Although the doctors have reassured us Father is stable now, that we thank goodness acted fast, and that he is a very lucky man, I'm still shaking. No matter what Teru, my mum, Sol or even my grandma say, I'm convinced it's my fault. If I had thought better before opening my mouth, if I hadn't lost our big investor, if I had done more, this wouldn't have happened to father.

Well, it is impressive I didn't ruing everything sooner. Considering I'm just a stupid teenager girl playing adult, I lasted more than I had ever thought possible. In all honesty, what was Father thinking when he made me the acting CEO? Even Teru would've made a better job than I. That I'm the heiress of the company is a fact no one can deny, but I have not been prepared. Until the decision was made I believed I wouldn't even touch Tachibana Productions. I thought Father didn't want me to ever take care of it because he knew I wasn't capable of such a thing, after all he never trained me for it. I wonder if the stroke he had left sequels no one told us about.

At first, when Mum tells me I can come in and see Father, I refuse. I'm both ashamed and too shaken up to face him, but then I realise I need to properly apologise to him. That thought is what makes me go into the private room where he is. I'm expecting him to be sleeping, but it's been over twenty-four hours since he got the stroke, and the surgery. Needless to say, it's been complete chaos everywhere, I haven't even gone to the office, letting Teru handle everything.

I should've done that since the beginning.

"Otousan," I call when I notice he's awake, looking very feeble but his eyes find me when I close the door behind me. Mum is next to him, controlling his bed so he is in a more sitting position. Without waiting for a word from him, I kneel, lowering my head, my hands in fists over my knees. "Moushiwake gozaimasen," I repeat what I said when he had the stroke, this time he is able to hear me.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears from falling again. I'd be shameless if I cried in front of him after all I did.

"Ann-chan," he calls, his tone pleading even in his weak state. "Stand up, my girl. I don't want to see you on your knees." He's switched to English, probably having Mum in mind because she doesn't speak Japanese. "You don't have to apologise."

"But it was my fault, Otousan! Everything that happened is my fault, your stroke, this big problem. It's all my fault!" I can't help it, tears stream down my cheeks, sign of humiliation and the guilt I feel. "I'm so sorry, I ruined it all."

"Ann-chan," he tries again. I can barely see him through my tears. "When Life throws rocks at you, what do you have to do?"

"Dodge them?" I venture, making him chuckle, which isn't a good thing, he's too weak for that and even Mum panics. "Gomennasai!"

"Although that seems clever, that's not what you do, because if you dodge them, Life will keep throwing stones at you, and at some point you'll get tired of dodging them. What you do instead is fighting back. Even if the first rock hit you, you stand up and fight back until Life learns that you're strong enough and can deal with what it throws at you."

"What if I'm not strong enough?" I ask because I'm not confident, the shoes I'm trying to fill are too big for me.

"Then Life wouldn't be throwing rocks at you. No matter how much Life makes us suffer, it is wiser than any of us, and it is only trying to make us stronger."

I want to say that's easy for him to say, because he's so capable and has always been successful, he's always been good at everything he does. Why would Life throw rocks at him when he's already so strong? But I can't tell that to him, I won't talk back to Father, so instead I just lower my head again.

"Stand up and fight, Ann-chan. That's all you have left. Do what you think right."

⋙⋘

I might ruin everything, I might make everything worse, but I have to fight as Father said. I have to try and do my best to convince Mr O'Connors to keep his investment. Or at the very least, not to sue us and cause more trouble. If I can do damage control, then it won't be as bad, my mistake won't be such problem for Father, or even Teru. The poor man is so exhausted, overworking for the past few days. For him, for Father and everyone else in the company, I need to fight back.

Donald O'Connors is a racist bastard that only cares about selling. He thinks that having a non-white romantic lead will reduce the profits, consequently, his investment. A way to fight back when Life throws rocks at you is using one of those very rocks and throwing it back. That is what I'm going to do, I'll use his same mindset against him to prove him wrong and how having Gareth is an asset for the production.

I work restlessly, day and night, only leaving the office to visit Father to then just come back to keep working. I need to prepare the shield and sword I'll be using when I face Donald O'Connors again, and it has to be fast. I prepare my armour, too, swallowing my pride and embarrassment when I call Gareth.

"Ann!" is the first thing he says when he picks the phone. "I've been meaning to call you. I heard about your father. How are you doing?" he asks next, talking fast, sounding almost worried. I push aside my feelings, the hurt in my heart, the wounds his multiple rejections have left in me.

"He's recovering," I reply, coldly, all business-like. "I am very sorry to disturb you, I am aware you must be busy."

"Ann," he mutters my name, there's an edge to his voice, something I don't and won't dare to interpret.

"I... I need your help. I'm having big trouble with one investor who happens to be against you as one of the lead characters."

"Oh?" he says, probably confused with my words.

"He's just a racist bastard," I curse him out, and I think I hear Gareth chuckling to himself. "I need to prove him wrong, and I am begging for your help. I don't know what I can offer you in return, but whatever it is, considered it done. If it's in my power, of course."

"When do you need me?" he asks back and it takes me two seconds to realise he's agreed to help.

"Are you free tomorrow? We're going to DROC Inc. at three in the afternoon, and I would like if you can go with me. You just need to show off your unquestionable talent, that's all I need you to do."

"I'll be there," he promises without hesitation. Then it's silence and I don't know how to fill it, I won't even try to fill it, either.

"Thank you," I finally say. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I hang up before he says anything, I think he was calling my name when I pressed the button, but if he meant to say anything else to me it surely wasn't important because he doesn't call me back or anything. But I don't dwell on that, I don't have the time or the energy for it. I wholeheartedly agree with Gareth now, romance is a distraction and as of now I need to focus on what I'll be telling this businessman tomorrow.

I also call Terry McCracken and ask her for her help and support for tomorrow, and like that I organise the little army I'm taking with me. And when the day comes, when the moment to fight back is imminent, I'm filled with determination. Not even Gareth's presence can shake me up, I'm betting my life here, because if I fail then it means I really am unfitted for this work, it means I ruined it all and I need to learn my place, which isn't at Tachibana Productions. I draw support and comfort from Teru by my side, and Terry and even a bit from Gareth. I need to look as cool and collected as he always does, but better. I don't need to be made of ice right now, but of iron.

We are finally lead to Donald O'Connors' office, thanks to Teru, who has managed to get us this chance.

"Miss Tachibana, I see you've come accompanied. I thought you came here to negotiate, that is the very reason I agreed to this," the man speaks from his desk, not even showing manners by standing up to receive us. His eyes dart to Gareth, scanning him from head to toe and I can see the repulsion in his features. Well, that is exactly what he makes me feel.

I step forward with Teru by my side. If Mr O'Connors is going to be rude, then I won't wait for him to invite me to sit down, I just go and sit on one of the sofas he has in front of his desk, placing the folder with all the evidence I'll use against him on the table in the middle. The office is humongous, with not only an extremely big desk, a whole panoramic view, but also basically a living room in the middle of it, probably for comfortable meetings.

When he sees me sitting, and Teru doing the same, he leaves his chair behind his desk and comes to sit at the head of this living room.

"Mr O'Connors, I'm here hoping to persuade you to keep your investment, bringing things that can only please you," I start, carefully managing my voice to sound smooth, welcoming, even tempting. I open the folder slowly, almost dramatically. "You are worried your investment is in risk, but I've come to prove you it is quite the opposite. Your main concern was the cast, believing this played against the profits you expected."

I hand him the first papers with graphics and some other results.

"The statistics our sales and managing team have collected show that the cast selection has been the most appealing thing we've offered so far with this production, obtaining the largest amount of reaction from the audience. The same diversity you think is against you is actually playing in your favour," I continue, handing more statistics he examines carefully. "The demographics of the people who have joined the official website and all sort of promotion strategies have increased because they have characters to relate to. We do not only appeal to the white audience, but to the minorities, making them more excited for a movie with diversity that others do not have."

I've been collecting all this data, talking with all the teams, even making them create new ways to measure the response of the audience prior the release of the film just so I could show these numbers he can't refute.

"The official twitter account for the production has broken the record of most followers for a franchise in one day. Furthermore, all actors involved, and other artists involved, have started to promote the film, encouraging their own fans to subscribe to news and take part of the publicity campaigns."

When I was doing research I learnt the full impact of what we are doing, how many people we are trying to reach and how we are really putting a film there.

"As if that were not all, Gareth Maddox, who concerned you the most out of all the actors chose for the production, has a following fan base of near seventeen million people, which makes him one the most popular actor in the industry at the moment. He's won more awards than any other actor his age, or even twice his age. He is the actor who brings the most income to the production. In other words, he is one of the biggest reasons your investment is secure. And if that wasn't enough, he is one of the most talented young actors who happens to fit the character perfectly. If you need a demonstration, he can act whatever character you want, morphing from one to the next smoothly, flawlessly. From any Shakespearean character to any bizarre comic relief one. Would you like to see that?"

Donald O'Connors looks up at Gareth, measuring him up. Gareth can't even be fazed, cold as he is, he only stares back, ready to do whatever he asks, just to show he is as talented as everyone says, if not more.

"And if that wasn't enough, I've brought the author of the books with me, Terry McCracken," I present, indicating the writer that's come with me. "Would you like to tell Mr O'Connors why you support the selection of the cast we've picked?" I address Terry now.

Terry, smiling, explains. "First of all, Sasha, the character Gareth Maddox plays, has Indian heritage, characteristics Mr Maddox can fit. Every description that I provided for Sasha fits Gareth, as if he was made to play the character. I have also been able to see his acting during the production, as I've been part of it, and he's brought to life the very character that only lived in my mind before. And if that wasn't enough, the fact Miss Tachibana has respected the ethnicity of every character has made the fan base of the Earth Bound series very hopeful and excited. One of the reasons that my books have sold so well everywhere is that, the diversity they have. If you present a good cast to the readers of the book, you can count with their full support for the film."

Following Terry's words, I present Donald's O'Connor more data that backups everything we've said. Polls, online activity, and any kind of fan response that only verifies respecting the book is profitable, not the contrary.

And even if all what we've said already isn't enough, I have even more proof that we did the right thing by casting these actors, by casting Gareth. Donald O'Connors even accepts the demonstration and even if he tries to hide it, he is as impressed as anyone who has seen Gareth acting, changing without effort, becoming someone else right join front of your eyes.

Teru and I stay with Mr O'Connors after he asks both Terry and Gareth to leave us alone to talk business, which seems hopeful. But for over an hour, we keep discussing. He throws complaints, questions and even groundless arguments just to stick with the decision he's made, but I came prepared for everything, I refute each one of his statements and just show him his investment is safer with us than with any other offer.

The almost three-hours meeting ends up with a tense handshake, but an agreement that satisfies both parties, although it's clear we hate each other.

"How did it go?" Terry and Gareth asks when we meet again. "What did he say?" the writer asks further.

I take a deep breath, allowing the tension to leave with the air I let go, feeling weak and so tired that I can barely hold myself. For a second I think I'm going to faint, my knees almost giving out, and I think I scare the people with me because Gareth attempts to hold me, just to be stopped by Teru acting faster.

"I'm okay," I say. "I'm just relieved, that's all. It went well... I've... I've secured the investment. It worked." The smile I offer is the most honest and relieved I've ever given, because I did it. Even if I had to deal with a racist bastard, I saved the production.

⋙⋘

MULAN HAS SAVED THE EMPIRE! Maybe this chapter could've been longer, or divided into three parts (that's like the most logical thing) but it works like this, right? One day I'll edit this book and make it better, with all the corrections and such.

Dedication to FHornTheater2017

Bel, xx
Follow me on twitter @BelWatson

~updates every Wednesday~