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Not in the sense that a heart can be broken by love. It was
never that. But you were my best friend. We went to school
together. Came up together. We worked together. Opened our
first restaurant as a team. Then you got greedy. You tried to
take everything from me, including all my trade secrets. You
forced me out of something that I myself had created and
financed with my family’s money. You didn’t have a penny to
your name, and you took what was ours and you stole that
from me. You went on to create an empire. But that’s the thing
about empires—they always topple in the end. You went for
chains, and you borrowed and borrowed and you spread
yourself thin. Your places were slipping and shoddy long
before the health inspectors started to shut you down for
violation after violation.”
Robert exploded out of his chair, red faced, waving a finger
at Claire. “It was you, you foul bitch. You called them in. You
hired people to sabotage me. You undermined my entire
operation. You took a multi-million-dollar name and you made
it dirt. You did it because you wanted payback.”
Claire shook her head. “No. But if I had, I would have
learned from the best. The seafood, Robert, really? You didn’t
think I wouldn’t figure it out after you humiliated me, ruined
me, and bought me out because I felt guilty over what
happened? No. Your demise was entirely your own. The shit
reviews. The slippery slope. You expanded too far, too fast.
The US wasn’t enough for you. You had to go to Europe, and
that was your real mistake. They’re even less forgiving there.
When people pay two hundred dollars a dish, they expect
perfection. You served up turds.”
Robert’s face drained of color, and it was oh, so satisfying.
