phone rang.
He took the call, came back twenty minutes later, and spent the rest of dinner complaining that his mother disliked the flowers I had chosen for the wedding.
I never got to finish my sentence.
Another time, I mentioned a valuation meeting.
He kissed my forehead and told me not to stress myself with “small-business stuff” so close to the wedding.
Eventually, I stopped trying.
Now he looked wounded that I had kept a secret he had repeatedly demonstrated he did not care enough to hear.
Rodolfo pointed at the black folder.
“What does any of this have to do with Monday?”
The attorney didn’t answer.
My phone rang.
Julián.
I placed it on speaker.
“Adriana?”
“I’m here.”
“Has Mr.
Valenzuela seen the documents?”
Rodolfo snapped, “Who is this?”
“Julián Ibarra.
Ms.
Herrera’s attorney.”
Rodolfo’s jaw tightened.
“This is a private family meeting.”
“It stopped being merely private when your attorney presented my client with a binding financial agreement under a three-day wedding deadline.”
The family lawyer closed his eyes briefly.
He knew exactly how that sounded.
Julián continued.
“Adriana, I received your authorization.
The Monday licensing meeting has been canceled, and our counterparties have been notified that all negotiations with Valenzuela-controlled entities are suspended pending review.”
Rodolfo went pale.
“You can’t do that.”
I looked at him.
“Actually, I can.”
“We have been negotiating for months.”
“Negotiating isn’t the same as having a signed agreement.”
He turned to the family attorney.
“Tell her.”
The attorney spoke carefully.
“If there is no executed licensing contract, her company is under no obligation to proceed.”
“There was an understanding.”
“An understanding is not a contract.”
I thought about the papers they had placed in front of me less than an hour earlier.
For people who worshipped contracts, they suddenly seemed offended by the boundaries of one.
Julián’s voice came through the phone again.
“There is another issue.”
Rodolfo gripped the edge of the table.
“What issue?”
“During due diligence, Ms.
Herrera’s team received financial representations concerning the urgency of the proposed implementation.
Some appear inconsistent with later disclosures.
My office has preserved those records.”
The family attorney’s face changed.
“What inconsistencies?”
Julián paused.
“That conversation should happen with independent corporate counsel present.”
Rodolfo slammed his hand on the table.
“This is blackmail.”
“No,” I said.
Every head turned toward me.
“Blackmail is threatening someone to obtain something you’re not entitled to.
I’m not asking you for anything.”
I slid the prenup toward him.
“You are the ones who asked me to give things up.”
Beatriz stood abruptly.
“Enough.
Patricio, take Adriana home.
Everyone is emotional.
We will deal with this tomorrow.”
Her instinct was to restore the old order.
Patricio would take me away.
Rodolfo would call lawyers.
By morning, they would have created a new version of events in which they had been reasonable and I had overreacted.
That had worked before.
It would not work this time.
“I’m not going home with Patricio,” I said.
He stared at me.
“Adri.”
“No.”
It was the simplest word I had spoken all night.
And somehow the most powerful.
Beatriz’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t be dramatic.
The wedding is in three days.”
“Not anymore.”
Patricio looked as though I had slapped him.
“What?”
I removed my engagement ring.
For a moment, I
