The Villa

didn't support you and your family on a personal level. Our patrons expect fine food well served when they come to us, not to gamble on a glass of wine that may be tainted."
    "Four bottles out of how many thousands," Sophia began.
    "One is too many. I'm sorry, dear, but that's the reality. Excuse me."
    Sophia marched directly to a waiter, took a glass of red and, after turning a slow circle in case anyone was watching, drank deeply.
    "You look a little stressed." Kris sidled up beside her, chose a glass of champagne. "Must come from actually having to work for a living."
    "You're mistaken." Her voice might have frosted the air between them. "I don't work for a living, but for love."
    "Spoken like a princess." Pleased with herself, Kris sipped her wine. As far as she was concerned, she had one function to fulfill that evening: to dig under Sophia's skin. "Isn't that what Tony used to call you? His princess."
    "Yes." Sophia braced for the rush of grief, but it never came. That, itself, was a sorrow. "He never understood me. Apparently neither do you."
    "Oh, I understand you. And your family. You're in trouble. With Tony gone and you and farm boy in charge, your company's lost the edge. Now you're flaunting yourself in your evening gowns and your heirloom pearls to try to drum up business and cover up mistakes. Really, you're no different from the guy on the corner panhandling. At least he's honest about it."
    Carefully, deliberately, Sophia set her wine aside and edged forward. Before she could speak, Jerry strode over, laid a hand on Kris's arm.
    "Kris." There was warning in his tone. "This is inappropriate. Sophia, I'm sorry."
    "I don't need anyone to apologize for me." Kris tossed back her hair. "I'm not on company time here, but my own."
    "I'm not interested in apologies. From either of you. You're a guest in my home, and as long as you behave as such, you'll be treated as a guest. If you insult me here, or any of my family, I'll have you removed. Just as I had you removed from my offices. Don't delude yourself into thinking I'll hesitate to cause a scene."
    Kris pursed her lips in a kind of kiss. "Wouldn't that play nicely in the press?"
    "Dare me," Sophia spat back. "Then we'll see which one of us spins it best tomorrow. Either way, Kris, you'll be out on your ass and your new boss might not care for that, right, Jerry?"
    "Sophia! How lovely you look." Helen hugged an arm around Sophia's shoulders, squeezing hard. "Excuse us, won't you?" She said it brightly while she pulled Sophia away. "You want to turn down the kill lights in your eyes, honey? You're scaring the guests."
    "I'd like to fry Kris with them, and Jerry with her."
    "Not worth it, sweetie."
    "I know it, I know it. She wouldn't have gotten to me if I hadn't already been steaming over Anne Elliot."
    "Let's just take a little walk to the powder room while you calm down. Remind yourself you've put on a terrific show here. You've made an impression."
    "Too little, for too much."
    "Sophie, you're trembling."
    "I'm just angry. Just angry." She held it in as they walked down to the family level. "And scared," she admitted when she slipped into a powder room with Helen. "Aunt Helen, I poured money into this event. Money, given the situation, I should have been more careful with. The Elliots aren't going to budge. Then Kris drops down like a crow smelling fresh kill."
    "She's just one more of Tony's castoffs, and not worth your energy or your time."
    "She knows the way I think." There wasn't room to pace off the heat, so Sophia simply stood and simmered in it. "The way I work. I should've found a way to keep her in the company, a way to control her."
    "Stop it. You can't take on the blame for her. Anyone can see she's viciously jealous of you. I know things are shaky now, but I talked with a number of people tonight who're solidly behind you, who are appalled by what happened."
    "Yes, and some of them may even be swayed to put their money where their sentiments are. But there are more, too many more, who won't. I had reports from the wait staff that a number of guests are avoiding the wine or watching others drink it, and live, first. It's horrible. And such a strain on Nonna. I'm starting to see it, and that worries me."
    "Sophie, when a company's been in business a hundred years, it has crises. This is just one of them."
    "We've never had anything like this. We're losing accounts, Aunt Helen. You know it. There are jokes, you've heard them. Having trouble