Denise reached for her water and said, with the rehearsed irritation of someone managing a child rather than a situation, “Stop making a scene.”
Leah went still.
That was the moment something inside her cooled instead of breaking. Not hardened — cooled. The way metal cools into its final shape.
She said nothing while coffee was served. Nothing while Raymond launched into a self-congratulatory speech about responsibility, discipline, and what he called real success, the specific vocabulary of men who have confused their own advancement with universal truth. She remained silent when he mentioned, with obvious pride, his new position.
Regional operations director. NorthRiver Claims Solutions.
Leah’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her napkin.
She knew that company. Not socially. Professionally.