The Man In The Lift; Always Ask Questions Of The Sharks
Day 206 of The Andie Chronicles
It was impossible not to notice when a figure follows you into a lift.
This time, a man in a suit blue pinstripe, red tie, the uniform of a stereotypical stockbroker. At first, I didn’t know who it was until he pressed the lift button for the same floor. The stranger was going to Douglas’s floor, to my office.
I studied the man from the corner of my eye and realised I knew exactly who it was.
“Mitchell, how are you?” I chirped, figuring he hadn’t realised it was me, either.
He was taken aback, seeing me in this setting. I’m sure the last time he heard of me was that I was now the ex. Someone to be wary of. Not someone in the lift heading in the same direction as Douglas Gallo.
“Andie, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I work here now.” I couldn’t believe I was saying those words. I also couldn’t accept Mitchell didn’t know this.
Mr Whitehead, as he was often referred to at our dinner table, was Douglas’s biggest investor. He was his whale, making everything possible at the start of his journey to millionairehood.
And without Mitchell’s input, neither Douglas nor Taylor would have been as successful as they are now.
“Are you a part of this fashion business Douglas has acquired?”
“Yes, I am. I am a designer for him now.”
I was about to mention that I came up with the idea for the fashion line. But I could sense Mitchell was about to tell me something to curb my participation in the venture.
“Yes, I’m not keen on Douglas moving into retail. It’s such a volatile business. And he knows very little about it.” Mitchell tucked his bottom lip under his teeth. He knew he wasn’t meant to say that.
“Oh, he’s doing quite well,” I quipped, lying through my teeth. “Douglas is coming along when it comes to fashion. I think we’re going to do well.”
Even though I didn’t believe my lies, I had to say it to pick Mitchell’s brain further on the way up to the office. Keep the man happy.
“Can I ask you something, Mitchell?”
“Of course, Andie.”
“When starting a fashion business like this one, how much money do you need to get started? Do you need to cover yourself for more than a year?”
If there were a man to answer this, it would be Mitchell. I doubted Douglas had the answer when he acquired us. I doubt he had the answer now, come to think of it.
“Yes, you need more than years worth behind you. You need at least two to three years before you even consider seeing a profit. And if you do make a profit, much of it gets reinvested into new lines before it starts showing in your bank account. Between you and me, it’s not a great business to start if you care more about the money than anything else. ”
It was an astute observation from Mitchell. I didn’t care about the money. I want to make beautiful clothes for expressive people.
But Douglas was always all about the money. Why take on this business if you only wanted to make a dollar? It was the wrong way of going about it, considering he had other investments doing this for him in his sleep.
The lift reached the top floor.
“Thank you, Mitchell, for your time. And I hope to see you around the office again.”
He nodded and walked towards Douglas’s office. I wondered what they talked about in the meeting. Did they mention me? It didn’t matter if they did or they didn’t because now I had what I needed.
I needed a whale. I needed my own Mitchell.
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
