The Cold As Ice CEO

Chapter 5

Avery POV

Kinabukasan ay maaga kaming umalis ng condo para pumunta sa main office ng Ellite Fashion. Pagdating palang namin doon ay magiliw kaming sinalubong ng guard at kaagad din kaming pinapasok. Nagpunta ako sa reception area para itanong kung saan ang Office ni Miss. A. Ibinilin kase ni Auntie Zia na gusto muna ako mameet ni Miss. A bago magpunta sa fitting room para sa Fashion Show.

Ihinatid kami ng isang staff ni Miss A sa office niya. Inabutan namin doon si Miss Maria.

"Miss Maria, nandito na po sina Ms. Avery. Sige po ma'am babalik na po ako sa pwesto ko." Wika ng staff na naghatid sa amin.

"Thank you, you may go." Aniya sa staff nila.

"Hello Ms. Avery and Ms. Amber." Bati niya sa amin.

"Hi. Is Miss A here?" Tanong ko sa kanya.

"Yes Ms. Avery pasok na po kayo sa loob." Wika niya. Siya na rin ang nagbukas ng pinto para sa amin.

"Ms A. Nandito na po sila Ms. Avery." Wika ni Miss Maria.

"Thank you Maria. Please have a sit." Aniya sa amin ni Amber.

"By the way I'm Alexandria Saavedra, CEO of Ellite Fashion." Pagpapakilala niya.

"I'm Avery Louise Garcia. And this is Amber, my handler and my best friend." Pagpapakilala ko kay Miss A.

"Your name sounds familiar. Nice to meet you Ms. Avery. I'm glad that you will be the one to wear my daughter's first creation. She really want you to wear her first design." Wika niya.

"I'm so honored to be the model of her first creation Miss A." Sagot ko.

"Nah, no need to call me that way. Call me Tita Alex. I'm sure we will always meet even after the show." Sabi pa niya.

"What do you mean Miss... i mean tita Alex?" Tanong ko s kanya.

"Well, I heard from my son that you already sign the contract for Emerald Hotel. Zia also mentioned it to me." Wika niya.

"You mean your son is the CEO of Emerald Hotel and you also know Auntie Zia?" Tanong ko.

"Yeah. He is my Son. I met Letizia at a Gala in Paris before. And she said that she's a fan of Ellite Fashion designs an d told me that she's owns a modeling agency. So I ask her to send models from her agency to be part of our Fashion Show. My daughter is a fan of yours that's why when she knew that the models are from your agency she requested to have you for the finale of the Fashion Show." Mahabang paliwanag niya.

"I even took short video of you during the Paris Fashion week and send it to my daughter." Dagdag pa ni tita Alex.

"I'm excited to meet your daughter tita, I'm sure she's beautiful and talented in fashion designing like you." Sabi ko.

"I think so. By the way have you met My son?" Tanong niya.

"Not yet tita Alex. After the fashion show pa po ang schedule ng meeting namin with Emerald Hotel's creative Director and marketing team." Sabi ko. "Amber and tita Zia are the ones who talk to him about the contract via video conference." Dagdag ko pa.

"I see. I think we should go to the fitting room. Nakaready na yung mga isusukat mong dress." Wika ni tita Alex.

Nagtungo na kami sa fitting room. Naroon na ang mga staff ni tita Alex na tutulong sa akin na magsukat ng mga dress.

"Avery, maiwan ko muna kayo dito. Kailangan ko lang i-check yung ibang damit na gagamitin ng ibang models." Paalam ni tita Alex. "Sure tita." Sagot ko.

Patapos na kami sa fitting ng mga dress na gagamitin sa Fashion Show at kasalukuyan kong sinusukat ang pang finale ng biglang pumasok si Monique, ang babaeng namahiya sa empleyado ko kagabi.

"Well well well. Look who's here. Ang mayabang na nagmamay-ari ng cheap na restaurant." Wika niya, kaya naman napatingin ang mga staff at stylist na nasa fitting room.

"Miss Monique bakit kayo nandito may appointment po ba kayo kay Ms. A or may pipick upin po kayong wardrobe para sa show nyo." Tanong ng isa sa mga staff.

"Excuse me? Do I need to get an appointment to talk to my future mother in Law? Intrimitida! Where's tita Alex? At bakit nyo pinapasok ang mga low class na mga tao dito?" Masungit niyang tanong sa staff.

"Nasa kabilang studio Miss may tinignan lang sandali. Maupo po kayo ikukuha ko kayo ng drinks." Magalang na wika ng staff.

"At kayong dalawa? Anong ginagawa ninyo dito sa teritoryo ko? Oh, by the way expect that few days from now your restaurant will surely closed down. I'm sure usap usapan na sa social media kung gaano ka-incompetent ang employee nyo." Wika niya saka tumawa ng malakas.

"What are you talking about Monique, why are you talking to them like that?" Tanong ni tita Alex.

"Oh, hi tita Alex. I just want to ask kung kelan ako pipirma ng contract para maging new model of Ellite Fashion. And I went to Emerald Hotel earlier but Ice didn't allow me to go in his office." Maarteng wika niya.

"Don't change the topic. I'm asking you what you are saying to Avery earlier?" Tanong muli niya.

"Well, I just post in the social media how they treat their customers and how incompetent their employees are." Maarteng wika nito.

"So you own a restaurant besides from being a top model?" Nakangiting wika ni Tita Alex.

"Actually, I just inherited that from my parents. Since my parents and grandparents passed away years ago. I need to take over in managing all our family business." Sagot ko. "Tinatapos ko lang yung contract ko with the agency." Dagdag ko pa.

"Wait tita, do you know her. Seems like you are so close with each other." Maarte oa ring wika ni Monique at halatang pinipigilan ang pagtataray.

"We just met this morning Monique. And by the way Monique, what about the restaurant? Why did you post some negative comments about her restaurant?" Tanong ni tita Alex.

"Well nabuhusan lang naman ako ng drinks ng isa sa mga waitress nila and guess what tita kinampihan pa nila yung ta***ng waitress nila insted of apologizing to me." Sad face pa siya habang nagkukwento.

"Oh, didn't I already pay you half a million pesos just to compensate your ruined dress na pwede namang ipadry clean?" Sabi ko. "And it's just right to depend my staff from someone who humiliate and look down at them." Sagot ko.

"Miss Monique I'm not afraid about those lies you spread in social media we can release footage on what really happen last night. And when netizens saw that video do you think they will still believe you?" Dagdag ko pa.

Sasagot pa sana si Monique ng magsalita si tita Alex.

"We better talk some other time Monique and about the contract I talk to you manager. You don't need to come here. As you can se we are always busy here specially now that we are preparing for the fashion Show." Wika ni tita Alex.

"So where are the dress That I'm gonna wear for the finale tita I'm always wear your creation for finale right?" Wika niya.

"I'm sorry Monique but the finale dress is nit my creation. Snow request Avery to wear her creation so you are not in the line up this season." Wika ni tita Alex.

"Ouch, feeligera kase." Bulong ng isang staff.

"Sa ipinakita niyang ugali kanina siguradong hindi na sya kukuhaning model ulit. Di nya alam na narinig ni Ms. A yung oanghahamak niya kay Ms. Avery." Bulong naman ng isa pa.

"Nakahanap na sya ng katapat, for sure isa isa ng mawawala mga endorsement nya. Balita ko hindi na rin pumirma sa kanya ang Emerald Hotel." Wika ng isa pa.

"Girls go back to work." Saway ni tita Alex sa mga staff niya.

"I can't believe na ito ang ipinalit nyo sa akin tita." May galit sa tinig niya.

"And why not Monique? Avery is an International Ramp model. She's one of the top model in Paris. How come you didn't recognize her?" Nagtatakang wika ni tita Alex.

"She doesn't look like a model. Look at her. She even wearing cheap clothes when I met her last night." Maarte pa ring wika niya.

"Hindi nasusukat sa suot ng tao ang katayuan niya sa buhay. Famous model and celebrities wearing the same simple clothes if the don't want to get the attention of the public." Wika ni tita Alex.

"Avery and Amber, let's go to my Office I ask Maria to buy meryenda for us. We have to go Monique. You better go home and rest. Mukang may hang over ka pa." Sabi ni tita Alex.

Sumunod na kami ni Amber kay tita Alex. Paglabas namin ng fitting room ay dinig pa namin ang paninita ni Monique sa mga staff ni tita Alex.

"I'm sorry for what happen. Hindi ko alam na pupunta sya." Wika ni tita Alex pagpasok namin sa office niya.

"It's ok Ms. A. I can't believe she became an influencer with that kind of attitude." Komento ni Amber.

"Well she's good in acting. That's her job. To act good and innocent in front of the cameras and media." Wika niya.

"Our show is on Friday, are you ready for you final runway Show as a ramp model?" Tanong niya sa akin.

"Yes tita, If I continue being a runway model I can't focus in managing our business so I need to choose wisely though I actually don't have a choice 'cause I don't want to loose my family's business." Sagot ko.

"Good choice. Being a model is not for a lifetime so you must have a stable business so even your out of your chosen career you still have a another source of income which is you own business." Wika naman niya.

"You know what? I have an offer to you." Dagdag pa niya kaya napatingin kami ni Amber sa kanya.

"I want you to be our in house model. I hear fron Zia that you are goin to open a modeling agency." Tanong niya kay Amber.

"Yes Ms. A. Actually I just started checking some studios and office that we can rent for the mean time." Wika ni Amber.

"That's good. You are partners with Zia right? So we can sign exclusive contract for Avery to be Ellite Fashion Ambassador. By that Avery have flexible time to manage their business and being our New model." Wika ni tita Alex.

"That's a good idea Ms. A. Sayang naman kase kung tuluyan iiwnan nitong best friend ko ang pagiging modelo niya." Pagsang ayos ni Amber. "I will talk to Madam Letizia about it Miss. A." Dagdag pa niya. Hindi nalang ako kumibo. Maganda naman ang offer ni tita Alex. Isa pa ayaw ko naman talagang iwanan ng tuluyan ang pagiging model ko.

"I will talk to her Amber, once na convince mo si Avery na maging exclusive model ng Ellite." Wika naman ni tita Alex. "I really like her to be our model, lahat ng ipasuot sa kanya ay magmumukang mamahalin at bagay na bagay sa kanya." Dagdag pa ni tita Alex.

"So, ano babe. Papayag ka na ba sa offer ni Ms. A?" Tanong ni Amber.

"Makakatanggi pa ba, kung si Tita Alex ang nag offer sa akin? Isa pa mahirap talagang iwanan ang trabahong nakasanayan ko na." Sagot ko.

"Yes, I will talk to Zia about it. Thank you at pumayag ka Avery." Wika ni tita Alex.

"It's my pleasure to work with you tita." Sagot ko.

"Ah, Ms. A, I think we have to go. Malapit nang masimula yung rehearsal for the Fashion Show." Pagpapaalam ni Amber.

"Sure. I also need to go to my husband's office jan sa kabilang building lang naman. So see you sa Show. Just call me or si Maria kapag may kailangan kayo." Bilin sa amin ni tita Alex.