As soon as I walked out of Alex’s office and Theo’s phone went to voicemail, I was abruptly pulled aside by one of my architect designers on Sphere. Shelly insisted on talking to me, but I held a finger up when my phone rang in from Theo, and I answered the call.
“Hey, are you in your office? I just spoke with Mr. Grayson, and he’s tightlipped about your future with Stone Company. We need to talk about what’s going on and what he said to you.”
“In my office, but you need to talk to Shelly. She’s looking for you,” Theo responded.
“She’s right here, and I will, but I need to talk to you first, Theo.”
“Our conversation must wait,” he said. “Sphere just called me, and they’re pushing up the meeting to noon.”
“Why wouldn’t they have called me?” I answered in confusion.
“No idea. Something’s up. Are you taking Mr. Grayson with you to meet with them? You all need to leave right now if you want to make the noon appointment.”
“Noon? You’re right. Something isn’t sitting well with me about them calling you to move up our meeting.” I rubbed my forehead. “Alex and Danny are going to be there with me. About our conversation, that’s on hold for the time being. Can we talk at lunch or something?”
“Yes, and don’t you dare worry about me for a second. My situation isn’t as urgent as saving this deal. You need to focus on Sphere. Get your eyes on whatever they must’ve seen on those mock-ups. Some errors must’ve slipped past you.”
“What? Nothing slips past me.”
“I know. So, make sure it’s clean and ready to go for the meeting,” Theo said.
“Got it. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
“Good luck. You got this, Bree.”
“Thanks.”
I felt like I walked out of Alex’s office, and a tornado ripped me out of the hallway and threw me into the middle of chaos.
“Shell,” I looked at my designer, “send me over everything. Is Danny bringing the—”
“I’ve got everything we need. Thank you anyway, Shelly,” Alex said as he approached, calm and assertive. “You ready to do this? We need to leave.”
“I know. I need to get to my office, grab my stuff, and I’ll meet you out front. Can you call an Uber for me? I need to—”
“I’ve got it all taken care of,” Alex said as I looked up at the man who towered over me in heels.
I held onto his smooth vibes. This guy was calm, cool, and collected amid a brewing storm. Then again, he wasn’t likely losing his vice president or, from what Shelly’s expression told me, a multi-million-dollar deal due to errors I apparently missed in our final mock-up.
After grabbing my briefcase, I left my office and moved through the building with a steady foot, ready to head out.
I wasn’t going to freak out that we were possibly going to lose this deal, or about the errors on our final project that were missed, the reason Sphere moved our appointment up, or, most importantly, the fact that it felt like everything was falling apart all at once. Theo and I would work things out later. Now, it was time for me to focus on keeping this deal no matter what I did. I was known for fixing last-minute errors, and for all I knew, Shelly was overreacting. The vibes in the office these days made it seem like everything was going to hell, so it was my job to rise above and handle business.
When I walked out of the front doors and turned to the parking structure, I spotted Alex first. He stood in conversation with a man who appeared to be the driver of the fancy Rolls Royce parked outside the parking garage.
I didn’t have time to argue that this wasn’t the particular Uber I would have expected, but who cared? It was transportation. I had to sit down, go through these mock-ups, and, hopefully, fix errors during the drive to our appointment.
Alex turned to me, easily matching the beauty and stateliness of the Rolls, and before I could sit in the car, Alex moved to where the chauffeur had greeted me and offered his hand to help me into the back seat of the vehicle.
I stopped and turned back when I heard Danny approaching from behind us, whistling like some high school guy who was checking out a hot chick.
“Sorry I’m late. What the fuck with this badass car?” He smiled and clapped Alex on his arm. “It’s pretty damn good to have you around, Mr. Grayson.”
“I know,” Alex answered as he looked at Danny over the silver rims of his Ray-Bans. “We’ll see you there. You’re in the car behind us.” He nodded toward a microcar car parked behind the blacked-out Rolls Royce, and I wondered how the driver could sit inside it without getting leg cramps. “We’re running late.” Alex grinned at Danny, whose cheeks were red with anger, as Danny squared up to him. “Is there a problem?”
“Yeah, there’s a fucking problem,” Danny said, trying to size up Alex, who was at least three inches taller than the six-foot man. “I’m not riding in that tiny-ass car. I’ll sit in the front seat of the Rolls.”
“Bummer for you,” Alex dismissed the confrontational tone with a sigh. “Because you’re not riding in the car with Ms. Stone and me. Breanne and I have quite a bit of business to go over with our pitch to Sphere before we arrive at this meeting.”
“This is bullshit.” Danny looked at me.
“Just get in the other car, Danny,” I said, looking at the guy acting like an overgrown toddler, throwing a fit. I’d trusted Danny with this project, and he dropped the ball at the last hour on me, and now he was looking at me for help? I don’t think so. “And by the way, I just want to thank you for not catching errors in our final project. This should be super easy to fix in a damn car on the way to our appointment. This is our last and only chance to nail down this deal.”
I was furious that this man was more worried about the car he was driving in than the fact that we had errors in our presentation.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the finals over to you until today.” He exhaled, annoyed.
“Sorry doesn’t pay the bills,” I said as I slid into the backseat of the Rolls.
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Alex said. “We’ll see you at the site. I would suggest taking the car I called for you. We’re already pressed for time and now having to fix last-minute errors, thanks to you…” Alex paused while taking blueprints that were shoved into his chest by Danny.
“I’ll take my car, thanks.”
“Good luck finding parking in Malibu during lunch hours. If you don’t make the meeting, I will make sure it will be the last one you miss.”
“Are you threatening to fire me?” Danny snapped.
“After learning you moved up the appointment with our clients, and now, Ms. Stone is the one having to fix your errors—possibly resulting in losing this deal altogether—what would you suggest I do?” Alex asked as I was logging into my account to pull up the drawings. “You’re coming with us, and you will sell this client.”
“Wait, what did you just say?” I seethed from the backseat, watching their exchange. “What did you do, Danny?”
“Danny has plenty of time to think about what he did in his own car.” Alex sat in the car next to me. “We need your pretty little eyes on this project and making it shine before we get to our clients.”
I watched as Danny stomped to the little car behind us and crawled inside, and then our car took off, the microcar following behind.
“What did he do that I don’t know about?” I asked Alex.
“It’s nothing that won’t be handled after we fix errors and save our client.” Alex nodded toward my laptop and iPad. “We need your eyes on those building designs. I can’t pitch this and make it work without you fixing the errors and making last-minute enhancements. I’ve researched your talents, so it’s time to turn water into wine, Ms. Stone,” he said with a grin before continuing. “The team on this project found errors. While I may be a genius with spreadsheets and such, I will admit that I’m not an AutoCAD person. I need you to translate to me what we’re looking at and how I’m to pitch it to Sphere.”
“Shit,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
He glanced over his sunglasses that defined the sharp features of his face. “Take a breath. Do what you do best. Let’s fix the issues and get ready to land a multi-million-dollar deal, Breanne,” he offered with a smile that comforted my frazzled nerves.
“Got it,” I said, then I intently focused in silence as the car moved toward the traffic on the freeway.
Oh, my God.
“What the hell? Is this a last-minute addition? We didn’t go over this in the original plans,” I whispered as if I were the only one in the car. “No.” I slid to the next diagram. “How did he slip this in under my nose? Oh, my God.” The car was quiet and barely moving, still jammed-up while I was finding critical errors that Danny had snuck in. “Of all the people who should’ve been given a severance package.” I chewed on the corner of my cheek. “That son of a bitch cut corners. His cut sheet is filled with cheap shit. Fuck!” I said, my eyes wide in disbelief at how my beautiful vision had been destroyed overnight and by the jerk driving in the micro-car behind us.
“Okay, the suspense is killing me,” Alex smoothly cut in. “What have you found? I need to know what we’re dealing with here. Do I need to call in the top architects from Brooks to look at this? We may need their eyes if the fixes are that difficult.”
“Let me think.” I kept looking at the unjustifiable inaccuracies that had me sick to my stomach. “I can’t believe I trusted Danny to supervise my vision and ensure this…” I paused in disbelief. “All of the sketches that I stayed up until two or three in the morning drawing up—I can’t believe this. My work had to be translated into our programs to make this vision come to life, and now, it’s as if Danny didn’t use my sketches or design maps at all,” I said, pissed and intently studying the shortcuts and flaws. Why weren’t these discoverable until now? There’s no way I missed this shit. I looked over at Alex’s concerned expression. “We can’t pitch this project. I can’t show these building designs to them. We have to cancel this meeting. Holy Shit. This is a goddamn joke.”
This was a huge blow, and I was crushed that Danny had the audacity to destroy this project. Was it done intentionally? Shit, I knew he was an asshole, but I couldn’t imagine him wanting to sabotage the one thing that would put our company in a good financial place. I was baffled at how Danny took such a detailed and beautiful vision and ruined it by being cheap, sneaky, and sabotaging this entire project with errors.
“We’re not canceling the meeting with Sphere,” Alex said. “From what I’ve learned about you, you’re not a woman who quits, either. There are plenty of articles out there, proving that you are indeed a woman who overcomes obstacles, not a woman who is defined by them.”
“You think I can overcome this disaster in the next hour or so? It’s like he deliberately sabotaged this.”
Alex casually leaned his arm on the armrest that separated where we sat as I zoomed in on the pillars that would’ve been disastrous with the way Danny redesigned what I sent him months ago.
“You can and will overcome it,” Alex said. “However, I do need to know and understand what you’re seeing. Give me something, Breanne. I’ve seen where your bid is at least three million under what should’ve originally been pitched. With the numbers alone, this is going to put the firm under. When it is all said and done, you’ll be paying them to build this. I have seen that no one else has been able to match your bid, and it’s in the bag, yes?”
“Yes. You’re right about all of that.” I looked over at Alex. “And the deal is in the bag because we’re going under by shorting ourselves on the bid. Why am I just now seeing this? You and I both know that there’s no fixing this without convincing them to give us at least four million more, and that’s after I tell them we fucked up the designs. That’s not even hiring the contractors, purchasing the correct materials, drafting new bids with real estate. I can go on and on.”
“I can handle the negotiations of all of that,” Alex said, his voice relaxed. “Nevertheless, I need to know exactly what I’m negotiating now that you’ve noticed the errors.” I could tell he was making an effort not to escalate my panic. “Breanne, I understand that you’re frustrated, but if I’m going to nail this down, I need you to show me the flaws that you see through your design programs. What is going through the designer’s mind?”
I rested my head against the seat. “What is going through my mind right now?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Titanic.”
“Titanic? As in that’s how monumental you see this mistake is?”
“No, the ship that sank. You’re a numbers man, correct?”
“Yes,” he said in a curious voice. “I’m now struggling to figure out if we’re building a ship and heading to a shipyard?” He chuckled.
“Do you find this funny, Mr. Grayson?”
“I find the creative mind intriguing, and now, you have my full attention. Please explain why you’ve questioned me being a numbers man while bringing up the Titanic. I must know what that has to do with a superlative ocean liner.”
“Well, that’s what this entire project and everything in my vision will turn out to be if it’s built,” I said. “There’s no last-minute fix to these flaws in the design. It will look grand and beautiful yet flawed and built so damn cheap that it won’t ever be what it was intended to be. So, this reminds me of Titanic, of all the things I could compare it to. Titanic sank for the same reasons.”
Alex readjusted himself, his long legs seeking comfort in the back seat of the car. “I find your mind to be as brilliant as it is somewhat wild, but I’m struggling to follow. Am I to believe that you’re expecting us to land this deal and build this magnificent building, then after it has been built, it will take the lives of those who spend time there?”
“So, back to numbers,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, my mind is all over the place.”
“Talk it out. We’re stuck in traffic, and I’m quite interested in how you’re tying this to a ship sinking in 1912.”
“Okay,” I said. “The Titanic was the most glorious ship, and first of its kind, in the year it was designed and engineered. It was fashioned to captivate the world with its size, grandeur, and its speed. And it did captivate the world.”
“With its sinking, of course. It still does captivate most, and I see that it seems to have you especially captivated.”
“Back to numbers,” I went on. “With a crew of nine hundred people, the Titanic’s capacity was brought to more than two thousand souls on board; some say three thousand. Yet more than fifteen hundred people lost their lives in that disaster.”
“And from what I recall, it was deemed the unsinkable ship.”
“Correct.” He was humoring me, but I had a point. “They were careless and too confident, so they didn’t allow for a proper number of lifeboats to satisfy saving all lives on that ship should it come into trouble.”
“And now there are laws in place due to that.”
“My point is that they were rushed. All of them,” I said, knowing this was what was happening with my company and this bid. “From what I learned growing up, the ship sank because the architects and the company were in fierce competition with others…they rushed everything. They took short cuts; they were faulty in their designs. On the outside and the inside, that ship would’ve never felt like it could sink. But it could. In fact, if it wasn’t rushed, or if cheap parts hadn’t been used in critical areas, that ship would have been able to limp back to—” I was going into too much detail. “Bottom line. It was rushed and pretty much staged to appear to be unsinkable. How could anyone have known the owner of White Star Line at the time was rushing all of it? Because of that, the Titanic was doomed before passengers ever boarded it. This project is following the same pattern.” I looked at him and shrugged. “We can’t pitch this. It may look as beautiful as Titanic did, but the engineering shortcuts and cheap materials will force Sphere to shut down their new hotel chain for safety reasons alone. The glass walls? They won’t stand safely in their frames with weight on them like this. They may last for a good six or seven months, but they could easily explode under pressure.” Alex had the most curious look on his face, but there was something else behind it. He probably thought I was a nutcase. “That’s just one wall in a dining area. I’m not even pointing out all of the other intricate details I designed to help their patrons feel as though they were in a hotel that was virtually on the sea. The illusions are still designed well, but they’re more deadly than anything now. This is a hazard zone, and the building, though beautiful, should be condemned if it’s ever built in this manner.”
“All right. I think I may be following you some now,” Alex responded. “So, this project is doomed before we even start it? You might feel that way, but we can make modifications so long as you’re finding mistakes. I’m not letting this go. I’m not letting Danny, the lead architect, off that easy.”
I felt tears stinging my eyes, and it wasn’t due to my lifelong obsession with why such a unique, state-of-the-art ship sank either. “We have to reject this Sphere project, Alex,” I said.
“Hold up.” Alex draped an arm over the seat behind me and looked at the models I was flipping through. “I admit I love the creative mind and listening to the way you see the world and designs. It’s intriguing to see things in a way I have never perceived them before.”
“We’re doing the same thing they did with that ship. Danny led us all to believe it was coming together, but we rushed it.” I handed him the iPad and closed my eyes. “Danny was in charge of this. He was cheap on the bid and materials. It’s not designed to be constructed well.” I stopped babbling and shook my head. “The bathrooms are even hazards.”
“Well, shit. That’s a damn problem.” He winked at me and took the iPad. “Let me see this.”
“I should have never trusted him. He always hated me when I was head architect, and my dad ran the business side of things.”
“Well, that’s what Brooks’ engineers will help fix, and, of course, the permits and inspections in California will never allow a building of subpar work to be erected.” I watched as he studied the raw numbers instead of the images. He glanced at me and flashed a smile. “They also would never allow us to pass inspections that would lead to the untimely demise of hotel occupants. Especially while using the bathroom.”
“I’m serious,” I said, somewhat smiling at him, lightening the mood.
“Hey, I am too. Especially if this hotel is going down as if it were the great tragedy of losing the Titanic.” He grinned. “I hope you can loosen up a little and understand that we will make the revisions that are needed. It’s not all lost. This won’t be a repeat of the year 1912. I promise you that.”
“Funny.” I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t even know where to start fixing this. We’re coming in with a bid that is undercutting everyone. We will get the deal and then end up delivering subpar work and cheap materials. I won’t allow my dad’s company to put its name on that, and I won’t allow the late John Brooks to have his company’s name put on this either.”
“That’s why you have me as your partner because I’ll ensure that won’t happen.”
“So, you’ll walk away from this multi-million-dollar deal?”
“No,” he answered resolutely. “I’ll inform Sphere that we have their best interest in mind and that we have noted that such a highly acclaimed company would want nothing but the best for their newest hotel chain. Then, if I feel like we’re losing them, I’ll bring up the Titanic sinking. I’ll have the number of the lost souls, and after I relate their hotel’s future to that, they’ll be writing us another check and keeping our design.”
“Really?” I said dryly as I eyed his handsome and dazzling smile. “Do you even comprehend why I even brought the Titanic into this?”
“Not really, but I will accept you’ve seen the comparison. I’m not questioning your upset with this—well, perhaps I’m humoring you a little bit.”
“I don’t need humoring, Mr. Grayson,” I said. “I need you to understand that we’re acting like desperate fools. We’re rushing the finish date. We’re delivering on a project that will fall apart within a year. It’s a joke.”
“Well, I did notice that you were utilizing cheap materials for an extremely luxurious company and nothing that would compare to the models I’ve seen once it was built. I read through the multiple bids that were pitched aside from yours and noted that Stone was well under the three million it’s worth to see this particular vision come to life.”
“Well, I’ve noted it’s all dog shit. It’s a disaster, and I think I hate Danny for being a prick and even considering short cuts, cheap materials, and rushed dates of completion. We don’t deserve their business if we believe we’re worth nothing more than cheap bids to get them, or anyone else for that matter.”
“Well, you’re certainly thinking along the same lines as I am. It only took a dipshit screwing up to help you realize I’m not the devil in a suit.” He smirked at me. “We will meet with Sphere, and we will ensure Danny will explain why he did a subpar mock-up to our clients.”
“I don’t want him there,” I spoke. “I’ll face this myself. Good, bad, and ugly.”
“Speaking of cheap and shortcuts. I believe you’re taking your own.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, first of all, you’re letting Danny off easy by facing this alone. Make that asshole face the people he tried to fuck over. Fire his ass and quit taking the shortcuts. It’s business, Breanne. It’s not personal. You have to make this man accountable for costing this firm time, energy, money, and possibly our reputation.”
“I just want this over with.”
“Then let’s fix this shit and go over the flaws you’re finding together while we still have time. I need to make a few phone calls to some contractors while you point out the errors as I speak to them on the phone. When we meet with Sphere, I’ll inflate the bids to give us some room for error and possibly earn back money already lost. Your job is to sell your creation and vision. Then, if you nail this down,” he smiled at me, “I’ll gladly fire that asshole myself for making you give me a history lesson on the Titanic’s demise.”
I grinned. “Probably dumb, but the point was there. That ship sank for the same reasons that I have no faith in this horribly planned-out model.”
“The project is rushed, we’re in a competitive market, and using subpar materials, yes? Titanic all over again,” he said with a silly and fun expression.
I grinned. “So funny how you can sum that up so quickly.” I leaned my elbow on the window. “I can’t think or easily explain things like that sometimes. Actually, it takes someone telling me to get to the point when I talk out my thoughts.”
“You’re painting an image.” He smiled, looking ahead. “And to get some people to visualize what your artistic mind sees, I would imagine that, occasionally, it takes some elaborating on the matter. It’s also helped keep my mind off traffic.” He softly laughed.
“So, what are you visualizing after this crazy revelation, and me, trying to relate it to the Titanic’s flaws?”
“That if I were a man on that ship, I’d be pretty pissed off that I was dying because some asshole like Danny took a short cut. And then, when it was too late, and I found that ship had flaws after I was told wouldn’t sink,” he looked at me with a raised eyebrow, “frankly, it would just suck. The worst of it all would be if I had a beauty on my arm, such as you, and I had to put you into the lifeboat, never to see you again. Hell, now that this has all been brought up, I’d be fucking livid at the designers of that ship.”
I shook my head. “You question what goes on in my mind, and yet I do wonder what goes on in yours.”
“Numbers, of course.” He winked. “That and the fact that we need to handle this error, fire the asshole who made it happen, and then to enjoy that I get to watch you bring it together and win Sphere over today. More than all of that, I believe you’re due for a solid and resounding compliment and a win. When they accept our amendments and new bid, which they will, you and I will celebrate over dinner tonight. You still owe me for that night when I assisted you in running off your ex.”
“I already have a date with Theo. He’s coming over, and we’ll be talking about what the hell is going on with him too.” I arched an eyebrow at Alex. “God, I can’t think about Theo right now.”
Alex nodded. “One thing at a time,” he said with a slight grin. “Then, dinner tomorrow night? You and me to celebrate you winning this bid.”
“Wow.” I laughed. “You’re that confident about all of this? That we’ll get this deal after putting them in a position to think we lied to them?”
“Of course, I am.”
“Well, at least one of us is. I feel like I’m going to barf. This is like bringing in a project only to watch the model fall apart when you touch it.”
“How about this? Let’s leave the Titanic analogy out altogether, and we’ll be on point. In fact, bring that analogy up to Danny after he asks why the asshole in a suit fired him. You can also let him know I got the last lifeboat because we needed my muscles for rowing, and he was a worthless and self-centered man who tried to steal a seat from a lady.”
“In other words, you’ll fire him, and I’ll explain our reasons as—”
“He sunk your luxurious ship, of course. I have to admit, in watching you speak and study the errors in that project, I don’t believe I ever wish to see you this upset over your vision being destroyed by an ass that you trusted again. That’s straight-up, fucking bullshit.”
“I’m shocked you’re not firing both of us.”
“See, I’m not the devil after all, am I?”
“No, but you’re not to be trusted, either.”
“That I can agree with you on, Ms. Stone.” He grinned. “Perhaps at a later date, you’ll learn you can trust me. I would hope my undivided attention during history class today would be good enough to gain your trust after I deceived you at the gala. I certainly did not think I’d wake up this morning, go out to this project, and become educated on the Titanic as it relates to signing papers on a multi-million-dollar deal.”
“God, stop.” I smiled. “You sound like my dad. Funny story about me? I always brought up that ship when I saw design flaws in any of our projects.” I laughed at how I drove Dad insane with my obsession with that ship.
“Why is that? Are you a woman who loves ships?”
“I just think of it because it sank due to greed.”
“That’s a conspiracy, you know?”
“That’s my take on it, and I’m sticking to it.” I grinned. “And yes, I love taking cruises and being out at sea.”
“I’ll take note of that.”
It was the way he said that last part that made me stare at him as if he’d build a ship and let me set sail. I couldn’t figure this guy out, but I liked that he was a fun, mysterious, and—from what I’d experienced thus far—a kind but firm businessman. He could have ripped into me for not overseeing this project better, but instead, he offered help. He listened to me, crazy assumptions or not. He actually heard and added some input.
Perhaps we’d work well as partners. In the drive down here, he’d humored my creative mind, and he also found a way through my confusing analogies, something that I used to bore my dad to sleep with at night. Now, time would tell if we could truly work as partners with our talents and save this deal.
