Vivienne's POV
The gala was Maya's idea.
Not directly. Maya's ideas rarely arrived directly. They arrived through a sequence of observations and suggestions and calendar invitations that by the time they reached their conclusion felt like something you had decided independently, which was either a testament to Maya's skill or a commentary on how susceptible I was to it after twelve years of exposure.
The charity was legitimate and the venue was good and the cause was one I had supported for three years through Lumière so my attendance required no particular justification beyond the attendance itself. I wore the navy dress that Ella had once described as the one that made boardrooms reconsider their positions, which I took as a recommendation, and arrived with Maya and Lyla at eight fift
