For a heartbeat the room went quiet, then came the whispers.
I stayed where I was, saying nothing, only looking at her.
Antony came striding over, and I thought he meant to defend me.
Instead he said,
"Don't throw a fit. Be good."
"Mr. Lambert is an important partner of ours. Go pour him a few drinks, apologize properly, and stop causing me trouble."
I didn't move.
He came a step closer, dropping his voice.
"Better yet, just go upstairs with Mr. Lambert and sit a while, have a real talk, lock the deal down. It's good for both of us."
His words froze me on the spot.
I looked at the face in front of me.
Three years. The first face I'd seen every morning when I opened my eyes.
And he'd just told me to go upstairs with another man.
"What did you say?"
My voice came out soft, so held-in it sounded foreign even to me.
"I dated you seriously for three years. I roughed it with you, made every allowance for you, and now you're telling me to go entertain another man?"
The stir around us grew louder.
"Who is she? Mr. Wiley's girlfriend?"
"No, isn't Mr. Wiley marrying the Vance girl?"
Carol let out a cold laugh and stopped bothering to keep her voice down.
"Oh, you actually thought you were the lady of the house?"
Someone in the crowd looked to Antony, waiting for him to explain.
"Fine. Nothing to hide, I guess."
He turned to the guests around him, and there was even a note of smug pleasure in his tone.
"These past few years I've been playing poor with her. Honestly, it was just to test what kind of person she is."
"I'm the real boss of the company. She's stuck out the hard years with me, and I haven't forgotten it."
He made it sound good.
Like he was giving me my due, like a generous confession.
Then the tone shifted.
"But feelings are feelings, and business is business."
He looked at me, softening his voice, and the tenderness was pure performance.
"Be a good girl. Sit with Mr. Lambert tonight, just have a few drinks, and tomorrow I'll transfer you whatever you want."
"Besides, the company's about to go public. Play along with me and I'll keep you around a while longer. You'll live well off it too. What's not to like?"
I gave a small laugh.
Then I raised my hand and, with the clearest strength I've ever used in my life, slapped Antony across the face.
It was loud.
The whole banquet hall went silent for a full three seconds.
He clutched his cheek and stared at me in disbelief.
I lowered my hand, swept my eyes over him, then over Carol.
Then I turned and walked toward the door, through the crowd of people trading glances.
Outside, the night wind hit me full in the face.
I stood on the steps, took out my phone, and pulled up the chat with my assistant.
"Push the acquisition forward on schedule."
"And while you're at it, dig into the Vance family. Fold it all into the file."
The reply came fast.
"Understood, Miss Gilbert."
Antony came back two hours after the dinner ended. I was packing my things.
The moment he walked in, he threw his jacket onto the couch.
"Do you have any idea what you wrecked tonight?"
"Mr. Lambert's already put out the word. The deal's off. I spent three months working that connection. Three months, and you blew all of it in one night."
"What is even going on in your head? At a place like that, all you had to do was drink a couple with him. It's not like anyone asked you to do something shady. Who are you to give me attitude?"
His tone got more self-righteous by the second.
"Keep this up and we're done. Let's just break up."
He said it to watch me panic.
Waiting for me to soften, to cry, to apologize, to say I'm sorry, I was wrong, I'll listen from now on.
He waited a few seconds. Nothing came.
"Then let's break up."
I said it, my voice as calm as if I were remarking on the nice weather.
He blinked.
"Break up." I said it again. "I said, let's break up."
