The next afternoon, another workday commenced.
People rushed to meet deadlines. Shouts of frustration bounced off the walls. Papers covered work desks. Fingers typed rapidly on keyboards. Phones rang with urgent concerns.
It was mostly chaotic.
Except for one place.
The conference room had gray carpet flooring. A long table stood in the middle. Its surface was made of wood. Each side had 6 chairs. Another two occupied both ends.
A flat screen hung on the north wall. Wide windows occupied the east side, daylight shining on glossy white walls. Frosted glass made up the west with the only door.
4 people occupied the chairs.
Ambryan sat at the north end of the table. It allowed him to see the door during the meeting. He leaned on the backrest. His arms perched on either side of him.
His expression displayed an impassive look.
Eve occupied his right, tapping on a laptop keyboard. She had her back straight as her brown eyed fired with laser focus. Her ears heightened their hearing. She wouldn’t allow herself to miss a single detail.
At the moment, she used the time for lessening her other workload.
Richard Kingston settled on the seat across from her, his back facing the windows. The morning heat seeped through his clothing. Beads of sweat formed under his dress shirt. He loosened his tie, hoping it would help.
His own secretary sat on his left. The young man stared at Eve who wore a deep scowl behind her eyeglasses. Admiration glinted in his eyes. Every key seemed calculated and precise. Her work ethic wasn’t a baseless rumor after all.
“Where is President Madison?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow. His steel gray eyes illustrated rigor unlike his usual easygoing behavior. His curly bronze hair gleamed from the sun.
“Madison is at the studios, taking care of a problem,” Ambryan answered. He lifted his right arm and checked his rolex watch. It had black oyster steel bracelet strapped to an ebony dial. White details featured the hands and numbers.
The seconds ticked by.
“Another time then,” Richard lamented, his voice lowering to a mumble. His back bumped against the chair. His index finger tapped on the armrest.
Ambryan turned to his right, ignoring his comment. “Where are they, Eve?”
“I received a message from the receptionist that they’re in the lobby,” she reported as she replied to the company’s chat application. She had sent an advanced notice about their whereabouts. “They will be here any minute.”
Richard rolled his eyes. “So punctual. It’s not even the meeting time yet. They still have five minutes. We could have stayed in your office while waiting.”
“I’d rather not have you anywhere near my things.”
Eve pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Her hands continued to type on the laptop. Her boss never forgot about the time Sir Kingston broke a teapot. Since then, an unspoken rule came to being. A policy that limited the latter from entering the CEO’s office.
A knock came from the door.
It opened and revealed a staff employee. Her mousy brown hair ended around her chin. A black pencil skirt hugged her slender hips, her mustard roll neck top tucked under the waistband. She gulped at the group.
Black eyes fidgeted from fright.
“Th-The people from Studio A are here,” she managed to say.
Eve stood up and offered her a kind smile. “Thank you, Ms. Hannah. I’ll take it from here.”
“As you wish, Ms. Hart.”
The young woman bowed her head before turning away. Eve held the door, pushing it all the way. Her pleasant expression shifted towards the newcomers. She gestured them towards the conference table.
“Good day. Please make yourself comfortable,” she greeted them.
Two sets of feet entered the room. The carpet muffled out their footsteps. As Eve closed the door, she poked her head out and talked to the assigned guard for the meeting.
“If there is any concern, please contact me through the chat application.” Her eyebrows scrunched after a moment. “No matter how many times I say it, it still sounds weird but silence is a must.”
She received a chuckle in reply. “Will do, Ms. Hart.”
“Thank you.”
“Director Sam, Director Rowen,” Ambryan said, rising to his feet. He waited for the visitors to choose their seats. “We’re pleased that you could join us.”
Richard followed his lead and smiled. His secretary also stood up. “It’s a pleasure to see you both again. We understand that you have some new ideas about the series?”
Sam picked the seat beside Eve. Aqua wax styled his brown hair into a layered side comb.His green and white plaid shirt cloaked over his beer belly, The sleeves cinched around plumped muscles. Dark slacks covered his legs. Compared to the two CEOs, his height only reached their shoulders.
He raised his tan hand and exchanged pleasantries. His gruff voice filled the room. “Good to be here, Mr. Hathaway and Mr. Kingston”
His indigo eyes shifted to his right. “This is our casting director, Rowen Valentine.”
Rowen smiled, showing her pearly white teeth. Her burgundy dyed hair was braided to one side. It flowed over her shoulder. The color contrasted against her porcelain skin. Her winoe blouse almost matched her hair.
Her black eyes darted between the two as she shook their hands. A heavy foreign accent laced her words. “Pleasure to finally meet the dynamic duo of this project. I can’t wait to start production.”
Ambryan gestured his hand towards Eve. “This is my secretary, Ms. Everlee Hart. If you have any important concerns that need urgent attention, please run it by her first.”
Eve reached her seat and waved at the casting director. “Please do address me as Eve.”
“Please take yours seats,” Ambryan instructed and settled down on his chair.
On the contrary, his secretary walked over to the spare table. She lifted a pitcher and filled 6 glasses with chilled water. She placed them on a tray and served them to the rest.
“Care to enlighten us what this is about, Sir Hathaway?” Sam asked. He drank half of his water before adding, “I thought the second meeting would be next week?”
Ambryan tilted his head to the left. “Sir Kingston has some concerns brought by Venus Investment’s board.”
Richard cleared his throat. His arms rested on the table and clasped his hands together. As he spoke, he maintained eye contact with both directors. “A few members raised that the decision over the funding was decided too hastily.”
Sam’s back went rigid. “Are they pulling out?”
“Now, now,” Richard assured him. “That’s not the case. However, they did express some suggestions. There’s no need to agree to them all. As long as the explanation is good, they would accept. The point is to convince them about it.”
The film director narrowed his indigo eyes. “And what is it they want to suggest?”
“They want to change the title.”
Sam clawed the armrests. He always disliked this part of the industry. Investors limited their creative freedom, focusing on the profits. He had to fight hard for the novel’s adaptation. He thought things would be smooth sailing with Ambryan’s approval.
It seemed to be just the beginning.
Rowen crossed her arms over her chest. “What is wrong with the title then?”
“The title? ’What is Love?’” Richard began to say. “They think it’s generic, overly done. Nothing in it sparks flare to entice viewers.”
Sam cocked an eyebrow. “What were the suggested names then?”
“Nothing. They just want it changed.”
“And how are we supposed to know if they’re okay with it? By giving them a list and voting?” Rowen scoffed. A kindle of fire burned in her black gaze. “Did these people even read the script? Do they even know what the story is about beyond what statistics said?”
“Rowen, calm down.” Sam whispered beside her. They finally made it this far. If things went sour, they would be back to square one. None of the other companies gave them a chance. Eros Productions also provided them a good leverage.
Their reputation would boost a wider audience.
“I can’t calm down!” She exclaimed, gawking at his nervous expression. She spat almost every syllable. “I don’t see how I can trust faceless people when they’re not even interested in the series enough to make proper ideas.”
“We did think of a few possible titles,” Ambryan cut in. All heads turned towards him. It was the first time he spoke since the meeting commenced. “From what I understand, Venus Investment is concerned about the marketing. They want a more intriguing title. It has to be decided now as the script is being written. This is to ensure that any possible changes won’t deviate away from the title’s implication.”
“And pray do tell, Sir Hathaway.” Rowen scowled. “What would intrigue people to this series? The subject matter of the story is love. To use a romance title would mislead people to its core value. Love is not romance. They are different.”
Eve typed the minutes of the meeting. To do this, she preferred to create a detailed draft. The document became filled with almost exact dialogues. This assured any misunderstandings or overlooked specifics.
It wasn’t the most efficient way to work but it satisfied her.
Ambryan fixed his posture. He stared straight into the casting director’s eyes. “Unlike Venus Investment, I do know the essence of the story. We can simply paraphrase the title.”
“To what?” Rowen asserted. The frown lines between her brows deeped.
It did little to faze the CEO. He more than welcomed the challenge. An active mind such as hers stirred up innovative ideas. It was part of the reason he became convinced about the series. That passion and drive was what fuelled the project.
It would also be the one to ignite a blaze across screens.
“‘Define Love’.”
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