“I’m not proposing you be my assistant,” Monique said. “I’m proposing you get out of our incestuous Du Jour family and broaden your horizons.”

Jules’s eyes widened.

Monique gave her a level look.

Thoughts raced through her mind. Mark Tavio might be conspiring against Vivian, trying to replace her during her pregnancy. Now, Monique was trying to get Vivian’s notoriously loyal assistant out of Du Jour entirely. Was this a cog in some kind of plot? No matter how pissed Jules was at Vivian, she couldn’t be a part of that.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I’ve started my own fashion label. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard—it’s China-based, and the Western fashion market’s still learning to give a shit about that.” Her expression went sour before clearing again. “But it’s doing well and I’m branching out. We’ll be in Paris, New York, and London this fall.” She paused. “Especially London.”

Whoa. This was a big deal. Also not a Mark Tavio plot or an indecent proposal. Looked like Vivian wasn’t always right after all.

“Do you have a distributor in stores?”

Monique smiled at Jules’s enthusiasm. “In Asia, I have my own boutiques. Here in London, I’m in Dover Street Market and Harrod’s, and I’m planning to expand into my own store. In the States, we’re still mainly an online presence on sites like Net-a-Porter. But Chinese street fashion is trending everywhere, and I’ve been careful to get my pieces out there, so I’m confident in my buzz.”

Jules’s head spun. “That’s really cool. But …what can I do?”

Monique tilted her elegant head to the side. “How do you feel about being a Jacqueline of all trades to start? I need someone on the ground in our London office.”

Oh. Another assistant-type job. She tried not to flag. At least it was something on a night when she’d probably lost everything.

Vivian thought she was going to jump ship. How depressingly on-point. But what choice did she have? Other than Monique, who in the fashion industry would give her a paycheck after Vivian put out the burn notice?

Monique appeared to see Jules’s lack of enthusiasm for the job title. “In a new enterprise, there’s more opportunity for promotion. Prove yourself, and you can move up the ladder pretty fast. I won’t pretend it’s not a risk, but I wanted to float it past you, whenever it comes to pass.”

Jules pressed her lips together. “When might ”whenever” be?”

Monique grinned. She had amazing teeth. “Stay tuned. My London group will be in touch when it’s time to launch. Besides, you’ve got a steady job right now. What’s the rush?”

Thank God the low lighting would hide Jules’s blush. “Right, yeah. No rush, for sure.”