CHAPTER FOURTEEN AJ: THE LAST INVITATION

Cedric sent Yvette an invitation to a private dinner with two former foundation trustees.
The message said they could resolve the dispute before outsiders destroyed the organization’s reputation.
Yvette forwarded the invitation to Elaine and her attorney.
Elaine asked whether she wanted to attend as a trustee.
Yvette said she would attend only if the meeting had a clear agenda and an independent record.
Cedric rejected those conditions.
He called her directly and said she had become impossible to reason with.
Yvette replied that he was welcome to submit proposals to the board through counsel.
Cedric accused Damian of turning her against him.
Yvette said she had reached her own conclusions about the foundation’s failures.
Cedric asked whether she remembered the promises they made when they married.
She said she remembered them, including the promise to treat each other with respect.
He said she was humiliating him.
Yvette answered that an investigation into services paid for but not delivered was not a personal humiliation campaign.
Cedric said she would lose the people who had once admired her.
Yvette looked at the small stack of thank-you notes from students who had actually begun classes.
She said she was no longer measuring the foundation’s worth by admiration.
Cedric ended the call.
Yvette sat quietly for several minutes before writing a short account of the conversation for her attorney.
Then she went to meet Damian for dinner.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN AK: THE HOUSE WITH TWO KEYS

Damian met Briana at the old house to complete a final inventory before the property was listed for sale.
The real estate agent had advised them to remove personal photographs and repair a loose stair rail.
Damian fixed the rail while Briana packed books from the living room.
They worked in separate rooms until the agent arrived to discuss the listing price.
The agent asked whether they wanted to stage the dining room for photographs.
Briana said they could borrow furniture from the staging company.
Damian agreed.
After the agent left, Briana stood in the empty doorway and said the house looked smaller without their belongings.
Damian said rooms often did.
She asked whether he was happy with Yvette.
Damian said he was getting to know her and did not want to turn the answer into a comparison.
Briana nodded.
She said she had spent months comparing Cedric’s wealth with Damian’s ordinary life and had mistaken money for certainty.
Damian listened without offering reassurance.
She told him she had started looking for work outside Cedric’s industry.
He wished her luck.
When they finished, Briana handed him the second house key.
Damian said she should keep it until the sale was complete.
She said she had another copy and wanted him to have one for scheduled visits.
He took the key and placed it in his pocket.
They locked the door together and walked to separate cars.
Neither looked back until they reached the street.