Anna's POV
The more he underestimated me, the more determined I became to pursue the Skylake District project. His condescension had only crystallized what I already knew:we were never meant to walk the same path.
Back at the office the next morning, I found my mother had forwarded me a flurry of emails and texts. Just as I'd anticipated, invitations had been pouring in—all of them conspicuously addressed only to her and me. Some requested our presence for afternoon tea, others for dinner gatherings. One socialite from the arts circle had even sent show tickets.
"Annie," my mother's voice was tentative when she called mid-morning, "I've never seen so many invitations. It's rather overwhelming."
I smiled grimly. "The Shaw family suddenly has excellent social currency, it seems."
"What should I do?" she asked.
I replied. "I'll look through the list later and decide which ones are worth our time."
