PART 7

The cracks were not visible from the street.

Our family headquarters still stood behind its polished limestone entrance, our employees still greeted me with practiced discretion, and the financial pages still printed my mother’s name beside the word formidable.

But the way I saw those rooms had changed.

At the next board meeting I sat opposite Constance and asked why the company had paid four million dollars to a defunct design business connected to Lauren’s father.

No one answered immediately.