Liam
Claire's got me in her office and it's interesting being led by a woman for once.
I have to say that seeing where she works is an unusual experience for me. She practices some unique concepts in her workplace environment, and I think it seem to work for the people working for her.
Her little creative oasis is a far cry from my corporate building.
Now I feel kind of glad that she hasn't seen my building. She's been in my private penthouse, yes, but not my office. To her, it might seem more standard and ordinary than ever.
Her building is odd and offbeat. It has an unrestrained quality of freedom that one normally doesn’t find in an office space. She really has tried to make something here, something fresh and innovative and I admire that.
All her employees seem extremely happy. Their own offices are decked out with every manner of toy and trinket that could make work feel less like a tedious experience.
I hold her in my arms and take the opportunity to tell her how I feel.
"This place is...amazing. You really built your own little empire here. I see your vision clearly," I tell her in all honesty.
She smiles at me, proud of the work system she implements, and delivers the final kiss between before pulling me to the couch in her office.
"Want a drink?" she asks.
"Why not?" I say.
She has a mirrored little bar in her office. It's quaint and cute, very Claire.
She doesn't even bother to ask what I want but makes us each a vodka soda.
I'm starting to unpeel some of the layers to Claire. She's not what she seems at all. She may not have a ton of money or be good at business, but she is immensely talented. It's no wonder she can create such amazing ads when the place she works is so attuned to creativity.
Her mission is to stay away from a corporate atmosphere and I'd say she's succeeded.
She brings me my drink and curls up next to me.
"So," she says. "How would you say my company measures up to your own?"
It's an easy question.
"Well, for starters, you’re very hands-on. At Dignity Creative I hardly ever delve into the process itself. I'm more of a manager."
She looks surprised.
"You are? Don't you miss being in the thick of it? Within all the creativity?"
"Not really. I used to work a lot on that side of things but then the company got so large that I hired people to do that for me."
"I don't know how you work like that Liam. Don't you like to get your hands dirty in every aspect of the business?"
I think this is rich coming from someone who has virtually no experience in the business world. Claire's mismanaging her firm if you can even call it a firm. I want to tell her this but I hold back not wanting to offend.
"Being artistic isn't everything Claire. You'll come to see that one day. You do too much work to build your business. Why don't you hand it off to the people that work for you?"
She pulls away from me and I can I made her angry with my blatant honesty. Whether I've said too much or not she needs to hear the truth.
"Because, I like the work. I don't want to just tell people what to do all day. I want to make things happen. Creativity is about putting your vision to life. Only you can see it, so how do you expect others to put it to life as you wish it to be?"
I lean back into the sofa and think I don't like where this is going. She's getting pretty heated and not in a good way.
"Well, I like my work too Claire," I say, defending myself. "But there are different aspects of it that you just don't understand. Keep in mind that I'm running a billion-dollar corporation and you have a little brick-and-mortar company."
Her eyes turn angry. She's become enraged and pulls away from the crook of my arm. She goes off on me.
"You know what Liam? I don't know where you get off saying that to me. I'm trying to be as unlike your company as possible. You're nothing but a suit. And I think you have a lack of work ethic because you refuse to get your hands dirty. You're nothing but a cold, faceless head of a company and that’s nothing to be proud of."
Now I'm pissed. She's insulting my work ethic? I'm a goddamn billionaire. Her company is about to fold. You do the math.
I'm not about to stay here and be insulted like this.
I get up to leave but not before giving her a piece of my mind.
"Claire, you got it all wrong. You don't know anything about business. And because of that your company's gonna go under. Don't you see that I'm trying to help you? You're not running things right."
She stands up to face me angrily.
"Liam, you’re not the guy I thought you were. You come off as this creative, artistic person and now I realize you're just like all the rest. How dare you tell me how to run my company."
Her words infuriate me. She doesn't even know who I am. She knows the face I present to her, nothing deeper than that.
"That's fine Claire. Then we don't need to see each other anymore," I say as I take my leave.
"Maybe that's best," she says as tears form in her eyes.
The image of her sad like that makes me feel terrible. I might be a bastard sometimes, but I can't stand to see a woman cry.
She's so very beautiful and vulnerable that I hate to leave her like this. But I can’t offer her solace now. I also have my wounded ego to nurse.
She and I are obviously different people and we'll never be on the same plane.
I turn and leave her there to cry. I storm out of the building and walk down the street to meet my waiting limousine.
My blood is boiling with rage. I've never had a woman talk to me like that before. Who does she think she is?
In the car I determine that Evan might've been right. We need to take over Claire's company because obviously she doesn't understand business at all.
I'll be doing her a favor. She’ll see.