Page 17 of Julian's Curse

I didn’t have a mom or a sister, so having her help meant a lot. “Yes. First things first. Will you be my maid of honor?” I’d need to have two at a minimum since Valentina had reserved that spot years ago. I was also quite certain that she’d be the one designing our bridesmaid dresses.

“Absolutely,” she beamed. “What color theme are you thinking for the ceremony?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “No idea. We want to do something small and private. Neither one of us has too many family members to invite.” I briefly remembered the text from my dad. Should I let him know that I got engaged? He’d find outeventually from the news anyway. Whether we would invite him was doubtful.

“Julian and I want to tell my Gram in person, so we are not telling the media as of now. Not until he comes back from Dubai.” The least we could do is announce it while coming for a visit. That way Gram could feel special.

Meanwhile, I knew I could trust Sophie to keep our secret, and that was just one of the many reasons I felt so close to her. She never had a hidden agenda; her genuine kindness meant she was always focused on the happiness of those around her. Perhaps her guilt over her father’s wealth and her privileged life fueled her desire to be a source of light for others.

“Makes sense,” she eyed me curiosity. “Now what’s the thing you wanted to talk about today?”

“How do you know there’s more?”

She narrowed her gaze. “I can tell by your demeanor. You’re nervous about something, and it’s not the fact you’re getting married. And it’s not the MBA either.”

“Amanda is selling her business.” I blurted out. “The wholeHart Media, which is an umbrella company of several brands that she’d founded.”

She gasped in shock. This was the dramatic reaction I’d been expecting. “To who? Another private person?” She guessed next.

“Not quite. She’s going public with the company. The timeline for the whole IPO is a little less than a year from now.”

Sophie crossed her arms with an air of concern. “So, there’s going to be restructuring, and maybe new management. Are you thinking of finding a new job? I am sorry, Lucie.” She frowned. “You’re definitely going through a ton of changes lately. Good and bad.” She winked. “Mostly good.”

I shook my head. “It gets weirder than that.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay?”

“She’s wanting to maintain ownership of all A-shares, with the exception of making an offer to me, to buy a portion of these. The investment company requires that any executive officer owns at least twenty percent. Amanda is hoping she can remain the face of the company but have someone else, perhaps myself, be there daily.”

I had her full attention now. “Lucie, where does Amanda think you’ll get the funds? She knows better than to expect these to come from Julian.” She sounded somewhat dismissive.

“I honestly don’t think she knows how I could come up with the finances for it. I’m pretty sure she’d discourage me from asking him, though.” Amanda could be considered somewhat of a feminist. She would never ask a man for money. “But she is concerned that if she leavesApogee, the business will change for the worse. Jayden, her son, doesn’t want to take it over.”

“Julian is going to be your husband. It wouldn’t be out of line to have him invest with you.” She reminded me. “Lucie, I grew up in a wealthy family. Thanks to my dad’s influence, I am now growing a six-figure real estate business. Do you think I’d be a top producer in my brokerage without it? Within two months? Life is about taking advantage of your unfair advantage.” She said with a conviction.

“I know what you mean, but this is different.”

“How so?” She puckered her eyebrows. “You’re used to struggle? You haven’t exactly been dealt the best cards. Maybe the universe is trying to give back some karma, by making sure your hubby is able to help you achieve your goals.” She was now referring to the fact that I lost my mom early on, and that my father was an egoistic self-absorbed man.

It was a sweet thought, and perhaps she even had a point. “Because it’s everything I’ve ever wanted. To be an executive at a large publishing business. But if I take money from him to get there, it’s never going to feel like an accomplishment.”

She shook her head vigorously. “Realistically, how could you obtain money to buy into a billion-dollar business.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s around $13 million. Twenty percent of A shares.”

She frowned. “You know, the other day I had the flu, so I was watchingLand Before Time. Not the original movie, the kids’ series on YouTube.

I wasn’t sure where she was going with this, but I was curious and eager to hear the story she was about to share.

“I clicked on it out of pure nostalgia. It was sort of silly.”

Now it made sense how she’d come up with the T. rex analogy earlier. “I love the original movie but never saw the series.” I chuckled.

“Well, you know Littlefoot, right? He had to prove he could be a leader by crossing a volcano river. He thought he was about to fail the test because he couldn’t find a safe way across. But his grandfather reassured him that he had actually passed since the challenge was impossible otherwise, and surviving was the real achievement. This situation feels similar. Amanda is setting you up for disappointment. She knows you can’t get the money without asking the one person you really don’t want to approach.”

“I think Amanda believes I have a shot at it, Sophie.” I objected. “She’s beyond ambitious in her own life.”

“Maybe, if you’d be willing to monetize your relationship.”

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