Page 15 of The Producer: Aaron

I shrug and think about it for a few seconds.

“It’s not a matter of personal pride. I’m confident in my physical appearance to not be intimidated by her words.”

Tracy smiles and shakes her head. “Never let the great Aaron Steel become humble.”

“It’s not a question of humility. I know how I look. I see myself in the mirror, take care of my physical appearance, and have no problem admitting it. What bothers me about that video is that she’s part of the target audience to which the streaming division aims, and she sees me as old. I always thought my father wasobsolete for this job… What if I have become one myself and haven’t noticed it?” I express the doubt that has tormented me since last night.

Tracy thinks about it for a few moments and then smiles.

“Your shows are not old. They hit the target you want. In fact, she is adored by folks her age and younger. What makes you doubt?”

“The fact that I don’t know her world. I don’t know where the kids nowadays meet to chat, their social networks… I am not present where my target audience is gathered, and this makes me lose sight of what they like and the trends of the moment,” I admit with concern.

She shrugs and shakes his head.

“Hire someone young to help you keep up or ask her to explain it to you, but don’t sign up for social media as one of those creepy middle-aged dudes sneaking into teen chats.” She makes a disgusted face that makes me smile.

“I’m too old for TikTok, am I?” I tease.

“I swear if I see a single video of you flexing your muscles without a shirt on winking in front of a camera, I quit.”

I smile, amused, and look back at the computer in front of me, watching the number of emails go up by the minute.

“Now, do we want to focus on the real problem of that video? The rumors that circulate describe her as your lover, and the denial will not be enough to silence them. You have to give a reasonable explanation for the fact that she lives in your house. You must work with Sharon, she is prepared for this, but you have to put your face out there. You can’t just rely on a press release.”

I don’t have time to answer when the office door opens wideand my father enters as if he owns the place. He technically does, but still.

“Get out,” he orders to Tracy, who, in response, looks at me in a silent question.

“Get your ass out of that chair and get out of this office if you don’t want me to kick your ass so hard you end up in the parking lot,” he orders.

Bile rises in my throat, but I don’t need to say anything to defend her because Tracy gets up, approaches my father without batting an eye, and looks him straight in the eyes.

“You just try to put a finger on me, and I swear I will take your flaccid balls and close them between the jamb and the door of this office,” she hisses before turning around and leaving the office without giving him a second look.

The fury that paints my father’s face is something that makes me almost physically enjoy this moment. That’s why I hired Tracy. Because she doesn’t let herself be intimidated by those who try to crush her.

“Fire her,” my father orders me as soon as the door closes.

“I won’t even think about it,” I answer with arrogance, basking for a few more seconds in the victory of my assistant.

“You’ll do exactly what I tell you, or I swear you’ll find yourself in the middle of a street.”

My father’s threats stopped scaring me a long time ago. Now they just make my anger rise, but I have learned to control it.

“Why did you feel the need to interrupt my meeting? I don’t have time to waste with you.” Even though I know he’s here for that video, I get straight to the point.

“I believe you have no time to waste, given the mess you’vemade fucking this girl.” He looks like a rabid dog.

The mere fact that he’s insinuating I slept with Dakota annoys me, but I can’t get angry with him. Everyone thinks so, and denying it to my father is not one of my main problems right now.

“That’s all? Have you come here to scold me because of who I take to bed?” I pretend to be bored by his insinuations.

“I am here because I am the first to close an eye on the affairs, but I don’t slam them on all the front pages of the newspapers. Are you too stupid to do it? The two golden rules in this industry are simple: be discreet, and use a condom. You are thirty-six, holy Christ, have you learned nothing at all?”

My father’s vulgarity disgusts me. He has always been a person who treats people like scum, and I will never get used to it. I would do anything to see him pay for the suffering he causes.

“Have you finished your preaching, or do you want me to waste more time? My private life is none of your business.” I want him out of this office.

---