Almost as soon as she said ‘Max’, he appeared at the doorway, too.
“Dad!” Eliza’s pitch elevated.
“I just popped by to take Margot to an early dinner.”
He walked in, then leaned over my desk, hand outstretched. Max’s stubble was trimmed to perfection, and his suit fitted like a glove.
“The launch looks fantastic. I’ve seen the images all over socials, and Roka has really kept up her side of the bargain. For someone who has a reputation for being difficult, you turned her into an easy customer.”
I shook his hand, but couldn’t shake the prickly feeling in my bones.
“My advice, though?” He didn’t ask if I wanted it or not. “Don’t let up. Ride this wave. The launch looks fantastic, but the launch isn’t where you make your money. Building on a launch is where you make your money. Focus on getting the orders fulfilled on time. Then you need to keep pushing. Keep focused. Stay aware of new opportunities.”
I tried not to bristle, but I knew I was failing. He spoke to me like I didn’t have an MBA, like I’d never been in business.
I understood people, because I’d been taught by the best. Plus, I knew full well that launch was just that: a start. You had to keep pushing, otherwise your launch might break down. I could tell Max about the social media influencers we had rolling out over the next couple of weeks, about the product placements the team were working on across TV and film.
Hell, we’d even sent Voss Watches to a host of top sports and entertainment figures. Including the England soccer captain Ashleigh Woods, who was engaged to Princess Victoria. If either of them was seen wearing Voss, it would catapult the brand even further still. But I didn’t want to blow his mind that I might know what I was doing.
“Plus, whatever happens with the company — whether you carry on, or whether you sell — this collab shows what a strong proposition it is. What legs it’s got.” He smiled at Margot, then at me. “You win either way, right? Which is what business is all about.”
Beside me, Eliza stiffened.
Meanwhile, Margot’s smile faltered by a fraction. Other people might not have noticed, but I knew my aunt.
Suddenly, I felt like I was the only one in the room not in on the joke. Only, the joke wasn’t all that funny. Was there something I needed to know?
I glanced at Margot, who stared at my desk like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Meanwhile, Eliza had picked up the champagne and was studying the label like she was about to regale me with the bottle’s grape composition at great length.
The only person meeting my gaze was Max.
“We’re not selling, Max. If I do well and prove myself, Margot promised me that.”
She nodded. “So long as the numbers stack up and Fiona’s okay. A promise is a promise.” She kept nodding a little too long.
I wasn’t reassured.
Max checked his watch — not a Voss — and clicked his fingers. “We should get going,” he told Margot, before spinning on the ball of his foot and pointing at Eliza. “We still on to meet later as you were so busy doing other things today?”
I could sense Eliza’s squirm beneath her nod. “I told you earlier, it’s totally fine. I’ll see you at the club.”
Margot and Max bid us farewell. However, the office after their departure was a very different place to when they arrived. Now, it felt stained. Rife with things left unsaid.
I turned to Eliza. “You didn’t see your dad today? Were you lying earlier?”
She shook her head, the crease at the top of her nose deepening.
“Of course not. He just wants to meet in person. We had phone chats.”
I was fairly sure she was lying.
“Will you still be able to come and drink the champagne with me after meeting with your dad?”
She nodded, but didn’t quite meet my eye. “Absolutely. This is a big day. The first of many.”
CHAPTER 31
