TV Multiverse 90 (Patreon)

Resting in Malibu was fun. He read, he watched a few movies, and he tried not to work.

However, he pulled a little string as an exception. With Judith dating Herb, Herb’s sister Myra was in the loop. In the show, she managed to keep up with Charlie the best.

She cheated on her fiancee with Charlie, but considering Charlie’s general moral character, it was actually an advantage rather than a drawback. A little loose morals was acceptable for a woman who challenged Charlie in a way he appreciated rather than feeling trapped.

It didn’t have to be forever. It would help to have someone who could keep up with Charlie, especially if Alan moves out, leaving Charlie alone. Charlie didn’t deal with loneliness well.

Luckily, moving Myra to Los Angeles was easier than it seemed. He didn’t even need to pull any evil schemes. A little hacking, and she would receive a teaching offer from a private middle school with better conditions, though not aggressive enough to be suspicious.

Eventually, that should be enough. If not … well, he never shied away from putting his finger on the scale.

Once that was done, he went to airport, and flew to New York.

It was already evening when his plane landed, and trip to Brooklyn took another hour. He paused when he entered his penthouse that Blair had picked.

The location of it was amusing. Brooklyn Heights, which was the poshest part of Brooklyn, rivaling some of the cheaper parts of Manhattan, but he didn’t refuse and finalized the purchase. After all, once he asked for Blair’s help, some unnecessary luxury was inevitable, and it wasn’t a bad location.

All things considered, it was a smart purchase, both as an investment, and for use. The penthouse perfectly addressed his needs, and the extra few million was a good exchange for safety.

His surprise had more to do with the fact that it was furnished already. Everything was in place, exclusive enough that, ordinarily it would take months to get it. It meant Blair had called in favors. Significant ones.

Impressive, he thought with an amused sigh. She must have worked even harder than he expected. The layout suggested a capable interior designer or two had been involved as well.

He sighed. It was supposed to be a nice gesture, yet it still created more problems than it solved.

It wasn’t that the apartment was decorated badly. Blair didn’t simply fill stuff she would enjoy. No, it fit his tastes surprisingly well. She clearly went to a lot of trouble, creating an exquisite place with a satisfying color palette, modern without shouting temporary corporate housing.

The only amusing detail was the books, covering multiple shelves. He had a feeling that those books just came with the shelves by default, making sure the owner looked sophisticated.

He decided to act as if he hadn’t noticed Blair sneaking from behind. It would be rude, especially with the dress she put on.

She hugged from behind. “Surprise,” she called.

He turned back, and captured her lips. Her kiss was hungry and desperate.

It took a while for them to separate. "So, what do you think? It's flawless. Say it's flawless."

"It's beautiful,” he said, and she smiled. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to make a lot of changes,” he added, and she paused. Her anger was fake, there to conceal her hurt. “My taste—"

He interrupted her with another kiss, preventing her from building up into a tantrum. “Yes, impeccable. I’m happy with the style and the general budget. The issue is the utilization. For example, the kitchen appliances need to change. I need stuff that’s actually high performance, not just expensive but useless stuff. I need at least two ovens, a gas range, and a larger prep area.”

“You cook?”

“I dabble,” he said. Then, he smiled, pointing at the lower section. “The bigger issue is that the southern section. It needs to be completely empty.”

“That would ruin the room,” she said.

“Yes, but that’s the best place to set up a proper studio.”

“Studio?” she asked, her anger pausing. “For what?”

“Photography, of course,” he responded.

“You told me you enjoy it, but enough to occupy a significant portion of your living area?”

He nodded. “I mean, I can’t keep renting hotel rooms for photoshoots with rental equipment. I need a proper setup.”

“A proper setup? For what?”

“Fashion photography, mostly, maybe some experimental stuff mixed in, but mostly for work.”

Her eyes widened, and her smirk sharpened. “So, you’re finally revealing one of your mysterious businesses.”

He waved his hand. “Nothing much. A small online retailer. Nothing more,” he said, even as he opened the website on his phone to show her.

Blair nodded. “Hey, I recognize it. It’s not exactly what I would call small,” she said. “It is one of the stronger names in affordable fashion.”

“I didn’t think you shopped there.”

“Of course not,” she declared, insulted by the mere idea that she wore anything that sold for merely three figures. “Still, as a business, it’s impressive. Enough to turn into a gossip.”

“Well, it earned me less than what I got from a measly little lawsuit,” he teased, and she poked him angrily.

“Don’t even joke about it. I learned exactly how much you got from that settlement. Even in Upper East Side standards, it’s impressive. The fact that you can compare a three-months-old website that popped out of nowhere to that settlement alone is impressive.”

“I hadn’t realized we were in the crosshairs of Waldorf Designs.”

Blair waved her hand. “Not really crosshairs. The market is completely different. True luxury can’t operate as a website.” He nodded. It was true. “Still, a lot of younger designers are tempted to get in contact and see if they can launch an affordable line through your company.”

“Someone sounds scared.”

Blair waved her hand. “I mean. It’s a nifty little idea, I’ll give you that, but you literally have one advantage. Your mysterious photographer. People are going crazy. It’s impressive you kept him hidden, but the moment bigger players can find him, they will poach…” she started, then her voice faded as she caught his smirk.

A smirk he wore just as he claimed he accepted that fateful wine tasting competition.

“No,” she said.

“No, what?” he teased.

“You know what!” she growled. “You’re the photographer!” she added with the tone of a detective who just declared the murderer. “You said you dabble. That’s not the way to describe the hottest new name in the business.”

“Well, I do dabble—” he teased, enjoying the way her face shifted color before she interrupted him with a furious growl, followed by an intense kiss.

It was totally worth the five-minute tantrum that followed, even if she bit a bit too much in the process. “I think I hate you,” she growled once she pulled back, breathing hard.

He smirked. “Well, if your hatred comes in this form, maybe I should burn your car and see what you’ll do,” he teased.

Her eyes widened. “Imagine how impressed everyone would be when I bring you to Waldorf Design. Our competitors—“

“No,” he said.

She paused. “No,” she responded, looking surprised, because his tone was not a playful no. It was a sharp one. “You wouldn’t do that for me?”

She was hurt.

She tried to pull from his arms, but he didn’t let her. He had to admit, it was a fair question. Even without everything else, just the effort she put into his penthouse deserved his help. Especially since she had done it before even knowing him as a talented photographer.

However, he didn’t refuse her because he didn’t want to do the job. Previously, he didn’t want to deal with any established business at the scale of Waldorf Design, because he would have been a commodity.

It didn’t matter how skilled a designer or photographer was. An unequal relationship meant that ultimately, one was a valuable commodity, forced to follow the company or exiled from the industry.

For him, that was a deal-breaker. They didn’t even need to act harshly. They could have treated him as their most valuable employee, but they still would have required him to attend parties, industry events, and private galas.

Even eccentric geniuses had to play by the rules … well, some rules. If he threw a tray full of drinks at an assistant because his presence distorted the light, they would just shrug. Refusing an invitation to a gala where the company needed to make a splash…

For anyone else, these counted as rewards. A party he had to stand in the room for four hours, making small talk with every self-important asshole was torture for him. It would be like working at the grocery store, only with a nicer polish.

Naturally, those concerns no longer existed. He was no longer a genius photographer. He had his seat on the table, who also happened to be a genius photographer. Those rules no longer applied. If he joined as a collaborator, it would be a real collaboration, and not just a polite fiction.

He wasn’t even worried about making a name for himself as a fashion photographer. It was different from his desire not to be a director. A fashion photographer, no matter how good, was still an industry professional, only known by the insiders. The worst thing he needed to worry about was an overenthusiastic model trying to make a jump in status.

A young director with a breakout movie was a vital sensation; his life invaded by investors, aspiring actors and actresses, and armies of screenwriters, even paparazzi.

“I’m saying no, because you didn’t think about what it means. Tell me, what happens when you bring me to Waldorf Designs?”

“I … I have an incredible coup to my name,” she said. “I mean, eventually, I will take over. An impressive contribution like this is exactly what I need.”

He chuckled. Often, Blair was sharp and calculative, but when something excited her, she developed tunnel vision, which was how she created most of her problems. “Fine. We’ll have a talk, and if you still want me to collaborate with Waldorf Designs for a collection once we finish, I will help.”

“You will?” she asked, but she was more confused than excited. He laughed, lifted her in a bridal hold while she let out a shocked cry, and carried her to the bedroom, pulling her dress halfway. Her smile grew. “Oh, that kind of talk,” she whispered. “Please, sir. Our company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and only you can save us. I’ll do … anything,” she whispered.

“Tempting, but no. The talk is going to be heavy, and I have a feeling I need to balance the scales somewhat to prevent you from ignoring everything I said in anger.”

She hummed as he laid her down, taking note of her sexy lingerie. It was too fancy and uncomfortable to be casual. It was for him. He appreciated the effort.

“First of all, are you aware of how it would look when you bring me to Waldorf Designs? The mysterious photographer that Blair brought in, not even a week after they were together in the gossip columns. Everyone will be going around saying how you whored yourself around to land a photographer.”

“But I didn’t even know…” she started, then let out a chuckle. “And, no one would know or believe it,” she added. “I know I wouldn’t.” He kissed her hard, his fingers dancing over her body. She responded quickly. “Alright, now I see why we’re having this talk in bed,” she added, smiling.

“We’re not at the heavy part of the talk yet,” he said.

“We’re not?”

He nodded. “Let’s assume there’s no scandal that would make every paparazzi salivate for a month. What would happen once you brought me to your mother’s company as a photographer?”

“I’ll prove that…”

He sighed. “You’ll prove nothing other than that you have some social contacts,” he said. “If you were an intern, or even a manager in the company, it would have been different. You’ll have your gold star, maybe even getting you a promotion. But it won’t give you the autonomy you’re seeking in the company. It doesn’t matter that she’s currently living in Paris. Your mother will still be looking over your shoulder.”

“Are you saying that I’m not worthy of trust?” she said, her anger apparent even when his hands continued to dance over her body. Without the added pleasure, she would have started throwing a tantrum.

“No. You can’t find a person in the world that your mother would trust to run the company without her looking over her shoulder,” he said.

Blair frowned. “You don’t even know my mother.”

“I know that casual, laid-back people in high society don’t spend a majority of their life building a small fashion empire from nothing. And, once they do, it becomes a part of their identity, and they wouldn’t let it go even if they were driving the business to the ground. It’s even rarer for them to stop if it was actually successful. Even if she retires in her seventies, she would still look over your shoulder. You might have a few unique collections to your name, but even if you become the CEO, your mother will rule the company.”

He didn’t need to have access to the show to guess that, but it helped. Especially since he knew Eleanor Waldorf not only prioritized the company over Blair’s happiness when they intersected, but she also didn’t have the stability to maintain that divide in a way that cared Blair’s feelings.

After all, Eleanor decided to make Blair the face of one of her new collections a couple of years ago, only to change her mind at the last minute and replace Blair with Serena, her best friend.

It had been devastating for Blair.

Ironically, all Eleanor needed was to think just for a second, and ask Blair to have a test shoot for ‘fun’ before declaring she would be the face, and once realizing she didn’t fit, find a model other than Blair’s best friend. Or, at least, act like she was giving Serena the opportunity because of Blair, keeping her happy rather than disgruntled.

She couldn’t have engineered a better situation if she were trying to destroy the social life and self-confidence of her daughter at the same time.

Admittedly, that didn’t mean she was a terrible mother. On the contrary, in the warped standards of the Upper East Side, she was probably the best parent, even including Mister so-called perfect father Rufus, who’s essentially an older Dan with the same annoying anarchist poet who doesn’t care about money attitude while dating almost exclusively with multimillionaires.

The Humphrey family’s ethical quality was rather overrated, even by the low standards of the Upper East Side.

“But…”

“You don’t want to work for Waldorf Designs. Not directly, at least. If you fail, it’s your fault. If you win, you’re the lucky girl who took over a business empire.”

She paused. “But … I love fashion. I always wanted to work as a designer,” she said, then chuckled. “I started designing when I was six, with Serena, creating a summer collection for our dolls.”

He was surprised, not by the fact itself, but by Blair revealing something real about herself. For a woman who talked almost constantly, Blair had mastered the art of saying nothing.

He kissed her neck, but when she tried to kiss him, he avoided her. She assumed the talk was over. “You’re supposed to distract me. Well, get to work!” she ordered.

“Not yet,” he whispered. “I told you that you can’t work at Waldorf Designs. It’s not the same thing as not working in fashion.”

She let out a dark chuckle. “It won’t work. No one will ever take me seriously, whether in success or in failure. That’s the drawback of the Waldorf name…”

“That’s the fun part. You don’t need the Waldorf name,” he said. “Instead, we have the mystery designer, who no one knows who she is, where she lives, or what she’ll design next. A ghost of the fashion world.”

“What about the operation, or sales?” she asked. “It’s not the kind of thing that stays secret.”

“Well, I have a huge penthouse, and a space for tailoring would mix well with the studio,” he offered. “Sales, we handle it partially online before finding partners,” he said. “You don’t even have to ask for money, because I’m happy to invest for a minority stake of thirty percent in the design label, as long as you sign a preferred supplier agreement.”

“A supplier agreement and equity, really?” she asked, giggling. Mostly because the money involved in such a project wouldn’t be too big … by their admittedly lofty standards.

It was not an online retailer. The website just needed initial traction and marketing, and once it was successful, it grew wildly because the concept was scalable.

A design house, especially one that was trying to establish in the couture space, operated differently. It required design. It required fashion shows. It required slowly accumulating reputation and a series of successful designs.

Of course, that was if he didn’t put his finger to the scale and start pulling some interesting tricks and teach the old heads how the new wave operated.

“Let’s just say I have a feeling it’ll make more money than you realize, and eventually, you’ll curse me for stealing your equity,” he teased her. But, underlying message was clear. He was doing it not as a grand gesture to keep her happy, but because he believed it would work.

“Smooth move,” she said with a giggle, not believing his words clearly. “But, you don’t have to lie just to make my panties drop. The fact that you’re giving me a chance is enough,” she said, pushing them down to make a point.

He chuckled, and kissed her. “I can see why you think that way, but I do make a lot of money that way,” he said. “For example, Max’s Cupcakes. Currently, it’s a viral sensation, and people are flooding our inboxes trying to get franchise rights. If I decided to sell it as is, I could probably sell it to ten million easily. A year of scaling, and it goes to a hundred million to an overeager private equity that would run it to the ground in two years.”

“Don’t! Turning Max’s Cupcakes into a franchise would be a crime against humanity,” she responded.

“A fan?”

“Well, yeah. It’s a cute shop; it has style, yet it makes the most delicious cupcake I’ve ever tasted.”

“Oh, don’t worry. If I tried that, Max would stab me,” he said. “Her sassy anger is not as fake as you think.” Then, he told her a few quick stories about Max, which left Blair in stitches laughing. “Do you have any idea how Max’s Cupcakes came to be?”

She shook her head.

“I was supposed to meet with a model in Brooklyn, but she got delayed, so I sat in a cheap diner,” he said. Her face scrunched. “Yeah, the food was as horrible as you imagined. But, one of the waitresses was selling some homemade cupcakes on the side. Three dollars apiece.”

“What, you saw the business opportunity and made an offer,” she said.

He smiled. “Eventually,” he said. “At that moment, I was more interested in seducing her fellow waitress, who turned out to be her roommate. Three of us got along well…”

“I know what getting along well means for you, you bastard,” she said, interrupting. But, considering she also climbed onto his lap and started riding him, it was hard to take that as anything other than a compliment.

He smirked as he grabbed her hips, adding his own movements. “Long story short, I found their company delightful even when we weren’t naked, and offered them a deal where I handle all the costs, take the majority stake, with Max as the operating partner.”

Blair giggled. “Is that how you pick your business partners? In bed?”

“It’s not that—“ he started reflexively, then paused. “Apparently, almost exclusively. But, in my defense, I don’t invest in anyone that I don’t believe in. No matter how hard they work in bed,” he added, flipping her to trap for him.

“You’re such a bastard,” she said. “Fine, I accept the deal. You owe me one in any case.”

“Really? For what?”

“For Georgina, of course. I told you that Georgina would vanish to lick her wounds, just like I told you she would.”

He chuckled. “And, what would you say if I said my first-class cabin was suspiciously empty, with only one other passenger, appearing in a dramatic reveal?”

Blair’s eyes widened. “That bitch!” It was proof of Georgina’s reputation that Blair didn’t even question whether she would book the whole first-class cabin just to make an entrance.

He was curious how she would react once she learned the full story.