Chapter 61

Had he polished his head with disco dust? The question burned on her tongue, but Elodie managed to swallow it, opting for a more professional approach. ‘Hi, Julian, please take a seat.’ Julian inclined his head in a sharp nod. He settled into his chair, back ramrod straight, face an unreadable mask. Elodie cleared her throat. ‘Right, well, tell me about Bijoux. The good, the bad, the skeletons in the closet.’ Bijoux was her mother’s legacy, a jewellery design studio under the Northstar umbrella. Julian pulled up a tablet, the screen glowing with a sea of red. ‘The numbers, I’m afraid, are not pretty. Madeline built this place on pure design genius, but since…’ his voice trailed off, a flicker of sympathy in his dark eyes. Elodie studied the chart, the red lines like scars on her vision. Subconsciously, she traced the jade bracelet on her wrist. ‘Headhunters, overseas hotshots, I threw everything at it.’ Julian leaned forward. ‘But none of them had the… well, the Madeline magic.’ Elodie