Clara pressed her lips into a thin line at my firm refusal and didn't say another word.
It made sense, really. All she had to do was toss out a few casual suggestions. If I'd followed them, she would've taken full credit for all my hard work. Since I'd refused outright, whatever she had in mind wasn't going to happen.
Julian looked at me, clearly surprised—perhaps by a side of me he'd never seen before, or perhaps by how unyielding I'd been.
Either way, he played the part of the reasonable husband. "Since I've put Serena in charge of the Harmony, all final decisions are hers to make," he concluded.
I watched Julian walk out of the conference room. Clara stood up with a polite smile. "I had no idea you had such an eye for design, Mrs. Hale. I'd love to pick your brain sometime."
"Pleas
