The morning after the reception, my phone did not stop vibrating.
Messages.
Notifications.
Mentions.
Someone had posted photos from the rooftop event. Most were predictable. Investors. The skyline. Adrian in conversation.
But a few captured me.
Standing beside him.
Looking up at him.
Walking into the venue.
The comments were subtle but sharp.
Who is she
New partner
Interesting choice
She looks young
Small town elegance
Small town elegance.
I stared at the phrase longer than I should have.
It was meant as something between compliment and insult.
But instead of shrinking, something else happened.
I felt irritated.
Not ashamed.
I walked into the office that morning differently.
Not dramatically.
Just upright.
Assistants greeted me more deliberately. A few smiles linger
