The chain collapse
The situation developed with surgical precision. Camille opened the envelope, turned pale, and Adrian tried to play down the matter with his usual charm. But when Mara mentioned that her company was officially in default for inflating non-existent contracts, Adrian’s face completely broke down.
Vivienne tried to attack her with contempt, but Mara revealed that the earrings she was wearing had been purchased with money diverted from Adrian’s business account, three days before he deferred the payment of salaries to his employees. The phones began to vibrate throughout the room: the announcement of the breakup was already public.
Before leaving, Mara gently placed her engagement ring on Adrian’s intact plate and reminded him, “You asked me to stop calling you my future husband. So I stopped.”
