Sarah’s husband, Daniel, noticed the tension immediately.
“Do you know her?” he asked, looking from Sarah to me.
I smiled.
“More than you think.”
Before Sarah could answer, Marcus Vale approached.
He studied my face, then froze.
“Aureon,” he said.
The word moved through the table like a spark through dry grass.
Daniel blinked. “Aureon? As in Aureon Consulting?”
Marcus did not take his eyes off me.
“As in the woman who saved three of my companies and refused to flatter me once.”
The color drained from my father’s face.
My mother’s hand flew to her necklace.
Sarah looked as if someone had pulled the floor from under her perfect white shoes.
For ten years, they had called me nothing.
Now the room knew my name.