FOUR
“Juliane, you look well.”
Kardom was the only person who called me by my first name. I swore he did it just to annoy me.
“And you look like the piece of s**t that I know you are,” I said in a polite voice that belied the actual words, then picked up Valentino and stormed into Maggie’s room. She was standing before her tiny mirror, applying eyeliner and mascara. “Why the hell did you let that rat bastard into my room?”
“Kardom?” She eyed me in the mirror. “He asked to wait for you. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
“You figured wrong. Maggie, you know full well what he’s been doing to me—the lies he’s been spreading!”
“I know he’s been asking to marry you. Why is that so bad?”
I waved that away. “He’s lying to the Beck ministers about Chris and me. Mostly me, because Chris has no in
