Chapter 18
Her face changed.
“Ask him who built the original pricing model. Ask him who told him to abandon the East Coast warehouse strategy before it cost him eight million dollars.”
“Ask him who negotiated the revision to the investor terms in 2014 when his lawyer told him to accept them.”
Dalia stared at me.
“He never said you worked with him.”
“I know.”
“He said you were supportive.”
I smiled.
That word.
Supportive.
The graveyard where women’s contributions went to disappear.
Dalia looked across the ballroom.
Julian had returned.
He saw us together.
His face tightened immediately.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“I’m not trying to make you leave him.”
“Then why?”
“Because you asked.”
I held her gaze.
“And because you should know what story you’re agreeing to live inside.”
She went very still.
“What does that mean?”
“You’re twenty-six. You have your own career.”
“Your own education. Your own name.”
“If you marry Julian, keep them.”
Her eyes dropped to the ring.
I continued.
“Don’t give him your intelligence in private and then let him call you beautiful in public as if those are the only terms available.”
She looked at me with something between fear and understanding.
Then Julian reached us.
“Dalia.”
His voice was controlled.
Too controlled.
She turned.
“We need to go.”
“No.”
He blinked.
Dalia’s answer surprised all three of us.
“What?”
“I said no.”
“Not here.”
She laughed without humor.
“There’s that phrase again.”
Julian looked at me.
“What did you say to her?”
I felt something inside me settle.
For years, I had thought Julian’s power came from his confidence.
Now I understood it came from controlling context.
He told every person just enough to keep them in the role he had chosen.
The investor heard vision.
The press heard resilience.
Dalia heard devotion.
I had heard partnership.
And whenever reality threatened the story, Julian called reality unfair.
“I answered her questions,” I said.
His jaw tightened.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“No.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes.”
“After everything tonight?”
“What exactly happened tonight, Julian?”
His eyes flashed.
“You showed up with Lancaster.”
“I was invited.”
“Pregnant.”
I stared at him.
“I’m sorry. Should I have left the baby at home?”
Dalia made a small sound that might have been a laugh.
Julian ignored it.
“You knew what this would do.”
“What would my pregnancy do?”
“You knew people would talk.”