Chapter 195: Collaboration
[Chapter 195: Collaboration]
Paris, the 7th arrondissement, a high-end residential area along the Seine.
"Lydia, that little bitch!" Antoine angrily threw his cup across the room.
"Who does she think she is? We are one of the most important clients of Hearst Group! Without us throwing them bones, these dogs would just have to eat shit! I'm ready to make them eat shit. From this year on, LV refuses to advertise in any media platform under the Hearst Group unless that bitch comes crawling and licks my toes!" Antoine said, incredibly furious.
"Sweetheart, even if you stop the advertising, your sister will just happily accept the void left by LV, or our competitor, Gucci! Your actions would only backfire," the woman sitting next to him said, unfazed by Antoine's rage, smiling instead.
She wasn't wrong; the number of fashion magazines with a large circulation that enjoyed global recognition could easily be counted on one hand.
The woman wasn't Antoine's wife; she was the long-time spokesperson for CK, a model named Natalia Vodianova. She shot an advertisement for LV last year and met Antoine on set. She was not just a young model but also carried the title of Viscountess Portman. Although she was just a viscountess, after the House of Lords Act in 1999, only 92 hereditary peers retained their seats, and Portman was one of them, having been passed down for ten generations.
Antoine had encountered numerous models but never the wife of a hereditary peer, which excited him even more.
Natalia Vodianova also had a crush on the heir of LVMH, and the two had clicked immediately. Despite each having their commitments, in the eyes of romantic Parisians, this was seen as a unique little thrill. Their relationship had progressed rapidly, lasting six months, with Natalia even moving to Paris. As Lydia aligned herself with Ryan, the bond between Natalia and Antoine only grew stronger.
"Even if this fails, what do you really stand to lose? You have an endless array of opportunities to play this out. Just one success would hurt him deeply; two successes would bring him to his knees. Even if he beats you countless times, it wouldn't matter -- that's the difference between you," Natalia elegantly lifted her wine glass, swirling it gently before raising it to her lips, leaving a mark with her crimson lipstick.
Though she had sold fruits on the street with her mother at just eleven years old and left home at fifteen to face the harsh realities of life, none of that took away from her ability to portray an elegant noblewoman at this moment.
"Listening to you makes me feel a lot better, but this situation can't just be brushed aside. Even if we don't want to destroy our relationship with the Hearst Group, we can still apply pressure. As for Ryan, I need to find out his circumstances before making any further plans," Antoine pondered.
"Why directly confront him? You only need to slightly wiggle your fingers, and the people around him won't be able to hold up. Eventually, they will come to you asking for peace," Natalia suggested a different strategy.
"Are you implying that young model from Dior? What's her name?" Antoine pretended to think.
"Karlie Kloss. She's on good terms with Ryan; maybe they haven't even separated. Star couples will do anything for money," Natalia mused.
"We'll deal with her, and I'll have her smeared out of the modeling industry!" Antoine pulled out his phone, calling an executive at Dior directly.
Although he was not responsible for any specific affairs at Dior, he was a board member of LVMH, meaning any changes at the upper management level required board approval. Dismissing a model was a piece of cake.
...
"Don't even mention it... She's too close to Ryan. According to our group's confidentiality agreement, she's highly dangerous. What if she leaks our internal promotional plans? Absolutely; she has to be fired. It's settled." Antoine hung up.
...
"This is only step one. If Ryan still won't back down, we'll target Karlie Kloss's agency, digging up dirt on her. Even if we don't find anything, we could always hire people to kidnap her and film it live," Natalia said, calmly considering this plan.
"Don't go that far; you're not helping me but harming her. Based on past experiences, this kind of tactic would only make her explode in popularity. Americans can be so foolish," Antoine shook his head, remembering the events surrounding Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
At that moment, Natalia offered her wine glass, positioning the side with the crimson lip print toward Antoine...
...
Dior Headquarters.
"Actually, Ryan started reaching out to you today, but the office staff turned him down," the secretary reported.
"When did this happen?" Delphine asked quickly.
"Just this morning when he came into work. The staff thought he sounded off and said you would be contacting him eventually," the secretary continued.
"Is that so? Contact him now; I'd really like to have a proper discussion," Delphine sensed Ryan's intention behind the call.
A few minutes later, the call connected on Ryan's end.
...
"Before we get into anything serious, I want to know why you contacted me," Delphine stated.
"I need protection," Ryan said candidly from the other end.
"How do you know I would protect you? That's my brother you've angered; how would my father view that?" Delphine shot back immediately.
"From your father's appointments for both of you, he didn't seem to favor either of you but rather encouraged competition. And I didn't start this. Your father would think Antoine is an idiot, incapable of running even a small niche brand," Ryan replied. "And crucially, you and Antoine are direct competitors."
"In fact, my father has already said that after his retirement, the five of us will manage the group together and hold equal voting rights on the board," Delphine noted, including her ten-year-old brother in the count, confirming this was indeed her father's plan.
"I don't have a vast family business to inherit, so I don't understand the procedures. But I know both you and Antoine aspire to be the primary heirs. It's a web of suspicion where you can never be certain of what the other truly thinks, so you can only be proactive; Antoine thinks the same way," Ryan continued.
Delphine smirked, "Sometimes being too clever isn't a good thing. Nobody wants to trust a character like that."
"I'm just a pawn; I'm not expecting to be valued by you," Ryan chuckled.
"At least you know your place."
"I need a guarantee, or rather a signal to prevent this conflict from escalating further," Ryan stated.
"And what can you offer me in return?"
"A nice uppercut strong enough to dislocate Antoine's jaw. I'll share the sTray profits with Dior; simply put, it's a collaboration."
The star was surprisingly aligned with her own thoughts, and Delphine felt a slight kinship with Ryan.
Her father's stance was clear. She didn't know what was wrong with Antoine, this idiot, that he actually wanted to take the initiative to provoke. If she could win over sTray, it would be a great achievement.
Delphine had not realized that Lydia had already set up the conflict between Ryan and Antoine.
Though she had reached her goal, she still deflected, "You just discredited LV; now you're turning around to collaborate with Dior. Do you really think I'm naive enough to get dragged into your battle?"
"This isn't a battle. As I said, this was initiated by the other side. More accurately, when sTray and Dior secure their collaboration, that's when the war officially begins. If we can win this battle, you'll land a hefty blow against Antoine."
"Plus, you'll make a huge amount of money in the process," Delphine chimed in.
"Money is only good if you're alive to spend it; if you need, you can take it all under your name," Ryan said without hesitation.
"Better keep that money for yourself. I'm merely a group employee. Besides, you're a talented designer, personally endorsed by Anna Wintour; hiring you is only fitting," Delphine replied.
"We can keep the money with me for now; you can use it whenever you need to!" Ryan added.
For Ryan, giving away all that money as protection money would feel inconsequential. If Delphine deemed that sum insufficient, it was a massive win for him -- Dior was one of the top three luxury brands under Hermes, and a collaboration with Dior was like a poor kid marrying the daughter of a rich family.
Delphine didn't linger on the idea, slowly saying, "I look forward to our collaboration."
*****
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