“Not for long.”
She inhaled sharply.
“Do not do anything rash.”
I looked at Claire.
Claire wrote one word on a notepad.
Board.
I smiled.
“Evelyn, rash would have been throwing Bianca out of the house.”
Silence.
“Rash would have been smashing the champagne glasses.”
Silence again.
“Rash would have been accepting your check.”
Her voice became cautious.
“What are you doing?”
“Something careful.”
I ended the call.
Claire nodded.
“Perfect.”
I did not sleep much.
At 2:00 a.m., I stood by the hotel window.
Charlotte glowed below me.
I thought about the first year of my marriage.
Adrian had been different then.
Or maybe I had been.
We were ambitious.
Hungry.
Exhausted.
His father had left the company in terrible shape.
Too much leverage.
Too many weak assets.
Too many relationships built on ego.
My father had warned me not to mix love and control.
I ignored him.
Then my father died.
