Chapter 15 - EAT
One year later, Parker Grand held another anniversary dinner.
Smaller.
No family spectacle.
NorthBridge ran the event.
Claire attended as majority owner.
Victoria attended as shareholder.
They sat at different tables.
A server approached Claire.
“Ms. Parker, we have your allergy note. The kitchen has a separate preparation area.”
Claire smiled.
“Thank you.”
No apology for the accommodation.
No embarrassment.
Dinner arrived.
Chicken.
Vegetables.
No shrimp.
Across the ballroom, Victoria looked over once.
Claire met her eyes.
Then looked away.
Daniel Ross sat nearby.
Thomas raised a glass.
The hotels were more profitable under NorthBridge.
Management fees were lower.
Parker Management survived too.
It picked up two outside clients after Victoria was forced to compete in the market.
Ironically, losing the family contract made her company better.
Claire took a bite.
For a second she remembered the hand on her jaw.
The command:
EAT.
Back then, the word had meant:
Obey.
Stop making this difficult.
Your boundary is inconvenient.
Now the plate in front of her meant something else.
Choice.
Nobody touched her face.
Nobody ordered her to prove she was easy.
Nobody dragged her away for refusing.
Claire ate because she wanted to.
May you like
And when she stopped, no one told her to take another bite.
THE END
