Tom was still trying hard to persuade Dave Lin about the clothes when one of the staffs ran in to inform him of what was going on with Amber on the TV.
“Put the TV on” he commanded with worries laced in his eyes, he had warned anyone never to tell her but she ended up finding out on the TV, a live broadcast at that.
Everyone in the conference room turned to watch her speech with them and saw how the interviewer asked her about the ripped clothes incident.
She hesitated for a bit before replying with a confused place but comported herself to answer the sudden question. “I am surprised that you heard about the ripped clothes incident, that is incredible but there is nothing much to the ripped cloth. It must have come as a shock to the public and it’s understandable because it was a decision we took without consulting the designer or giving the public a notice. The cloth was sent to us just few days to the exhibition and the designer himself confirmed that he would not be present at the show case. I personally sent out a mail, called and persuaded him to come over but he declined each time. He suddenly showed up two days before the event and when we were going through the clothes for a final checkup, we discovered that the material was a fake so we ripped it off” she revealed and everyone went into a shock.
The interviewer was enjoying the tea and quickly dropped another question to keep her going, “Fake, what do you mean by the fabric is fake? There is no how a big designer like Dave Lin will use a fake fabric” he countered and she smiled.
“I never said he was the one who bought the fake fabric. He must have been left in the dark too because it wasn’t easy to detect. I was able to tell it apart because of my long term experience with fabrics. My father was into the fabric business before he passed away and I learnt a lot from him, whoever made the fabric did a great job covering their shady acts but I was still able to tell it apart” she responded smoothly
“When you found out about the fakeness of the fabric, you could have called Dave’s Lin attention to it instead of ripping it off without his approval” he countered once again but she only chuckled.
“In our contract with Dave Lin, we have the right to reject, alter or return any clothes that is not up to the standard of our mall. In this case, we decided to reject it and kept it from the showcase line but it turned out that another company which I will never mention had gotten a leak of the design and they have the same design as us. We will never get ourselves roped in this unpleasant situation so we decided to rip the clothes off, leaving the design to them while we correct the designs and also use the correct fabric for it” she explained and the interviewer was impressed.
“So if I can understand what you are saying, you mean to say you only helped Dave Lin who was about to sell a fake into the market unknowingly which could come back to bite him in his ass and you don’t want to exhibit the same design with a company who stole yours?” he rephrased and she folded the tips of her fingers into an okay sign.
“That’s exactly what we were trying to do but what could we have done when he insisted on seeing the design on stage? Also, Mr. Dave Lin can kindly check his mail, he will find my report on the final decision of the clothes that I had sent to him the night prior to the exhibition, I already informed him beforehand that the cloth will not be showcased” she concluded and the interviewer clapped for her in amazement.
“You are a great artist and also a competent secretary, your boss must be blessed to have someone like you by his side” the interviewer complimented and she blushed before releasing a low “thank you”.
Tom glanced at Dave Lin who was now defeated by the revelation, he was avoiding eye contact with him but Tom wasn’t ready to let him off the hook easily.
“Mr. Dave Lin, is it true that the fabrics was a fake and you knew about it?” he pressed and Dave was forced to confess. “I also didn’t know that it was a fake, I had finished my work on it when I found out and there was nothing I could about it at that point so I just sent it over like that. I planned to change it to the original when the showcase is done” Dave narrated and Tom was left speechless.
“You didn’t get the fabric from our company by chance right?” he asked to be sure and Dave confirmed that he didn’t which settled the worries of Tom because that would be another issue entirely.
They were still talking when Amber’s call came in, she requested to speak with Dave Lin and Tom placed the phone on loud speaker.
“I had tried my best to cover up your reputation by saving your ass. I hope you will be lenient with us in your negotiations about the ripping we did without consulting you. If you are hell bent on canceling the contract then we will be forced to take it to court where we will prove that you breached the contract by selling a fake fabric that could ruin the company both in terms of reputation and finances. The worst that can happen to us is compensating you for the damaged work” she stated firmly, something about her voice was giving out a threatening vibe.
Dave Lin swallowed a thick wad of spit as he was driven to a corner. He knew Shellhouse had tried their best to save his ass unknowingly and if he still stands on the cancellation of contract, things will get ugly which will also harm him in multiple folds. He was forced to come down from his high and course, a look of discomfort written all over his face but that was all Tom needed.
“We will compensate by sponsoring the new fabric for the dress and also carry out a free showcase for it, do you still not want that?” Tom asked once again and Dave Lin closed his eyes in defeat.
He knew automatically, the deal with Joseph no longer stand but has to grab Tom’s hand if he doesn’t want his reputation down the drain just because of what Joseph had promised him.
“Let’s just do that” he finally gave in and Tom told him he will send over the agreement documents before the end of the day.
“I hope this incident will enable us trust each other, Shellhouse Mall not only care about the sales and our money, we also care about you” he added with a winning smile on his lips.
***
Joseph who was watching the TV saw how Amber handled the situation and anger seeped through his entire body. Every cells vibrated with fury, he threw away the cup of water in his hand against the wall which sent it shattering and scattered over everywhere.
“How dare someone like you mess up my plan?” he growled with a clenched fist but there was no one he could take out the anger on. He was trying to hide the fact that he had an involvement with what happened at the Shellhouse Mall.
“Your brother is here” his secretary rushed in to announce to him and he scoffed at how fast Tom was to come and rub it in his face. “Tell him that I am not around” he shouted and Tom walked in right at that moment.
“What do you mean by you are not around? You are here sitting in your office” Tom mocked and Joseph motioned to his secretary to give them privacy. “What is the occasion?” he asked with a distasteful tone which only sweetened Tom.
“Well, I came to inform you that I pulled through the crisis, unscathed at that. Dave Lin will be getting a compensation from us because we are generous to help him out when he was clearly the one in the wrong. I wanted to share the good news to you in person and that is why I am here” Tom responded pettily, he was surely enjoy the look of failure and disappointment plastered on Joseph’s face.
“That is good then, I guess your days are extended. You should be happy about it” Joseph said in return to cover up for his pain of his soiled plan and that only made Tom happier.
Tom walked closer to his desk and placed his hands on the edges of the table before leaning his body forward. With an icy tone, he bellowed at Joseph whose face was only inches apart from his, “Don’t you dare touch anything that belongs to me anymore, I will not sit still the next time. Just like I have said, you will have to take me away before you can get Shellhouse Mall and Holland Textiles. I will never hand them over to you and you can never snatch them away from me so make sure you channel the energy that you are investing to ruin my company into the success of this company before it crumbles to the ground” he threatened, making Joseph scared of him for a bit.
Joseph had never seen such a daring side of him before, his eyes were empty without emotions and it looked like he would do more than he had said if he touch his company again. He blinked severally to digest his words before telling him “Think whatever you want, I am busy so please excuse me now” and Tom left his office with a great smile of victory on his face.