Liam
I'm back in my office, in the penthouse where I belong.
That little foray into Claire's world was interesting but it’s definitely not me.
I like things bigger and better, always. That’s how successful people work. Always on a big scale, always expansive, always aiming for growth.
I'm fuming actually, and analyzing all the things she said to me. She's not right. She doesn't even know me. I've let her into my world just a little bit and she thinks she can tell me how it is.
My need to dominate her has not gone away. A part of me still wants to make sure she never touches another guy.
But at this point, I don't want to see her. I think things between us may sincerely be over.
My head is spinning with all things Claire. I try to wipe her from my mind but it doesn't work.
I decide to double down and try to win the Velvet Luxe account. I'll show her what it means to be creative. I would love to be the reason that she doesn't win this client. Then she will understand my point.
I tell my secretary not to let anybody bother me for the rest of the day. I lock myself in the office and work for hours and hours perfecting my ideas.
Once I open up the folder and see all of my designer's ideas I realize they have it all wrong. I delegated the task to them and yet I see that their work is not as good as I thought. I can certainly do better.
This makes me question whether Claire was right. Maybe I haven't been involved enough. Maybe I should be more a part of the artistic process. But I can’t always be hands-on in every campaign. That’s what your employees are for.
I’ll never admit that she's right. But I’ll pour my heart and soul into this campaign to make sure that she doesn't win it. That's how pissed I am. Now, I'm invested in her ruin.
Trish comes in at various points to bring me coffee and food. But I barely take a second off from work. I’m solely in charge now of making this the most prestigious advertising campaign the world has ever seen.
I'm sketching and drawing and digitizing my ideas. I've got papers drawn out all over the place. My office is a mess and I like it that way. It reminds me of the old days when I used to do my own work.
Night falls upon the city and soon I'm all alone in the building. Even Trish has left. I don’t mind, and I felt freedom knowing there won’t be anyone to disturb me at all.
I blast some music over the speakers and continue to work. I find that it helps me to be inspired more and get the creative juices flowing.
I think of Claire and of her company and how artistic it was. Maybe it inspired me or maybe it's my fury at her, but I feel the zeal to create like I haven't felt in such a long time.
I paint my sketches and draw my ideas. The penthouse has turned into an artist's studio in the span of 10 hours.
This is the first time in a long time that I remember why I got into this business to begin with.
I work all night to make my ideas a reality. Time passes quickly and I don't even realize it. I'm genuinely enjoying the process and I think that's ironic considering the hell I just gave Claire about hers.
I haven't entirely forgiven her but as I work she's in my thoughts. I try to forget her but images of her beautiful face cross my mind frequently.
I consider that this is the way Claire works every single day. She makes it her mission to be involved in every project. That has perhaps kept her company small, but I think she's made it that way on purpose. She seems to disdain everything impersonal, everything corporate.
I still don't think she's right. She obviously doesn't know how to run a business. Running a small business is definitely different from handling a large scale one. But maybe there's something to the fact that as the boss, the CEO, I need to be a little bit more involved.
This is especially obvious by the way I see that my designers have not done a good job. I need to micromanage them a little bit better. Or perhaps hire a whole new staff because the concepts I've seen are not up to par with my standards.
Without this fight with Claire, I never would have seen the flaws in my business. I never would've looked into the designer's work or my own management process. I've been operating on cruise control. It's an easy way to live but also a dispassionate one.
It's the middle of the night and the city is pitch black aside from flickering lights that come from the various skyscrapers.
I'm surrounded by my artistic mess and it feels good. I want to call Claire. Not to apologize, nor to admit my wrongdoing, but to invite her over here so I can fuck her hard and have makeup sex.
I'm in no position to offer that considering our fight. Maybe if I had some claim to her, but she and I are not even an item. As far as I know, things between us are dead.
I take a break to have a whiskey as she dominates my thoughts.
To think of never seeing her again feels like the wrong decision. What is she doing to me to haunt my thoughts like this?
I don't get wrapped up in women, especially ones that fight with me like that. She should know her place and not to defy me. But then, Claire's a bit of a wild card and I knew that before going into this.
She's artistic and strong. She does what she wants. And she's a free spirit if I've ever seen one. And I guess I have to respect that, as much as I want to control her.
I work all night and have my ideas clearly defined by the time morning light hits my office.
It's time to go home. I've been running all night away from our argument, away from Claire. I put my everything into this campaign and it's basically wrapped up.
Either Velvet Luxe will love it or they will hate it, but a part of me still really wants to beat Claire.
I still want to buy her company so that she will know that ultimately I was right.