#Chapter 208: Majority Wins

Audrey “Mr. Black.” The sight of the man almost made my heart stop in my chest. I hadn’t seen him in person since that awful interview last summer when he had implied that I should sleep with him if I wanted his mentorship for this very project. His lip curled slightly as I approached, his eyes raking over me with undisguised disdain; no doubt he actually blamed me and not his own despicable behavior for the fact that he had lost his business with Brooks Designs. “Audrey Thatcher,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. Despite the urge to curl into myself, I managed to square my shoulders, determined not to let him see how much his presence rattled me. “It’s actually Klein now,” I corrected firmly. “Audrey Klein.” The female judge, an older woman with kind eyes and salt-and-pepper hair, chuckled—there was a placard in front of her seat with the name ‘Rebecca Daniels’ written on it. “I would have expected it to be Brooks by this point,” she said