Page 78 of The King Contract
Definitely seems like they’re not fighting.
Mack
See what happens when you communicate as adults? SO GLAD IT’S FIXED.
30
NOAH
You were right
“Doyou have any food allergies? We want to make sure we don’t have a disaster like Diedre did last month.”
The sound of Olivia Burton’s keyboard clicks and clacks through my headphones as she takes notes, glancing at me intermittently as I talk. She’s the mover and shaker of big events and is leading the Australian side of a music festival to be held in the middle of January, in an enormous warehouse across the border.
It’s one of the biggest events of the summer season, complete with world-class DJs and music artists headlining, and sees big celebrity names fly in from around the world to promote whatever brands have snatched up advertising rights. This year, one of my favourite up and coming Australian surf brands, Salt Skin,is sponsoring the day.
I have to give it to Mack. He arranged for me to get a sought-after invite to the gig. Seeing as it’s summer’s biggest party, they appear happy to have my partying presence there. Although, partying is not the aim of the day. My goal is to sip slowly, do abit of networking, and get out of there before I get myself into the type of trouble that undoubtedly follows me wherever I go.
“No allergies,” I tell her.
She nods, business-like as she types away. “Great, so you’ll receive your official invitation in the new year. It comes in a gift box, with your VIP passes and some promo material. We’d like you to share on social media when you get them, to help drum up excitement.”
I glance at Mack, who’s sitting on the couch across from my computer desk. He nods his agreement, and I turn back to Olivia’s face on the screen. “Sure, no problems.”
Dan and Callum are in here too. We agreed once I came home we’d be together for as many of my meetings as possible, to ensure we’re on the same page. I’m grateful to have them here, even if things are still tense between us. The conversation while we were camping has lingered on my mind for the past week.
“Great.” Olivia keeps typing. “Now, this is a big event for the organisers and Salt Skin, as you can imagine. Getting top sponsorship is a huge deal and they want this to go off without a hitch. While we encourage everyone to have fun, we strongly urge everyone to keep themselves in check. Is that going to be an issue?”
Well, at least she doesn’t beat around the bush.
Dan raises his eyebrows, and I hear Callum snort.
“I will be on my best behaviour,” I promise sincerely. “Salt Skin is one of my favourite brands. I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardise their image or hard work.”
Plus, with any luck, I’ll be able to have some conversations with the brand owners and creators. Maybe if I can start building rapport, they’ll consider me for future sponsorships. Which would behuge.
“Great, one more thing.” She turns to the screen head-on and clasps her hands together. “There’ll be a lot of big names thereon the day. Athletes such as yourself, influencers, DJs, actors . . . everybody. I’m not one for gossip, but I’m also not an idiot. I want to inform you Sofia Carlson has confirmed her attendance at the event. She is there representing Giselle Cosmetics, in case that changes things for you.”
My three friends shift in my peripherals, but I focus on Olivia. I appreciate her no-bullshit attitude and the fact she’s given me a heads up when she didn’t need to. She’s probably also checking there won’t be any drama she has to deal with.
“Thanks, Olivia,” I reply. “That won’t be an issue.”
She claps her hands. “Excellent. We’ll see you next month. Have a great Christmas, Noah.” She ends the call sharply and I lean back in my chair, exhaling slowly.
“Sofia’s going to be there?” Mack shakes his head in disbelief. “She’s flying fifteen hours to promote makeup at an Australian-based event? Giselle Cosmetics aren’t even that good.” I believe Mack when he says it. He knows more about brands than most people I know.
Callum shrugs. “People will attend anything for the right price.”
I stand from the desk. “I’m not worried about Sofia. She’s not a drama queen.”
“No, butyouare,” Mack says simply. “In case you’ve forgotten,youwere the one who came out at the bottom of the post-breakup shit pile. Sofia came out of it as a sweet, heartbroken woman who tried too hard to fix a bad boy.”
“To be fair, she’s a sweet chick,” Callum adds.
“Which is why I’m not worried,” I say firmly.
I’m not. Gossip fuelled the stories people told about us after we broke up. Sofia didn’t play any part other than being herself. She’s graceful and kind and I’m a childish fool who makes too many mistakes. The fall out was warranted.
