I can see how young couples might enjoy that. Excitement fills me as some preliminary ideas to market the products start to stir. I’m going to have to schedule a marketing meeting soon, too.
“What if you lose the key?” Sebastian asks, ever practical.
“Then you bring the bracelet to the store, and we can make another key based on the serial number,” Patrick answers.
“Perfect.” I smile, then turn to Sebastian. “What do you think?”
The corners of his eyes crinkle. “Very interesting. I see the potential.”
“What’s the feedback from the Hae Min Group?” I ask.
“I haven’t heard back,” Bianca says. “I emailed them last Wednesday and marked it urgent. I requested their feedback by Monday their time.”
Korea’s sixteen hours ahead. Somebody from Hae Min should’ve sent their feedback. “Follow up with them again then,” I say.
“Got it.” She types away furiously on her laptop.
After the design people and Bianca leave, Sebastian turns to me. “Is it common for Hae Min to be late?”
“Sadly, yes. This is the third time they missed a deadline,” I say. It’s like they’ve lost all their enthusiasm for some reason.
He frowns. “Was there a change in the management?”
“No. I was careful to pick a stable company with excellent executives.” For a second, I wonder if I should contact Yuna and ask if anything’s going on at the Hae Min Group…but no. If it’s some family issue, she’s not going to tell me. And I don’t want this deal to color our friendship. I’m loath to taint it when I’ve finally made my first new friend in ages.
“How long have you been working with them to finalize the deal?” Sebastian asks.
“Over six months. But it’s been one mix-up and mishap after another since my visit to Korea.”
His eyebrows pinch. “Are they jerking you around?”
“I never got that feeling. It’s just…they seem unable to make up their minds at times. On top of that, some of their people talk in circles, so it can get a bit confusing. I learned recently that if they say something is ‘difficult,’ what they’re really saying is that’s impossible. So—maybe something cultural? But even then, I feel like it’s taking longer than it needs to.”
He considers for a moment. “Do you want me to handle it?”
“Thanks for the offer, but you don’t have to. My bringing this deal to the table is part of the contract I signed with your family. I can’t let you do what’s essentially my job. But I swear, it’s all going to be fine.”
“Why don’t you send me all the documents for the collaboration? I want to take a closer look and see what I can do to hurry it along.”
Chapter 30
Sebastian
John Highsmith says it won’t be a problem to getThe Hollywood Newsto cough up the source for the photos they got. They’re a bunch of spineless weasels who’ll cave at the first threat of losing everything.
“If they don’t cooperate, proceed with the lawsuit,” I say.
I end the call and return to the documents on the Sebastian Peery collaboration, which are spread out on my desk. The initial projections and timeline are aggressive but reasonable. But the execution is off. Delays. Delays. More delays. Bad communication. Mishaps.
At least Luce’s team did a decent job of logging all the issues in chronological order, so it’s easy to see what’s gone wrong so far. A lot of them are problems that could have been avoided if Luce had more experience and a better team. Like that jackass who talked to her with utter disrespect. He can’t be the only one in the organization with an attitude. He might have started out as the sole asshole, but one bad apple tends to ruin the whole barrel. It’s especially true when the person in charge is soft. Which Luce seems to be.
Perhaps it would be better if she stepped down as the CEO, got away from the pressure to perform and got some experience under her belt before taking up the position again. I want her to succeed, but she won’t if she keeps going this way. She’ll get pushed out for failure or burnout.
The key is how to tell her without pissing her off. Preston blew up when I told him he needed to learn the business by working at one of Sebastian Jewelry’s retail locations. His ego couldn’t handle it—he wasbetter than that. I don’t think Luce has an impossible ego, but she might be hurt or come to resent me.
I make a mental note to come up with a diplomatic way to approach this, then get up from my desk for my lunch meeting with the central regional retail manager for Sebastian Jewelry. He’s in town on business and wants to catch up in person.
As I head out, I notice a finger painting pinned to one of the cubicles. Underneath the painting is a framed photo of a couple and a baby. I sweep my eyes along the other cubicles. Small stuffed animals. Some plants. And lot of photos featuring families or significant others.
