Chapter Two

The woman in the room

I was wearing the dress.

It did not seem to matter to anyone. The navy Valentino was perfect for the Knights' quarterly event. It was elegant and exactly the kind of dress a millionaire's wife should wear at an event when she should not be overshadowed. As I stood in the elevator heading to the 44th floor, I had the distinct impression that I was dressed for a version of the night that no longer exists.

Of course, Mara warned me.

That day she called me. Said, "You do not like this." "You always come home in a mood and eat your cereal right out of the box."

"Damien asked me to come."

"Damian asked you to come to every event and talk to people rather than yourself all night."

That's not entirely true."

"Name one event where he stayed by your side the whole evening."

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

"That's what I thought," she said.

"I'll be fine, Mara."

"You'll be fine and miserable. Those are different things."

"I'll call you when I'm home."

"Bring me back a canapé at least. Something with truffle."

“okay” I said letting out a little laugh.

The elevator doors. The first sound that hit me was the sound that hit me. The Polish conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the jazz music playing in the background showed us that we were an approachable group of people. It is the kind of event Damien PR would plan in their dreams. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the Manhattan night, all glass and dark skies. Before the break started, I stood there for a moment. Surrendered to how beautiful everything was.

 Damian found me within a minute. It was something.

 "You are here," he said, as if surprised. With those words, I understood everything about how high the hurdles were between us.

"You asked me, " I said.

"I know. I just… " He sat up slightly. Something unreadable appeared on his face. "You seem good."

"Thank you." I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray. "You too."

That is what he did. This is always so infuriating about Damian Knight. After working 14-hour days, he sometimes looked like he had just come out of the locker room. He wears a suit, no tie today, and the top button of his shirt is undone. It is so simple that it took years to create.

 "There are some people I would like you to meet," he said, already looking over my shoulder and looking around the room. "Edward Hart is with his daughter, who just joined the company and is the vice president of international acquisitions. I said to him, you...

“his daughter, Vanessa Hart?”

He looked at me, "You know her?"

"I know her." Everyone in that circle knew Vanessa Hart. The daughter of a senator, she studied abroad in London. was engaged to Damian Knight for 4 months, then he broke up with her and married me instead. "You did not mention that she will be joining your company."

"It happened quickly. Edward Hart recommended her, and her portfolio speaks for itself, " he simply said, as if that meant nothing, as if it were the thing in the world. "It is a business perspective."

I smiled, "Course I do."

He stares at me for half a second longer than necessary, then touches my waist more as a reflex than a gesture, and leads us to the back of the room.

I met her before he introduced us. Vanessa Hart was one of those beauties who quietly rearranged the room around her without anyone noticing. Tall, dark-skinned, and wearing a dress by Valentino suddenly felt completely at ease. She placed a hand on his arm as she laughed at Senator Hart's remark, and when she looked up and saw Damian, something hard and fast came over her face, but she smoothed it out within a second.

She was good. I noticed it away.

"Damien," she bent down. Kissed him on the cheek as she had done a thousand times. Maybe that is what she did. "I am really happy to be back."

"I am glad you are here," he said, taking a step back and pointing at me. "Do you remember..."

"Aria," she turned to me and smiled. It was a smile, warm and full eyes, completely blank, and said, "Of course, I have heard a lot about you."

"I wish I could say the same," I said gently.

Something crossed his face. It was amusement or perhaps assessment. "We have to work it out. Now that I am at work, I feel like I can see you often."

"That is great," I said, laughing a little.

Senator Hart appeared over his shoulder. White hair, broad shoulders, a man who had been so powerful for so long that he did not need to be. He held Damian's hand. Smiled at me as if he already knew something I did not.

 "Aria, Edward Hart. I am glad to meet the woman who tamed this man," he said, nodding at Damien and laughing at his own joke.

"I would not call it taming," I said. "More like an ongoing negotiation."

Damian almost smiled. Almost.

The conversation revolved around acquisitions, market forecasts, and Singapore. I stood next to Damien, doing my part and looking at Vanessa Hart the way I look at things I can not articulate. She never said anything. She would never again get too close to him, touch him, or let his eyes fall where he should not. She was impeccable. This is the part that caught my attention.

No one can become perfect without practice. An hour later, Damien was busy chatting with a group of investors, and I was standing by the window drinking two glasses of champagne, which I did not really want, looking out at the city, trying to decide whether I was being paranoid or smart, when Vanessa appeared next to me.

"He talks about relationships the way a man talks about his kids," she said, nodding to Damien. "Did you notice this?

"Every day," I said.

That night I looked back. Saw her directly for the first time. She held a glass of champagne next to her. Looked at Damian with a blank expression.

"It is okay," I said.

She smiled without looking at me. "I certainly think so."

After that, she straightened her back. Slowly walked away as if she had finished what she wanted to say without saying a word. I stood by the window for a time.

Mara was going to say I told you so. She was probably going to say it loudly while eating my cereal.

I finished my champagne, put down the glass, and went to look for my husband.