Page 37 of All the Gossip from Paris (Royal Fashion #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Yet again she’d done exactly what Patrice had demanded. She’d caved. But unlike all those other times, she wasn’t the only person who was getting hurt. Not the only one about to lose.

Why couldn’t I just stand up to him and say no? What is wrong with me.

The man she’d fallen for was leaving. He’d put an end date on their romance. As soon as this runway show was over, Liam would be gone. Sophie rocked back on her heels. She’d always known there would be a time when Liam would look to move on, but hearing him actually say the words bit deep.

Panic rose within her.

Liam moved quickly to Sophie’s side. He slipped an arm about her waist, and brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, are you ok?”

She gave a silent nod, as unshed tears filled her gaze.

“You’re not a very good liar Sophie.”

Blinking back the tears, Sophie forced a smile to her lips. Her trembling bottom lip made holding it impossible. “Just a bit of a shock hearing you make plans to leave. And so soon. That’s all.”

He pulled her fully into his embrace, and kissed her gently.

“We agreed not to force this thing between us. Let’s just focus on getting the runway show ready, and making sure your father sees how much work you put into it.

I don’t want you feeling like you’re under any pressure from me.

You have enough to deal with right now.”

Liam was a nice guy, but for a moment Sophie wished he would tell her how things were going to be, to make demands. She could cope with someone who made the decision for her—this ‘having a say’ stuff was harder than she’d ever imagined.

“Now what else did Patrice say? He came down here for a reason. And I don’t just mean showing me his ‘stomping around in big boots like Gaston’ impression.”

The Beauty and the Beast quip had Sophie snorting. “I can’t believe you just said that about Patrice. I’ve thought it a hundred times, but never dared say it.”

“Every time I see Patrice I want to ask him if he uses antlers in his decorating,” replied Liam.

The difference between the two men was stark. The times when she and Patrice had been going through one of their many rough patches, her ex would tell her to stop being so dramatic. With Liam, he was all about offering her comfort.

From what Patrice had just said, she sensed she was going to need a good deal more of Liam’s comfort.

“There is high drama happening upstairs in the atelier. Some of the team are refusing to work under Patrice. He might be a pig but he’s not stupid. If he has an open revolt on his hands, then Haute Couture Week could become a disaster.”

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, Francois seemed to have a blind spot.

He couldn’t or wouldn’t see his manager’s faults.

The issues the atelier team faced in Francois’ 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 Francois’ 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.”

“And if I refuse?”

She calmly met his gaze. Patrice had to know he held no more cards. If he didn’t fold, she’d have no other option than to get on a plane to Lausanne and go see Francois.

You might be a pain, but I don’t want that for either of us.

“Please don’t put me in that position, Patrice. Let’s get this show sorted, and allow Papa to heal in peace.”

Slipping his hands from his pockets, he stalked toward her. “And what else? I sense there is something more. There always is with you Sophie.”

He knew her only too well. She did have more.

“Liam will take over the photography work for the collection lookbook and the show itself. I may also ask Camille and Ryan to step in and help. All of these decisions are not up for negotiation.”

“But we have the photographer we normally use already lined up.”

Sophie curled her toes up in her boots at hearing this remark. She’d long wanted to get rid of Patrice’s buddy. The guy did an ok enough job, but he wasn’t in the same league as Liam Collins.

“Thank him. Then tell him we have decided to move in a new direction.”

Patrice opened his mouth as if to speak, but Sophie held up a hand. She was done. This deal was done. If he didn’t want a part of it, she would find her own way to make it work.

“Take the rest of the day off, Patrice. Go home. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

As she turned and walked away, Sophie took a moment to fully embrace her new power. This was what her father and Patrice had been gatekeeping from her all these years. But not anymore.

Now she had to go find Liam and tell him that there’d been a major change of plans. Instead of being pushed to the sidelines, he was going to be the photographer for the House of Royal Haute Couture Week collection.