Page 82 of Frankie and the Fed
I thank him with a smile and enter my office, closing the door behind me.
“Yes!” I shoot my hands in the air in victory. There is nothing like being able to make an impression with the first campaign in the company. I only hope it will also bring the desired results.
I click on the green button, and the advertising campaign starts.
CHAPTER33
Ethan
Another article about Savee’scampaign is in the newspaper this morning, this time with a picture of Ayala. She’s making waves. I skim through the text quickly.
You must have heard about the new campaign that calls on teenagers to come to lectures on spousal violence. Many celebrities from the youth world, and on behalf of the Savee company, owned by Wolf Industries, will be conducting the lectures. The company has been working against violence since its inception and treats rape victims. During the lectures, the participants will be asked to take a test that assesses their level of risk. Those diagnosed with a high-risk level are entitled to free workshops and support. Savee hopes for a high response rate.
Ayala Beckett, who leads this important and innovative campaign, is herself a victim of domestic violence and knows the issue intimately.
“I hope youth will understand that they can help themselves and help others. I was a victim of severe violence, and I would have been thrilled if I had a place like Savee to turn to.”
“Why would the youth share private information with you? You can report them to the police.”
“All the information shared in the application is protected under a confidentiality agreement and will not be shared with anyone. Our goal is not to arrest anyone. We are not aiming this campaign at people who are already in a violent situation. There are other solutions for that. What we are trying to do, for the first time, is to prevent cases in advance. I believe no one wants to be a victim, or worse than that, violent. With proper treatment and proper guidance, we can prevent many of these cases. We offer our solutions free of charge and in confidence. No one needs to know you are being treated.”
Ayala enters the kitchen just as I finish reading, and I hand her the newspaper.
“This campaign is amazing. Innovative,” I tell her as she skims over the article.
“We still lack a lot of the funds needed to support it. I need to make more noise.”
“You don’t understand how big this is.” She has been so engrossed in work for the past two weeks that I hardly see her. I press the TV remote, switch to one of the news channels, and rewind. She looks at me with a puzzled expression. “Have a little patience. You’ll see soon.” I wait in front of the screen for a few minutes until the piece I wanted begins, then press Play.
I just watch her, saying nothing, while she stares at the screen and slowly realizes what it’s about.
A crowd of people raids Michael’s parents’ property. Demonstrations continued for days and only got bigger and bigger. The protestors are calling them criminals and murderers and asking for the case against us to be dropped.
They hold additional demonstrations at the doors of the courthouse, also calling for the judge to dismiss the case.“Disgrace,” one protestor calls out. “It’s a disgrace, the killer blames the victim, and the court system allows it.”
The article goes on and on, and I click on mute. “Not enough noise?”
“I didn’t know there were still protests about the civil case. What does Ryan say about that?”
“He thinks it works in our favor. People aren’t blind. And the Summers hear the talk on the street. He thinks it will tilt the case in our favor.”
“The continued hearing on our motion is next month, and I’ve been so immersed in work, I think I suppressed it. What if you get convicted of a murder you didn’t commit?”
“Ayala. Remember, this is not a criminal case. And the authorities haven’t reopened the matter or charged me with anything. The Summers just want to destroy me.”
“But they could succeed. The Wolf name will get destroyed if you are convicted.”
“I won’t be. There’s no evidence to support their version except for my fabricated confession.” That confession could bring me down, but there’s no way I’m telling her that. I wanted to save her when I gave that statement, and I don’t regret it.
“Tomorrow is the weekend,” I say, “and I’m looking forward to spending time with you. I can’t remember what you look like anymore. You’ve become busier than me.”
She laughs. “I’m in doubt of that. But I’m having fun. I enjoy thinking that I might have a positive influence in this world.” She takes a step in my direction. “And thank you for agreeing to donate all the money to my project.”
“When the idea is good, it’s good.” I kiss her one last time before we leave for the office. “And how are you going to thank me?” I give her a playful smile.
She smiles back, and my cock hardens. We leave the building together, and Ayala gets into the back seat of the car. I’m about to go in right after her, but then I see someone standing on the sidewalk as if waiting for me.
“Sorry, I just remembered I need to do something,” I say to Ayala and close the door. I wait until my driver drives off, leaving me on the sidewalk.
