Page 27 of VOGUEish

Flats. Why had Ms. Birdie gone and said that?

“Let me be quite clear, I have high hopes that he’ll take her out on a date.”

Double flats. Had the woman figured out Isabella’s true reason for saying she wasn’t attracted to Chandler?

“The meddling old lady in me thinks they’d make a great couple. But that is neither here nor there. And absolutely none of your business. Or my business. Do I make myself clear?”

All gazes swung to Isabella as if waiting for her to say something. Sweet bell bottoms. Should she say something scathing about not being interested in Chandler? Definitely if she wanted to be accepted. But to do so would be disrespectful to the wonderful woman who’d been there when Isabella had had no one.

Isabella bit her tongue and waited out the charged silence.

“What is Izzie’s new position?” Ziggy fluttered his fake lashes and rubbed his hands together.

Izzie. Isabella’s heart soared. The shortened name implied pending friendship. Then her heart tanked. Her high school peers had pretended friendship while plotting her humiliation.

“And you are?” Ms. Birdie asked.

“Ziggy Henderson, closet master.”

“To answer your question, Isabella is our new digital editor. She’ll oversee setting up and running that new segment of Naked Runway.”

“In that case, let it be known I’d like to be considered for fashion editor.” Ziggy ran a hand down the silky length of the arm of his blouse. “I have so many ideas on how we can do better.”

“Excellent. We will talk at the end of this meeting,” Ms. Birdie replied. “You can fill me in on your qualifications and your ideas.”

Ziggy rubbed his hands together. “What a delightful answer.”

Ms. Birdie chuckled. “If any of the rest of you wish to move into a new position, let me know by the end of the day.”

Isabella felt a shift of energy in the room. Ms. Birdie was winning over those still standing after the carnage they’d witnessed and emotional distress they’d suffered at the hands of the Bully of Manhattan’s Corporate World.

“Now for the reason why I’ve called each of you to this meeting,” Ms. Birdie said. “I’ve recently discovered our entry for this year’s Cover of the Year competition was leaked and thus disqualified.”

Those at the table who knew what she was talking about gasped. Isabella cocked her head and waited for an explanation.

“Obviously, someone we fired is hungry for revenge. While I’m not a fan of this type of behavior, I have been known to encourage it when a wrong has indeed been done. In this case, no wrongs have occurred; thus I’m unwilling to let it slide with no repercussions.”

“What type of repercussions?” Isabella asked. “You’re not suggesting some sort of vigilante thing, are you?”

“Of course not. What I’m suggesting is we do what it takes to win the contest.”

“By cheating?” Ziggy asked, his eyes wide.

“By having the preeminent cover in the contest. In that vein, I’ve arranged for us to submit a new cover.”

“That’s not possible,” Drew said. “We turned that cover in for the competition in June. The winner will be announced at the gala at the end of February.”

“Anything is possible.” Ms. Birdie opened the laptop in front of her. “It just so happens, I’m excellent at negotiations. But as you pointed out, we have little time. In fact, we have mere days to come up with a new cover.”

“But Amanda’s team spent months getting it ready for the competition,” Ziggy said. “None of which are here with us today.”

“I believe those sitting at this table can create an entry strong enough to blow the competition away.”

“Without a fashion editor?” asked Teagan.

“While Isabella will not be our new fashion editor, she has all the credentials to be one. She will be able to lead you in this endeavor before she settles into her new duties.”

Isabella swallowed the doubt on her tongue and coughed. A few days was not nearly long enough to do what had to be done. Not to mention, placing her in charge was a direct kick in the knees of Ziggy who’d just said he wanted the job.

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