Violet dropped the pretense entirely. She took the smartwatch from Gwh''s hand and turned on the speaker.
"Victoria, let''s talk-just the two of us."
On the eighty-eighth floor of The Summit Suites, the city''s skyline shimmered through floor-to-ceiling windows. In the softly lit sky lounge, a violinist yed a gentle melody on stage while smallmps flickered on every table, their candlelight dancing in the warm air.
The meeting was set for eight, but Violet arrived a full hourte.
Victoria waited, unhurried, sipping her coffee. She''d ordered a delicate slice of cake, which she ate with a silver spoon-each small bite precise, careful, and effortlessly graceful.
Violet strode in, dressed in a crisp white zer over a beige knee-length skirt- her entire look all sharp lines and businesslike efficiency. Several heads turned as she walked past, drawn by hermanding presence.
But the woman by the window, quietly leafing through a magazine, had already caught the room''s attention. Victoria''s poise and beauty were impossible to ignore; everyone who nced her way was visibly struck.
Violet took the seat across from her. Her makeup was wless, her expression touched with a hint of arrogance, though she masked it well.
"Victoria-"
She stared at Victoria for several long seconds before speaking, her words slow and deliberate. "You haven''t changed at all."
Victoria closed the magazine, sitting up straighter, her gaze steady and unafraid as she met Violet''s eyes.
Violet seemed to expect a reaction, but Victoria said nothing.
"You know, I really don''t care if you keep ying Mrs. Langford," Violet continued, her tone light but edged with condescension. "There was no need to make a scene. Victoria, you''re not cut out for the professional world."
She lifted her coffee, took a sip, and, though the bitterness was unmistakable, wore an expression of contentment.
"I get it. You want to prove yourself to McNeil, prove you''re more than a trophy wife-try to emte those women who ''have it all.'' But you''ve failed, haven''t you?"
Violet set her cup down gently. "Let''s talk numbers. How much to get you to fix that game? Everyone has a price. I figured you''d go this route, waiting for us toe begging."
She looked at Victoria with the smugness of someone convinced she''d won.
From the house staff, Violet had learned that Victoria had moved out of McNeil''s ce. Yet now she''d taken a job at apany owned by one of McNeil''s friends -wasn''t that a ssic move to y hard to get?
At least Victoria had the sense not to tell Curtis about her marriage to McNeil. That, Violet could respect.
Victoria regarded her with a distant, almost unfocused gaze-like she was looking straight through her.
"So, what''s your offer?"
She looked down at her cooling coffee, her face unreadable.
Violet''s lips curled into a faint, smug smile. "Two million."
Victoria didn''t so much as blink. No reaction at all.
Violet watched her carefully, searching for a flicker of greed or surprise, but found only calm.
She raised an eyebrow. "Too little? Compared to what you made at Quantum Core Technologies, two million isn''t exactly pocket change. Don''t be greedy, Victoria."
Violet was certain Victoria hadn''t made much during her years with the Langfords -otherwise, she wouldn''t be out here pretending to be some career woman just to make ends meet.
"You weren''t the only reason that game got this far," Violet went on, voice cool. "You just wrote some code. Two million is generous-a favor, really. If Mr. Garcia were handling this, you wouldn''t get half as much."
She pulled a check from her purse, already made out for the amount, and slid it across the table.
"All you have to do is say yes-the money''s yours."
Victoria''s lips curved into the faintest of smirks. "I heard McNeil put nearly a
hundred million into this project. If the game falls through, maybe you can use
your two million to patch a few holes for him, Ms. Marchand."
For the first time, Violet''s self-assurance cracked.