She certainly hadn’t known the layout when they were teenagers. They’d often snuck to the cellar and stolen wine on nights Alex slept over. One time, they’d hid under the table in the center when Ms. O’Malley had come to fetch Gregorie for the chairwoman, both fretting that the woman would turn them in. Ms. O’Malley had not even seen the pair, or more likely, had pretended not to, and they had laughed about it in a drunken glee for the rest of the night.
How things had changed.
How much they had stayed the same.
Had Alex ever snuck down into the cellar after bending Jewel’s mind, uncorking an expensive bottle to celebrate? It would not to be too hard to misdirect one.
Lila tossed a crimson velvet bag onto the table, one she’d kept in her secret compartment since the day she’d made chief several years before. Something hard inside whacked against the oak, echoing in the room.
Alex jumped, nearly dropping the bottle in her grasp.
“You frightened me,” she said, putting her hand up to her heart.
“I brought you something. A gift of sorts.”
Alex’s initial smile faltered after she noted her friend’s expression.
“Which bottle do you fancy these days?”
Alex shrugged, turning back to the racks. “I suppose I like Gregorie when you and I get a chance to relive the old days. I buy Masson whenever I have extra money from my slave’s stipend. It’s cheap, but it’s a decent wine. I doubt the Massons ever drink it themselves.”
Lila noted the small barb in Alex’s voice. How long had it been there?
Months? Years?
Since the first day they’d become friends?
“Do you begrudge the Massons their success?”
Alex chuckled, though the mirth was forced. “Of course not,” she said, replacing the wine she’d pulled from the rack.
“Do you begrudge my family for having what you no longer possess? Or me?”
“I’m not jealous. Why would I be? You are in a position that you do not want.”
“So are you, but my position is so much higher. That has to be frustrating.”
“If I had to choose between the two, I’d choose this. It’s much less stressful.” Alex turned back around and pulled out a few bottles, scanning the labels before moving on. “I told you. I tried that life, and I wasn’t good at it. I’m happier here than I ever was there.”
Lila leaned against a rack, blocking Alex’s path. “That might be the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. I might have swallowed it the other night, but don’t expect me to swallow it now.”
“I don’t know what you mean. When? Which night?”
“That’s a good question, actually. Who is the real Alexandra Craft-Wilson? The one who speaks to me or the one who whispers into my sister’s ear?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You claimed that you had some epiphany after you lost Grace Medical, that you were glad not to be the one who ruined your family, yet you dabble with mine. Did you hand Jewel the plan all at once, or did you feed it to her one part at a time?”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“You betrayed this family after everything we’ve done for you and Simon. You betrayed me.”
“I’d never betray you. Why are you saying these things? Did your mother accuse me of something? Did it ever occur to you that she’s playing with your head again?”
“Not this time.”
“Why is this time different?”