The wine surged through my veins like liquid fire as I watched William Harrington’s words form in slow motion. My fingernails dug crescents into my palms as the room around me blurred, his voice somehow both muffled and painfully clear. «My son deserves better than someone from the gutter,» he announced to the room full of his country club friends, business associates, and his now frozen family members.
«Street garbage in a borrowed dress, pretending to belong in our world.»
Twenty-three pairs of eyes swiveled between William and me, waiting to see if the nobody dating the prince would dare respond to the king. I felt each heartbeat in my throat as I carefully folded the napkin—fabric that probably cost more than my first apartment’s rent.
I placed it beside my untouched plate of overpriced salmon. «Thank you for dinner, Mr. Harrington,» I said, standing slowly, «and thank you for finally being honest about how you feel. My name is Zafira.»
I’m thirty-two and a self-made entrepreneur. This is the story of how I transformed a public humiliation into the most expensive lesson a man ever learned.
«Zafira, don’t,» Quinn grabbed my hand.
I squeezed his fingers gently, then let go. «It’s fine, love. Your father’s right. I should know my place.»
The smirk on William’s face was worth memorizing. It was that self-satisfied expression of a man who thought he’d won, who believed he’d finally driven away the street rat who dared to touch his precious son.
If only he knew. I walked out of that dining room with my head high, past the Monet in the hallway, past the servants who avoided eye contact, past the Bentley in the driveway that William had made sure to mention cost more than I’d make in five years. I walked through the marble foyer and out to the circular driveway where my car was parked.
Quinn caught up to me at my car, my sensible Toyota that William had sneered at when I’d pulled up. «I’m so sorry,» he said, tears streaming down his face. «I had no idea he would—»
I pulled him close, inhaling the scent of his cologne mixed with the salt of his tears. «This isn’t your fault.»
«I’ll talk to him, make him apologize.»
«No.» I tucked a strand of his dark hair behind his ear. «No more apologizing for him, no more making excuses. He said what he’s been thinking for the past year. At least now we know where we stand.»
«Zafira, please don’t let him ruin us.»
I kissed his forehead. «He can’t ruin what’s real, Quinn. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?»
He nodded reluctantly, and I drove away from the Harrington estate. I watched in my rearview mirror as the mansion grew smaller, its lights twinkling like stars I’d supposedly never reach.
My phone started buzzing before I even hit the main road. I ignored it, knowing it was probably Quinn’s mother, Rachel, trying to smooth things over, or maybe his sister, Patricia, offering awkward solidarity. They weren’t bad people, just weak ones, too afraid of William to ever stand up to him. But I had more important calls to make.
I voice-dialed my assistant as I merged onto the highway. «Danielle, I know it’s late.»
«Miss Cross, is everything all right?» Danielle had been with me for six years, since before the world knew who Zafira Cross really was. She could read my moods like a book.
«Cancel the Harrington Industries merger.»
Silence. Then: «Ma’am, we’re supposed to sign papers on Monday. The due diligence is complete. Financing is secured.»
«I’m aware. Kill it.»
«The termination fees alone will be…»
«I don’t care about the fees. Send the notice to their legal team tonight. Cite irreconcilable differences in corporate culture and vision.»
«Zafira…» Danielle dropped the formalities, which she only did when she thought I was making a mistake. «This is a $2 billion deal. Whatever happened at dinner?»
«He called me garbage, Danny, in front of a room full of people. Made it clear that someone like me will never be good enough for his family or, by extension, his business.»
«That bastard.» Danielle’s fingers were already flying across her keyboard; I could hear it through the phone. «I’ll have legal draw up the termination papers within the hour. Want me to leak it to the financial press?»
«Not yet. Let him wake up to the official notice first. We’ll let the media have it by noon tomorrow.»
«With pleasure, ma’am. Anything else?»
I thought for a moment. «Yes. Set up a meeting with Fairchild Corporation for Monday. If Harrington Industries won’t sell, maybe their biggest competitor will…»
«You’re going to buy his rival instead?»
«Why not? Garbage has to stick together, right?»
I hung up and drove the rest of the way to my penthouse in silence. The city lights blurred past, each one a reminder of how far I’d come from the kid who’d slept in shelters and survived on free school lunches.
William Harrington thought he knew me, thought he’d researched enough to understand what kind of woman was dating his son. He knew I’d grown up poor, that I’d started working at 14. He knew I’d put myself through community college and then university through sheer determination and an unhealthy amount of caffeine.
What he didn’t know was that the scrappy kid he looked down on had built a corporate empire while staying in the shadows. He didn’t know that Cross Technologies, the company his own firm was desperately trying to merge with to stay relevant in the tech age, was mine. He didn’t know that I’d spent the last decade acquiring patents, poaching talent, and strategically positioning myself to become the kingmaker in our industry.
