“Then it’s just coincidence. If he’s following her, which I doubt, it’s purely for his own benefit. He has absolutely nothing to offer her. She has all the connections she needs. She’s a very rich, important woman. She doesn’t need a guy like him for introductions.”

“But maybe he needs her.” Mike was like a dog with a bone.

“I’m sure he does, but I can’t see her being interested or taken in by him. He’s a user and she has no need of him,” Robert said.

“You’re probably right. I just hate what happened to her.” It made Mike feel sick whenever he thought of it, especially losing her son.

“It works that way sometimes,” Robert said quietly. “We’ve all seen it at some point or other. Life isn’t fair at times. That’s not news to us.”

“She lost her kid, her only child,” he said.

“Your obsessing about her won’t change that. You need to go out and get drunk with mates from the office, or have dinner with friends. You’re working too hard,” Robert warned him. “What’s de Vaumont been up to?”

“Meeting with every Russian and Saudi in New York, and a few Chinese. He’s killing my agents with his schedule. He’s a human tornado, he’s tireless.” Robert laughed at the description. “He’s out from morning till four and five a.m. every night.”

“Hence the term ‘hustler,’ I think. He’s ambitious and on the move.”

“He certainly is.” They both laughed about it, and Mike relaxed a little.

That night, Theo and her crew worked at the store until midnight. When they left, every last detail was perfect, and they would be open for business the next day with the party that night.

On the eve of the party, Mike was home reading and doing some work on his computer. He was trying not to think of Theo. There was no point worrying about her. Robert was right. It wasn’t his case, and he didn’t even know her. His obsessing about her wouldn’t undo what had happened.

The night of the party, at the store, five of the six actresses came to collect their dresses a few hours before. They picked some expensive ones, but it would be great PR for the store to have them there, looking fabulous in dresses from Theo.com. Two of them said they already shopped Theo.com online.