Then there was Celeste Price.
She had become Julian’s closest assistant and seemed to enjoy reminding everyone of her influence.
Employees regularly complained about her sharp temper, but few were willing to challenge her.
She wore expensive clothes, carried designer handbags, and moved through the building as though she personally owned it.
I found her behavior unpleasant, but I had no reason at first to suspect she was connected to the financial discrepancies.
Then came the
incident with the coffee cup.
That morning, I was having lunch in the executive dining area when I mistakenly reached for a cup sitting beside my own.
The cups were identical.
I’d taken only a small sip before realizing my mistake.
I was about to put it down when Celeste rushed toward me.
Without asking what happened, she struck me across the face.
Then she announced to the entire room that I’d touched her husband’s belongings.
Her husband.
Julian.
My Julian.
For several seconds, I couldn’t understand what she meant.
Then the dining room doors opened, and my husband walked inside.
I expected him to defend me.
Instead, he summoned me to his office like a disobedient employee.
I followed him down the hallway without saying a word.
Once we entered his office, Julian closed the door sharply.
Then he turned toward me.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
I
looked at him.
“Working.”
His expression darkened.
“You were supposed to be in Vermont.”
I folded my arms.
“And you were supposed to be faithful.”
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he glanced toward the door.
“You’re creating an embarrassing situation, Maya.”
I stared at him.
“Your secretary just slapped me in front of twenty people and called you her husband. And you’re worried about embarrassment?”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Celeste can be possessive. She overreacted.”
“Possessive?”
He sighed.
“Don’t make this bigger than it needs to be.”
