No hat this time.
Jeans.
Cashmere sweater.
Glasses.
She stood near the case.
A group of teenagers passed.
One said:
“That’s insane.”
Another:
“Imagine wearing that.”
A third:
“I’d be terrified.”
The Billionaire Woman smiled.
Then noticed a woman standing several feet away.
Blonde.
Shorter hair.
Simple black dress.
The former Boutique Manager.
They recognized each other simultaneously.
Neither moved at first.
Then the former manager approached.
Carefully.
“Hello.”
The Billionaire Woman nodded.
“Hello.”
They both looked toward the collar.
The former manager smiled faintly.
“So you bought it.”
“Yes.”
“For your mother?”
“Yes.”
“Did she like it?”
“She called me irresponsible.”
The former manager laughed unexpectedly.
The Billionaire Woman did too.
Then silence.
The former manager looked toward the museum plaque.
“You loaned it.”
“My mother insisted.”
“She sounds formidable.”
“She is.”
The former manager folded her hands.
“I work for a smaller gallery now.”
The Billionaire Woman looked at her.
“Jewelry?”
“Decorative arts.”
“How is it?”
“Different.”
“Better?”
The woman considered.
“For me, yes.”
Then:
“I have time to look now.”
The Billionaire Woman understood.
Luxury retail had trained speed into her.
Judge.
Sort.
Prioritize.
Move.
A gallery forced slower attention.
She continued:
“I wanted to tell you something.”
The Billionaire Woman waited.
“I started asking myself a question whenever I meet someone.”
“What?”
“What do I actually know?”
Simple.
Useful.
The Billionaire Woman nodded.
The former manager smiled.
“Usually less than I think.”
“That’s true for everyone.”
They looked at the necklace.
The former manager said:
“I was cruel to you.”
The Billionaire Woman did not soften the sentence.
“Yes.”
“I was also wrong about the young sales associate.”
The Billionaire Woman looked over.
“She works here now.”
“At the museum?”
“Yes.”
The former manager pointed subtly.
Across the gallery stood the young employee from the boutique.
Now wearing a museum badge.
Speaking to visitors.
The Billionaire Woman smiled.
Interesting.
The former manager continued:
“She left retail.”
“Good for her.”
“She told me once I made her afraid to speak.”
The former manager swallowed.
“That one hurt more than being fired.”
The Billionaire Woman understood why.
Losing power revealed what power had been doing.
They stood another minute.
Then the former manager said:
“I won’t bother you.”
“You aren’t.”
The woman looked surprised.
The Billionaire Woman continued:
“You were.”