I received another message from Julian that afternoon.
He asked where I was.
I didn't answer.
A few minutes later, he called.
I let it ring.
Then he sent another message.
"Are you at Vance Capital?"
I stopped walking.
I hadn't told him I was going to Boston.
But I had a meeting scheduled at my mother's investment firm.
I replied with one sentence.
"Yes. I have work to do."
He didn't respond immediately.
I arrived at the Boston office shortly after lunch.
The building stood on a busy street.
Three floors belonged to Vance Capital.
My mother's name remained on a brass plaque near the entrance.
I had considered removing it after she passed away.
I never could.
The receptionist greeted me.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Vance."
"Good afternoon."
"Your team is waiting upstairs."
I took the elevator.
On the third floor, the familiar glass doors opened into the main office.
The place smelled faintly of coffee and paper.
My mother had loved that smell.
She used to say that a good office should feel busy without feeling hurried.
I walked past the meeting rooms.
A few employees greeted me.
I stopped to speak with one of the senior analysts.
Then I went into my office.
There were several documents waiting on my desk.
I reviewed the Northstar investment schedule.
I checked the latest correspondence from Aurelia's legal team.
Then I signed two routine approvals.
For the first time in a long while, I felt completely focused.
Nobody was asking me to explain why I had married Julian.
Nobody was asking me to tolerate Camilla.
Nobody was telling me that business was too complicated for me.
I was simply doing my work.
At around three, my assistant knocked.
"Ms. Vance, there's someone here to see you."
"Who?"
"Mr. Julian Vance."
I looked up.
For a moment, I didn't speak.
"Did he make an appointment?"
"No."
I closed the document in front of me.
"Please ask him to wait."
My assistant nodded.
I finished the paragraph I was reading.
Then I stood.
I walked toward the reception area.
Julian was standing beside the glass wall.
He looked around.
His eyes moved over the framed photographs and the office signs.
Then he noticed me.
"Audrey."
"Julian."
He looked at the brass plaque near the entrance.
Then back at me.
"Your mother's name is still here."
"Yes."
He nodded.
"I didn't realize how large this place was."
I looked at him.
"You never asked."
He looked uncomfortable.
We walked into a small meeting room.
He sat down.
I remained standing for a moment before taking the chair opposite him.
He looked at the table.
Then at me.
"I've been trying to reach you."
"I saw your messages."
"You could have answered."
"I was working."
He sighed.
"Can we stop speaking to each other like this?"
I waited.
He leaned forward.
"I know I made mistakes."
I looked at him.
"Which ones?"
He frowned.
"Audrey."
"I'm asking."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Last night was difficult."
I felt the familiar disappointment.
Again, he was speaking about the evening.
Not the choices that had led to it.
He continued.
"I shouldn't have pushed you."
"Struck my shoulder."
He looked down.
"Fine. I shouldn't have done that."
I waited for more.
There was nothing.
He looked around the room.
"Your mother really built all of this?"
"Yes."
"And you took over?"
"After she passed away."
He nodded slowly.
"Why didn't you tell me how much responsibility you had?"
I looked at him.
"I did tell you."
"Not like this."
I thought about the conversations we had shared.
I remembered explaining that I had meetings in Boston.
I remembered him telling me to enjoy my little inheritance.
I remembered him asking whether I could arrange his travel plans while I was reviewing investment documents.
"You didn't listen, Julian."
He looked offended.
"That's unfair."
"Is it?"
He shifted in his chair.
Then he changed the subject.
"Malcolm is treating me like I've done something wrong."
"The review is being conducted by the company."
"You're the owner."
"And the board has procedures."
He looked frustrated.
"You could stop this."
I leaned back.
"Stop what?"
"The investigation."
I stared at him.
For a moment, I couldn't believe he had asked.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because this is damaging my reputation."
"If the records support your decisions, the investigation will establish that."
He shook his head.
"People are already talking."
I looked at him.
"Then give them an honest explanation."
He went quiet.
I noticed his eyes move toward my mother's photograph on the wall.
It showed her standing outside the original Vance Capital office.
She was smiling.
Her arms were folded.
She looked younger than I remembered.
Julian studied the photograph.
"She must have been very proud of you."
I looked at it too.
"She was."
He nodded.
Then he looked back at me.
"I wish you had let me be part of this."
I felt a sadness I hadn't expected.
Not because I wanted him involved in my business.
Because I remembered how often I had wanted him to care.
I stood.
"Our marriage and my company are two different matters."
He looked up.
"Are you saying you want a divorce?"
I didn't answer immediately.
I had thought about that question many times.
But I wasn't ready to make the decision in a meeting room.
"I am saying that I need time to decide what happens next."
He stood too.
"Audrey, we can fix this."
I looked at him.
"Then start by being honest."
He didn't respond.
I walked him to the reception area.
He stopped near the brass plaque.
Then he looked at me one more time.
"I'll call you."
I nodded.
He left.
I watched the glass door close behind him.
Then I returned to my office.
My mother's photograph was still on the wall.
I looked at it for a long time.
She had built something that survived her.
I needed to make sure I did the same.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: The Board Asked for a Formal Explanation, and Julian Finally Had to Answer Questions He Couldn’t Control
My Husband Wanted Me Gone Before the Biggest Announcement of His Career, But He Had No Idea Why I Had Come
Part 10 of 20
