“Shouldn’t you go back to your bride now?” Xavier asked him in a voice that was soft but incredibly sharp. Jeffrey muttered a response and hurried away while the rest of the guests watched him with newfound pity.
The rest of the evening was a complete reversal of power as the waiters began bringing the finest champagne and desserts to Table Nineteen. People who had ignored me for years suddenly found reasons to walk past our corner and offer me their business cards.
Xavier and I spent the next two hours discussing the memoir he wanted me to write and his desire to keep the narrative authentic and human. “Don’t let the marketing team turn your life into a corporate brand,” I advised him.
“That is exactly why you are the only one I trust to do this,” he replied as Parker asked him to add more fire to the dragon’s mouth. Eventually, the ceremony ended and I could see that Jeffrey’s confidence had been completely shattered.
When it was time for Xavier to leave, he stood up and told me that he wanted to discuss the new book contract immediately. “I am thinking of starting at double your current rate with a significant bonus for the launch,” he stated.