It was also the only thing in my life that was fully, unassailably mine.

“Freeze every transfer Konstantin has requested against my public shares,” I told my father.

“And convene the board.”

Chapter 7 — The Reception

By the time Konstantin reached the reception, I was thirty miles away.

He told the guests I had suffered “an episode.” Astrid stood beneath the chandelier explaining that some women were simply too fragile for powerful families.