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about it for a minute and then smiled faintly. “ I could consult with Iain. ”
    “ Consult? ” Allegra said, teasing her friend. She ’ d heard a lot about Iain with the extra I. He was a rising star at the firm who was responsible for overseeing their international business. His father had worked for a hotel conglomerate and Iain spoke four languages, including Kiswahili, which he ’ d learned when his father ran a hotel in Dar es Salaam. “ You can imagine how many points that scored him with my father, ” Grace had said when Iain first joined the firm. “ Maybe he could give you lessons, ” Allegra had teased at the time because it was obvious to her that Grace had fallen head over Prada heels for Iain with the extra I.
    “ Have you thought any more about the possibility of going out on your own? ” Grace asked. “ I know you talked about it before your father died. ”
    “ I know, ” Allegra admitted. “ But my plan was to branch out not break off. If I leave Zangari now, it will feel like giving up. It will feel like a betrayal. ”
    “ I ’ m not saying give up. I ’ m just saying you might need a plan B. I know you ’ ve got a good relationship with Sina, but do you really want her to have to choose between you and her mother? ”
    Allegra sighed.
    “ Do you have a will? ” Grace asked.
    “ I ’ m 26, ” Allegra protested.
    “ You could get hit by an Uber driver, ” Grace said. “ You could choke on a chili prawn. ” Grace lifted another morsel of rice with her chopsticks. “ Just don ’ t wait, is all I ’ m saying. ”
     

Chapter 6
     
    The snow was coming down hard by the time Bailey and Hugo got back to the store. Still, the floors were full of after-Christmas shoppers and the customer service department was busy with sales associates processing returns. Hugo was pleased. Beginning with Black Friday, Prince ’ s had had a good holiday season everywhere but in their Tokyo store. He sighed, knowing a trip to Tokyo was in his future. His father had never had the patience to do business in Japan, but Hugo rather enjoyed it. He never doubted that a current of cut-throat competition ran underneath the culture of politeness, but he liked the civility and formality of the way business was conducted. His father had been slow to expand into the Asian markets, and he was still wary of the extravagant shopping mall theme parks found in Dubai, but Hugo had convinced him that going truly global was the key to keeping Prince ’ s Department Stores from becoming cultural dinosaurs. They had to evolve or die. And that meant having a robust digital presence as well. “ Catalogue shopping, ” his father had scoffed when Hugo had first mentioned the idea back when he was in high school.
    “ It words for Harrods, ” Hugo said.
    “ They sell souvenirs at Harrods, ” his father had said, just barely keeping a sneer out of his voice. “ Stuffed animals wearing Harrods ’ sweaters. ” Still, as the century turned, his father had finally been convinced to create a website. Hugo just hoped it wouldn ’ t take another decade and a half for him to come on board with some of the other changes he had in mind.
    A pretty sales associate saw Hugo and Bailey and made a beeline for them, only to be hip-checked by another associate who was closer.
    “ May I help you Mr. Prince? ” she asked, her voice a sexy growl.
    “ No thanks Courtney, ” he said.
    Of course he knows her name , Bailey thought as Courtney gave Hugo a smile over her shoulder. Hugo wasn ’ t looking; he ’ d already turned his attention to a boot on the nearest display rack. He picked it up to examine the stitching on the sole. “ How ’ s the House of Zangari doing under the new management? ” he asked.
    “ The brand ’ s holding up, ” Bailey said. “ I can ’ t vouch for the morale. ”
    Hugo returned the boot to the display. “ We should do a little due diligence, ” he said, thinking that it might be a good excuse to