CHAPTER 6: THE PRESENTATION
The next morning, Daniel gave me a lesson in being a billionaire's wife.
"Richard and his wife, Natalie, are coming for dinner tonight," he said. "They need to see us together. Happy. Convincing."
"What do they look like?"
"Richard is my younger brother. He's been trying to take the company for years. He's charming, ruthless, and completely without morals. Natalie is worse."
"Worse how?"
"Natalie was my fiancee before I met my ex-wife. She married Richard out of spite. Now she's been plotting against me for a decade."
I stared at him.
"You're telling me your brother's wife used to be your fiancee?"
"Yes. And she's never forgiven me for leaving her."
"Did you leave her?"
"I realized she was only interested in my money. When I asked her to sign a prenup, she refused. A week later, she was with Richard."
"That's... incredibly messed up."
"Welcome to my family."
I thought about my own family. The toxic relationships, the manipulative behaviors, the constant need for control.
"At least mine is just criminals," I muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. What do you need me to do tonight?"
He handed me a script. An actual script, printed on expensive paper, with stage directions and dialogue.
"Follow this. Don't deviate. They'll be testing you, looking for cracks."
"And if I make a mistake?"
"Then we both lose."
I took the script and read it.
It was a perfect performance.
All I had to do was play my part.
May you like
But when I looked at Daniel, I realized that underneath the cold exterior, he was terrified.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
