being some form of a psychic because I was just about to respond to it,” I said with a soft laugh.
“I wouldn’t say psychic,” he responded, his voice lighter than I’d ever heard. “More like precise.”
“Well, if you’re precise, Mr. Hawk—”
“Titus,” he interrupted, voice still light and friendly.
“Titus,” I repeated. “Then why are you sending over a proposal that’s riddled with mystery and NDAs to be signed, yet no exact date for when this event will take place?”
“So you’d answer your cell when I called.”
I held back the sigh that threatened to escape. “Well, now that you have me on the phone, before I will consider this, I need a date to see if I’m available.”
“I imagine that, whether or not someone has booked you for the weekend, I will need your services for this. My offer of three times your usual fee and the service fee should easily confirm your willingness to be employed for the event.”
“You are a very bold man, sir,” I replied, well aware that he would be paying me eight hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to work this exclusive event.
“I don’t sit in the chair I’m in now as someone not known for boldness, Ms. Veléz.”
“I need the dates for this,” I said, staying focused.
“Next weekend,” his tone was now more direct, the Titus authority everyone who knew him was accustomed to.
“I already have an event with another client next weekend,” I said. “I’m sorry. Your offer was quite generous, but—”
“I will quadruple the offer, and I’m sure your current client can easily find another coordinator.”
“Why is it, Mr. Hawk, that men like you think you can wave dollar signs at people and expect us to bend to your will?” I questioned him with the same authority he used on me.
“Because everyone in our line of work answers to dollar signs,” he said, practically mocking the word I’d just used against him.
“Well, it appears you’ve met the first person in your line of work who doesn’t.”
“So, you’re telling me you’re turning down this proposal for work for what? It’s obviously not money?”
“Not everything is about money,” I said, finding myself in a bizarre pissing match with the man who seemed to grow more frustrated each time I answered him.
“Then, is this about me?”
I almost laughed out loud. “No, Titus, it might be an unpopular opinion of yours, but not everything is about you.”
His laugh in response was either one of disgust or shock. “Is this because I didn’t hire you as my exclusive event architect?”
“No,” I answered simply. “It’s because I didn’t build my business and brand by dropping clients who depend on me just because someone else offered me more money for their event. That’s not how business operates… not mine, anyway.”
Silence.
I smiled when I heard him sigh.
“Very well then,” he answered. “The next proposal I’ll send to your office will be to secure you as my exclusive event coordinator.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m no longer interested in working solely for you, Mr. Hawk,” I said in a resolute tone.
“May I ask why?” he asked, a hint of frustration in his deep voice.
“Because when I do business or meet potential clients at their homes—learning history lessons about them and their family as if they’re entrusting me with the hard-earned company they’re running…” I paused, gathering my thoughts.
“Go on,” he said, breaking the short silence.
“I expect more professionalism. That’s all.”
“I was the epitome of professionalism that evening in my home,” he practically seethed.
“I heard nothing from you after you so gracefully walked me out of your home, under the impression that you would consider hiring me,” I answered him.
“Miss—”
I heard humor in his voice, and that wasn’t the reaction I expected.
“Allow me to finish,” I interrupted. “When I do business with clients, I expect communication regarding whether my services are wanted or not. If they aren’t?
I usually simply never hear back. Professionalism,” I breathed into the phone.
“Instead, a week later, I received a random text from you telling me to clear my schedule.”
“That was simply my way of—”
“Treating me as if I’ll bend to your will the second you decide to contact me again?
No, Mr. Hawk,” I said evenly. “I don’t operate that way in business.
Maybe other people accommodate your demands, but I don’t.
I’m already booked for the date you’re requesting, and I’m sure there are plenty of other planners who would gladly accept your proposal. I won’t be able to at this time.”
“So, that’s your—”
“Rejection?” I smiled into the phone, knowing he was at a loss for words. “Yes. If you need referrals, I’ll have Dani send over the names of event architects I recommend.”
“I’m truly sorry if I’ve offended you, Ms. Veléz,” he said in a softer tone.
“Mr. Hawk, I’m not offended in the least. This is all business and nothing personal.”
“Perhaps in the future we can discuss future events I’ll be hosting that will require your services?”
What the hell is it with this guy?
“If I’m free, I will be more than willing to discuss future business with Hawk Enterprise. Currently, we are at the end of spring and moving into summer, and I’m booking up quite rapidly.”
“I will be in touch. Thank you for your time.”
That’s all he said, then he hung up. I had no idea what the hell to say or think about that man at the moment.
I guess all I could conjure up, given how the man had been behaving since I’d moved into this building, was that I was the only person in his universe who had challenged him, and as of today, had rejected him.
Something told me I hadn’t pushed the man away, though. Instead, I had a feeling I only challenged him more. However, up until now, all I knew about Titus Hawk was that money was how he got his way with everything in life. Money and his charms—both of which had zero effect on me.