Then August posed the question that froze the ballroom.
“Why,” he said, “are you firing one of the principal owners of this company?”
The applause stopped.
Even breathing seemed hushed.
Camden stopped smiling.
Sloane froze with champagne halfway to her mouth.
After six years of being told my voice occupied too much space, the truth finally spoke without Camden’s approval.
PART 2: THE THING MY MOTHER LEFT ME
Camden stared as if I’d overturned gravity itself.
“What did he say?”
His question wasn’t directed at August.
He meant me.
His reflex was almost remarkable.
Before four hundred witnesses, he still assumed I owed him answers.
August replied for me.
“I said Elena is an owner.”
“That isn’t possible.”
Margaret opened her leather portfolio.
August looked at her.
She understood immediately.
“Mrs. Royce is the beneficiary and controlling trustee of the Hart Legacy Trust,” Margaret said. “The trust currently holds a substantial private position in Vale & Royce International.”
