166 Love is so cruel

They sit in folding plastic chairs at Jackson's folding plastic table after he closes his laptop. In the awkward silence, Monica can hear the loud buzz of a drill every few seconds as the crew hangs new drywall. “What are you up to, Jacqueline?” Monica was not doing niceties or waiting for her to launch into a practised speech. She wants to throw her off, make sure she knows that they were not under her thumb and have no problem calling out her game play. She has come all the way here to talk about something, after all, so may as well not delay. She presses her lips together in response but gives in.

“The reactions to the fashion shows have been quite exciting. Perhaps you have heard?” Monica doesn't look at him, but Jackson stays quiet, and something Jacqueline sees in his expression must give her pause because her nostrils flare. “Or maybe not. But the media buzz has been quite positive. For House Corbin and the designers themselves. Seeing as two of the designers are from America,