Page 72 of All the Gossip from Paris
She drew out of Liam’s hold. “I must go and see what I can do to solve the problem. They trust me because I’m one of them. I cut. I stitch fabric. And I hand sew beading.”
“Let me know how things go. I won’t come with you because that will only add fuel to the fire. Patrice is an ass, but he doesn’t need to have my presence rubbed in his face if the team are threatening to walk.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”
Sophie could hear the raised voices long before she set foot inside her father’s workshop. People were yelling at Patrice. She flinched at hearing what sounded like an L-Square being slammed down hard on the cutting table. Tempers were getting frayed.
Pausing just outside the doorway, Sophie took in a deep calming breath. The sight which met her eyes as she crossed the threshold had her blood turning to ice.
On one side of the main cutting table stood Patrice, hands on hips, huffing and puffing. Across from him were gathered the four heads of the various atelier teams. Fabric. Cutting. Costumier. Beading. A united front against him.
At the sight of Sophie, all four began to yell at once. Patrice whirled round. The white fury on his face was truly frightening. He hadn’t been underplaying the seriousness of the situation when he’d come down to the ballroom a little earlier.
He’d gone from being Gaston to the full raging Beast. And this was the angry pitchfork wielding mob set to take him down.
I have to do something.
She sized up the situation. Patrice was the problem. The only way she was going to get the others to set down their weapons was if she could somehow remove him.
Walking over to Patrice, Sophie took a hold of his arm. He bent forward as she spoke softly to him. “Give me five minutes to talk to them. Please. Go down to the kitchen and ask chef for a coffee. I will meet you there shortly.”
The moment he was gone, she turned back to the others. “What is the problem? And how do we solve it?”
“Patrice is the problem,” the head of cutting spoke up, his voice shaking with rage. “And either he goes, or we all do.”
She’d tried to warn her father, but when it came to Patrice, François seemed to have a blind spot. He couldn’t or wouldn’t see his manager’s faults. The issues the atelier team faced in François’ absence had been long simmering beneath the surface. Somehow, they’d managed to keep a lid on things. But no longer.
It was tempting to call her father and tell him ‘I told you so’ but he had bigger concerns to deal with right now. His recovery was all that mattered. Bringing this sort of trouble to his door would only reinforce François’ opinion that she was not management material.
The atelier department heads had made their position clear. They flatly refused to work with Patrice.
The fate of the House of Royal haute couture show stood on the edge of a knife. The senior members of staff were in open revolt. And Patrice would never yield. Not unless his hand was forced. Unless he had no other option.
But what if the atelier team could be persuaded to work for me?
She’d made the wrong call in asking Liam to take a step back. He wasn’t the cause of her problems. Patrice was. It was now up to her to do something to remedy that situation.
I promised Papa I would make sure the show was a success. And that’s what I am going to do.
After talking to the atelier team and listening to their concerns, Sophie left the workshop. She took her time making her way down the long marble staircase, composing as persuasive a speech as she could manage as she went. Readying herself for battle.
When she reached the kitchen, Patrice was standing, hands in pants pockets, outside the door. His face was one of dark thunder. The only good thing to come from having been his girlfriend on and off over the years, was that Sophie could read his moods. Any moment now he was going to explode.
Out of habit, she slowed her steps. It was something she’d done many times before when trying to manage Patrice and his temper. But Sophie was done with placating her ex. With keeping the peace.
I am officially resigning from the role of people pleaser.
Stopping in front of Patrice she calmly announced. “Effective immediately, I will be taking over management of the runway show. You will handle all media and social engagements including press and the Haute Couture committee. And yes, that still includes lunches and launches.”
She knew how much the public profile meant to Patrice. Today wasn’t about settling old scores, it was about getting the job done.
“As far as everyone else outside the atelier is concerned, you are the acting head of la maison du Royal. In reality it will be in name only.”
His brows furrowed, and she waited while he took the news in. Patrice didn’t really have a choice, but she wanted this conversation to remain strictly between them. He didn’t need to be humiliated in front of the atelier team. It wouldn’t serve any purpose.
“And what about your father?” he asked.
“My father is in a Swiss hospital recovering from major surgery. As far as he knows and will continue to know, everything is working well in Paris. Each day I will give you an update on progress and you can report that to him.”
