By the time we finish discussing all of our ideas, it's already late into the evening. With a heavy heart I realize that I must take my leave and head home soon.We both are relieved and hopeful after talking through the plan. Dixon pays the bill, insisting that I not worry about it, before offering to drive me home since he knows don't have a car of my own.It's New York City, I walk or take a cab everywhere.
On the ride home there is silence as we contemplate this difficult journey ahead. When we arrive at my house, Dixon gets out of his car and walks me all the way up to my front door.
“Thank you for your time tonight. I will sleep better tonight knowing we have a plan in place. See you tomorrow.” He pecks me on the cheek. “I’m sorry - I shouldn't have done that.”
My palm rubs the spot his lips touched. “That's okay. See you tomorrow.”
I shut the door behind me and grin.
Is it possible that Dixon shares these feelings?
13
Dixon
The office is eerily silent, the only sound the faint ticking of a wall clock and my own heart pounding in my chest. I have spent the past few hours trying to piece together what happened: my father, the former CEO of Legacy Inc., has been implicated in a large-scale fraud. Despite his reputation and the thorough vetting process his father created, he somehow managed to dupe hundreds of designers out of their designs.
I shake my head, still unable to wrap my mind around the scope of his deception. I always trusted his judgment, but somehow he managed to pull off such a sophisticated and intricate scheme without anyone suspecting a thing.
The evidence is piling up against my father, and I need to take action. He might have been able to fool everyone else, but I am determined to get to the bottom of this. Taking out my phone, I begin making calls.
One after another, I speak with the designers who have been scammed out of their work. While some are understandably suspicious of my motives – they seem relieved that an investigation is being launched and a compensation package offered.
I receive countless emails from these same designers thanking me for looking into the matter and ensuring their rights are being respected. With each message, it becomes clearer that there is something seriously wrong with the way Legacy Inc has been operating for years.
After an entire fourteen hour day of hard work and digging through thousands of records and financial statements, I uncover enough information to publicly expose my father's frauds for what they are: a massive theft of intellectual property that can no longer be ignored or swept under the rug.
With one final push, I make sure everyone knows exactly what happened - and how reckless Legacy Inc's leadership has been in allowing such an injustice to occur.
I am proud of what we have accomplished - together, we helped restore justice and integrity to Legacy Inc - but more than anything else, it's good to know that these talented designers finally get the recognition they deserve.
When I finally finish, I slump in my chair and sigh. We are facing the consequences of my father's actions. Now all I can do is wait for the legal team to sort out the details.
I sit in silence for a moment, processing everything. My father is a thief, but he will face the consequences. I lean back in my chair and look out the window. The sun is setting, and the skyline of the city is off in the distance. It is a beautiful sight that allows me a moment of peace before returning to the reality of the day. There is so much work to do.
It is going to be a long night, but I am determined to make it right. He will do whatever it takes to ensure that every designer is compensated for what they have lost. It's up to me to make amends for my father's mistake—it is the only way I can live with myself.
The next day, I call the legal team to get their help in sorting out the details of my father's fraudulent activities. It is a big joband will require coordination between multiple departments to ensure everyone affected gets compensated for what they have lost and that justice is served.
My lawyer assures me they are determined to get to the bottom of it, so I take a deep breath and settle in for what will certainly be an intense time. As I wait for updates from the legal team, I spend my day fielding questions from those designers who were affected by this mess and doing my best to answer them with as much clarity as possible.
I know that all we can do now is stay positive and allow the lawyers to do their work - no matter how long it takes.
Before going home, my PR team has set up a press conference to get in front of the stories that will be in the papers tomorrow. I need to make sure everyone has accurate information of the subject and not here-say. They need to know about how operations will now be run - what went wrong in the past, and how we are correcting our mistakes now and why they should believe in us again.
So I draft a statement outlining what has been uncovered about my father's exploitation of designer's works and how Legacy will make amends by properly compensating them for their hard work - along with other initiatives set up towards protecting intellectual property rights from now on.
After hours of fine-tuning every sentence so that its message can truly resonate with people's hearts, I distribute this piece of writing far and wide across print media outlets as well as online platforms so everyone understands exactly who we are at Legacy.
“This is just a first step though. We are going to have a hard time getting customers to trust us after this comes to light. No doubt there will be videos about it. Everything is taken to social media anymore,” Chloe says. “We will need to get in front of that too.”
“I need people to realize that I am not my father and I will operate this company with integrity and respect. I think it's time we speak with the marketing team about damage control.”
Chloe nods and gestures for me to follow her.
14
Chloe
