Page 7 of The Thorne at My Side
He, of course, losthis access as a lawn boy but he quickly organized a team of rag-tag reporters who would follow important people around and pick up whatever they could.
He basically invented the paparazzi.
My dad took over when he turned 35 and he expanded the Thorne reach into every type of media you can imagine. He started buying up radio stations and later podcast production studios. He bought up flailing social media apps at bottom of thebarrel prices. He even got into the streaming service game.
Now it's my turn to take the company to the next level with my AI driven news product.
Dad sits behind his desk and my grandfather sits in one of the chairs in front. I take the other. I remember grandad’s office being wood furniture and wingback chairs. A smog of cigar smoke was always present.
Dad, of course, redecorated when he assumed the CEO position. He hired a trendy 80s designer who delivered the epitome of office decor at the time with red desks, light gray chairs with chrome legs, and a curved sofa.
"Austin, glad you could join us," Dad greets as he continues to read something on his computer. "Your grandfather and I were discussing the AI project."
"I spoke with Kevin before coming up here, we're on track but we're a little worried about the launch."
"How so?" My grandfather asks.
"Well, we're concerned about the current congress's affinity for regulating user generated content apps, the EU is already ahead of the US with restrictions on AI combing social media, and the speech writing component will not be well received by anyone employed in D.C. to write speeches."
"Speech writers are a dime a dozen," my father says dismissively.
"Well there certainly are dozens of them, especially in an election year."
"Don't do that son, don't aggrandize them. You give them too much power and it'll come back to bite you."
"Who are you most concerned about?" My grandfather asks.
"The marketing team mentioned two earlier this week. One, Miles Frick is working on the Goeglier campaigndown in Florida and getting a good response. Another is Maggie Collins who is working on the Quinn campaign here in D.C.. Apparently she has really taken them to the next level."
After we discuss a few more specifics, including the numbers I knew Dad would want to jot down, I head back to my office. I need to decompress after meetings with my dad.
Only a few more hours until I can get home, change into loungewear, mix a cocktail, and respond to TalkShopGirl. By far, my favorite part of the day.
CHAPTER 3
“Who died?”
MAGGIE
DCFox:My grandfather is buying another boat. He took me out to see it being built last weekend and I have to admit, there wasn't much to see that you haven't seen before. A yacht is a yacht. He insists it is all state of the art, but I just see a bunch of anchors and knots.
I laugh as I read his message. Considering I've only been on pontoon boats back in my hometown in upstate New York I can’t even imagine what the interior of a yacht looks like. But my mom has embraced our town’s annual pontoon decorating contest which makes me think I might have a few ideas for sprucing things up that I could pass along.
It was a long day at the office but a good one. The senator is gearing up for her second debate which is focused on domestic policy. These are the issues voters really care about. The things that impact their daily lives.
My mind is racing with all the snippets we need to write. Two minutes on each with a list of bullet points for the rebuttals. I pull out my trusty pack of post-it notes and felt tip pen and get to work. We won't know who will speak first but there are ways to word responsesso it doesn't matter.
"My opponent will suggest," I start to speak out loud as I jot down ideas and slap the colored squares on my white board.
After an hour, I boil water and pour it into the mason jar ramen I prepped on Sunday and take the meal with me to my bed. My studio apartment doesn't have room for a dining table so I either eat at my desk, on the floor, in my overstuffed chair, or on my bed. Right now the chair is covered in my clothes, so, bed it is.
I cue upShe's The Manon my laptop, my comfort movie of choice, and press play right before I wake up my SMS Connect phone. DCFox’s message about the yachts make me chuckle. Sometimes our conversations are back-and-forth, get-to-know you exchanges. But other times we simply put our thoughts out there and let the other person into our consciousness a bit.
When Viola decides to take matters into her own hands after the girl’s team gets cut, I write a note back.
TalkShopGirl:I have watched She's The Man 200 times. When it came out I was the student council president fighting for additional funding for after school activities so I saw a lot of myself in Viola.
Not that I’ve ever tried to pass myself off as a man, but her commitment to what she believed in resonated with me.
