Read the Contract
Chapter 66
Addison’s POV
“Addison, I had no idea you were so talented,” Holden announced to the silent room. He had
quietly watched me draw out my designs. It made me happy that he was so impressed with. my work. Wait until his sister sees what I designed. I couldn’t wait to show Valerie what I had
done.
“Stop trying to kiss her ass, Holden. Just because you have a crush on her doesn’t mean she is better at dress design than me. You haven’t even seen my designs yet. They could be just as good as hers,” Valerie snapped out in jealousy.
She was utterly hateful to try to embarrass her brother Holden like that in front of Phillip and
- me. She has not changed at all since high school. She bullied her brothers when it served her
purpose. I was right not to want her to be around my son. I know that Corbin wouldn’t be safe
around her.
“I highly doubt that, Valerie,” Holden replied coldly. She went too far with her words, trying to humiliate him after he complimented my work. She was being extra petty to him because she got her feelings hurt. I already knew, without having seen her designs, that he was correct.
I already knew she used designs she had previously created. I knew where she went to college. I planned to contact local colleges to get ‘expert feedback‘ and votes. I will ensure that her college is one of the random colleges selected. I was sure that word of mouth would cause this competition to enter the stratosphere. I knew her very well. Valerie deserved the embarrassment that was coming her way. I wasn’t going to be the one to release her name, but I was sure that someone else would. She treats others with contempt as if they are below. her. I am positive she was even worse in college than in high school.
Plus, I wanted to have knowledgeable and experienced people vote on our designs. In doing it this way, I wouldn’t be the one to expose her. I am happy to allow her classmates and professors to do that honor for me. Valerie hasn’t changed over the last five years, at least not for the better. I’m positive that some of her classmates will gladly add their opinions to this
contest.
“My aunt will have you sign the contract for us to use your designs, noting that it would just be for our fans‘ voting. You should read the contract before you sign it. I don’t want you trying to cry foul at me over this later on. The contract also stipulates that you created your designs today,” I told her. I knew she would try to back out of the contest once she saw my designs.
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+ Prin
Read the Contract
“I remember,” Valerie replied in a huff. I could tell that she was worried now, but it was too late.
She should have backed out when it was just her family here. This competition was going to
be much bigger than she anticipated. I would run radio and print ads to get people to vote. I was no longer the Addison she used to know and walked all over. It was time she learned that.
“You can go first, Valerie. Tell us about your designs,” I motioned to the chairs across the
coffee table from where Garrett was sitting. That way, everyone could see what she had
designed simultaneously.
“I designed this to be worn to celebrate the Christmas holiday,” Valerie started, holding her tablet out towards her family. She turned the tablet to face us, and I was shocked at how short the skirt was. Anyone wearing it would have to stand up the whole night. They wouldn’t be able to sit down in it without revealing their butt to everyone present. It was a shiny gold
dress, with golden tassels on the front and back of it.
It would be uncomfortable to sit in if you somehow managed to do so. You eventually will
have to ride in the car over to the party. She hadn’t thought her idea through. Valerie liked the
dress because it was flashy and would attract attention. It was good to go to the club, but not
for the events we provide clothing for people to attend. Because of the design, she is limiting her pool of clients. I know she didn’t even consider that. No one over thirty would probably
dare to wear it out of the house, but she seemed very proud of her design. She should have designed a pair of gold shorts to wear underneath it.
No one spoke for a minute before Tandy gently said, “The skirt is too short, Valerie, and I don’t know about the tassels on it.” Tandy was pretty perceptive. I fought back a smile. I didn’t mind her pointing it out. Someone needed to, but I am sure the fans voting on the dresses would
say the same thing.
Valerie ignored what her mother said and then showed us her long gown. It was an emerald green color. That was the best that could be said about it. The dress had no actual shape to it. It had one shoulder on it, a goddess–style gown. It had what looked to be a large bow on the top of the shoulder. Like the wearer was a gift, guess? You would have to have your hair up,
as any other style would tangle in the bow or cause your hair to be messy when piled over it.
It is one thing to be able to draw, but you also need to know your target audience. That is one of the most important factors. It seemed as if Valerie had been designing for people her age with the gold dress. I am using that term loosely. It was more like a long shirt. She had put a slit in her green dress, but it was not on the front of the gown. It was on the side of it. My dresses allowed the wearer to show off their legs in a sexy way as they entered the event they were going to. It also allowed them to show off their expensive shoes in the process.
We all have a specific attribute we like to show off: long legs, a slim waist, our cleavage, a
2/4
+8 Point
Read the Contract
sculpted back, or lush derrière. That attention to detail is what keeps my loyal fan base
returning for more. But I was not here to give Valerie constructive criticism or any help. I was
here to show her how wrong she was to think I had just been handed my job.
“While you showed your creations to your family, I sent my designs to my aunt for a second
stamp. She will need you to send your designs to her as well. She will send you the contract to
read and then electronically sign. The signature will also confirm that your creations are yours
alone and state that we will not use them for anything other than contest purposes. It will also
note that we both created our designs today. We will put all four designs up on Ana and Alex’s
social media pages for people to vote on. Feel free to tell your friends to vote for your
creations. Only one vote per valid social media account on each social media page. So, up to
three votes from each of your friends. She will have our tech ensure that no new accounts can
vote in it, just established accounts. I don’t want anyone to go in and keep voting for either of
- us. That just wouldn’t be fair now, would it?” I told her.
“That’s fine. That was all I wanted as well, was for the contest to be fair. I don’t want you
telling everyone which designs were yours. It wouldn’t be fair for a known designer to go
against a beginner. Someone who had just graduated was only trying to make a name for
herself. It might look like you were trying to bully me,” Valerie told me.
“I’m not putting my name on my designs, at least not the one we posted. I sent both copies of
my designs, a signed set and an unsigned one. There is a reason for us to send our designs a
day before the contest starts. It allows our attorney to ensure no one steals our designs. I plan
on wearing my New Year’s Eve gown, as I love it. It came to me while I was painting earlier
today. I want my designs protected just like we want to protect your designs. It is our
intellectual property. I want to keep all four designs safe from plagiarizing,” I replied.
I can almost hear her gritting her teeth in frustration. I knew exactly what she was planning to do. She would have had everyone create pages to vote for her dresses. She would have done it
herself. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to make this as fair between us as I could. I wasn’t going to mention which designs belonged to whom, although I am sure that
might be obvious to some. Valerie begrudgingly gave me her email address. I wasn’t going to
let her back out of it now. Phillip gave my aunt a heads–up while I was designing. I knew that she would have already started the ball rolling. I wasn’t wrong.
A few minutes later, Valerie’s phone pinged with an incoming text. I was waiting for her to sign
the contract and send her designs. I wasn’t going to show her mine until she had signed. She
would quit right now if she saw them. I wouldn’t give her any room to wiggle out of it. I knew
Valerie very well. She honestly thought she was a better designer than I was. Even though she should have known better, she should have seen my work over the last five years. I was the
only designer for the boutique.
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Read the Contract
I didn’t even make it hard for her by having her draw a suit for the men’s line. She should have made a suit. It is usually part of the curriculum. I just didn’t want her attempting to use that excuse as to why she was beaten. She would. Very soon, she would be grasping at straws. Acting like the contest she wanted had been rigged in my favor. All because my designs are
much better than hers.
So, I kept the contest to evening gowns. That is what most designers prefer to design anyway. Men usually wear a traditional black tuxedo when they go out, especially to a formal event. Very nice, but boring. It has been done to death. Men’s fashion has just started coming around in the last few years, and they are willing to be bolder and push boundaries. I was glad to be a part of the new world of fashion that was coming out. But with evening dresses, the sky was the limit. You can create the most stunning dresses, which is what I genuinely love to do.
I ran to the restroom while she read the contract over and signed it. When I returned, I saw that my aunt had texted me that she had everything she needed to move forward. I had warned Valerie to read the contract thoroughly. She didn’t, even though she had opened it on her tablet. Well, she can’t back out of it now. There was a hefty fine for backing out, thirty thousand dollars. A clause I’m sure she didn’t see. She didn’t have it, so whether she wanted to or not, she would participate in the contest. I couldn’t wait to show her what her dresses were up against.
