Theo was back at the store with her bodyguard at eight-thirty that morning. They had given her a key and the alarm code the night before, and she was already hard at work draping fabric on the walls and using the staple gun with her security guard’s help. He wasn’t adept at it, and she was relieved when Valentina and Bella walked in together and were stunned by the progress Theo was making. The rest of the furniture was delivered that morning, and by the afternoon, it was beginning to look like a real store. Two Damien Hirst paintings had been dropped off that morning, on loan from a well-known gallery. They had the proper insurance that Theo had paid for. When she saw them, she was tempted to buy one of them. She could afford them, but she hadn’t bought anything in the past year, not even a pair of shoes. She just didn’t care. But she loved the paintings, it was a small sign of her coming back to life. Working on the store had been good for her.

“The place looks incredible,” Valentina complimented her. “Wait till people see it at the party. I got confirmation this morning that the press is coming. Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. And I’m sure we’ll be on Page Six in the Post.” That evening, they set up all the clothes on the racks they’d had built, even though they were only keeping the space for two weeks. But with the kind of prices they charged, everything had to be perfect. It couldn’t look like a temporary store, it had to be chic and have substance. It was Theo’s unfailing eye and perfectionism that had made her successful, as well as her business sense.

She had sandwiches with the crew at lunchtime, and by the time they set up the racks of clothes at the end of the day, she was too tired to eat dinner. The others were going out together, but she said she’d get room service at the hotel.

They had even set up a makeshift back room, curtained off with heavy dark red velvet drapes, which they could use as an office and a stockroom. It was where she intended to stay out of sight during the party. She could manage the stock for them because she knew it well. She said something about it to Valentina before she left for the day, and the young woman looked shocked when she realized that Theo didn’t intend to be at the party.

“But you have to,” she insisted. “The press will expect to see you, and so will the clients. It won’t have the same impact if you’re not there. Everyone wants to meet you.” Theo smiled and quietly shook her head.