Page 128 of Executive Decision

“No majority. The motion fails.” He straightened his suit. “So, I’ve made an executive decision on the matter of president. Daphne is more than qualified. Her work in acquisitions is unmatched and her plans for the business are exciting. Rather than wallow—and I’d like her to explain this in more detail—she has moved forward with some exciting marketing plans. I will let her get to that.”

I brushed off the criticism and stood.

I lifted the clicker with shaky hands. “Uh, hello. To begin with, let me be abundantly clear, the video is more mortifying for me than anyone. I was coerced into it by my ex-husband. Scotland Yard has investigated the matter and my legal representatives in the UK assure me it will be handled today.”

The room murmured.

The CFO said, “How so?”

“We believe there is a basis to charge him with a crime,” I said. “The UK revenge porn law. I cannot get into specifics, nor will I deny there will be ongoing press coverage, but I will see this through so he cannot hurt anyone else. I would hope that all of you on this board would agree to support that cause. It is what my father would want.”

My siblings all nodded. Davey looked around protectively.

“Now, with that out of the bag, let’s discuss our new retail strategy. I want to bring on new brands. In the past few days, I’ve worked to build out an influencer strategy that should boost a few key demographics.”

I pointed to a graph. “The fastest growing segments in luxury are people under forty and plus sized shoppers. As stated before, I want to expand our concierge experience, but I also plan to use influencers to signal that Delphines istheplace for customer service, elite brands, and innovative beauty—a segment growing by leaps and bounds. I plan to bring in a variety of brands—one of which we’ve landed in the past few days.”

I flipped to a slide. “Elise M’s brand deal with Sephora has lapsed. The company, thanks to the help of Chloe Markham, has secured a preliminary brand deal that will hopefully wrap by the year’s end. We will be the exclusive home of this brand outside their online presence.”

Jaws dropped.

Menendez chuckled. “And did the mayor help?”

“No, Chloe did,” I said. “Mayor Markham hadnoinfluence here. Elise Markham was generous enough to work through brand channels with me. Her attorneys have sent a brand partnership toDavid, Jr,not me.”

I didn’t mention that all this was done from our hotel room in Traverse City. Chloe reined in the details to make it happen. I owed her the world. Cal would be overjoyed but probably blindsided.

“It is a game-changer,” Davey added.

“And as younger shoppers are less focused on price point and more on organic experience, we will bring in influencers to move this ball. That is why we will appoint our first Chief Social Media Officer—Chloe Markham.”

Jaws dropped. People stared.

Chloe announced, “Ta-dah! I couldn’t bemoreexcited.”

“It will be controversial,” I said. “But she has done so much. Please trust me. Brand interest was up when Bernie left, and we dropped news of a luxury-first concept.”

“I included a lot of research in your board packets,” I continued. “That will give you an idea of why this new direction is our most viable step forward. And I know many of you will doubt me here. I don’t blame you. However, I’d ask that you give me a chance. Please. Because this brand is in my soul.”

Heads nodded. I didn’t get a standing ovation, but dissent settled.

“My father always had an open-door policy,” I said. “And that will remain with Davey and me. If you have concerns, come to us. We want honest feedback. The brand will only survive if we return to that brutal honesty and scrappy pursuit of new ideas.”

* * *

Cal

“You have a bright future, young man.” the DNC chairman, Colin Wu patted me on the back.

“Young man? You got the wrong guy.” I chuckled.

“Ah, to me, everyone is young. Well done. That speech will go down in history. Just you wait.”

I vibrated with excitement after any good stump speech but tonight felt different.

“Ah, the wife’s after me!” Wu left.

Jo approached, “You did beautifully.”

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