Light came through the glass roof of the Grand Palais and struck the chandeliers above us.
Beneath them, guests in evening clothes spoke in a dozen languages. Waiters carried trays of champagne between critics, buyers, and perfumers.
I waited offstage in a midnight-blue silk gown. For three years, the industry had known only the letter S. Tonight, the program carried my full name.
Julian Dubois, the silver-haired CEO of the luxury group backing me, stopped beside me without crowding me.
He let me choose how to stand and what to say. There was no last-minute script in his hand.
“Ready, Serena?”
“I am.”
He smiled. “The world has waited long enough to meet S.”
He walked onstage, and the room quieted. He spoke about my work and the future of perfumery. He never mentioned Sterling Parfu
