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have to make sacrifices for family.”
    David watched her. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for family . She couldn’t possibly understand what those words did to him.
    But at least he’d learned what he needed to know. He had actually suspected it as soon as he’d seen her—Natalia De la Grip would never act against her family’s interests. She wore loyalty and integrity wrapped around herself like an invisible cloak. Lucky for him that she had misconstrued the purpose of this lunch. She thought he was networking and scoping out business opportunities, not trying to get her to sell out her nearest and dearest.
    â€œI understand,” he said, while at the same time he couldn’t help wondering how the obviously intelligent Natalia justified to herself the fact that she still didn’t have a seat on Investum’s board, that pretty much no women held important positions in any of the companies that Gustaf De la Grip ran. And that her father was known for his chauvinist statements about women in general and gender equality at the workplace in specific. Natalia’s love for her family made her blind.
    â€œSo, what makes you one of J-O’s favorites?” he asked as their food arrived. He added, “Those are J-O’s own words. I’m just quoting him.”
    â€œDo you know him well?” she asked, placing her napkin in her lap and picking up her silverware. She ate with delicate, silent motions, setting down her utensils between each bite. Boarding school manners.
    â€œWell enough to trust his judgment,” he replied. J-O was one of the world’s most influential bankers, and they had collaborated several times. “Tell me more.”
    â€œCorporate finance is a job that relies a lot on the personal touch, as I’m sure you know, on relationships and building a sense of trust.” One of Natalia’s shoulders twitched. She set her silverware down again, her back totally straight, without fiddling with her place setting, her glass, or anything else. “I have a lot going for me.”
    â€œYes, I can imagine,” he said, realizing with surprise that he was being genuine. There was something reliable about her, almost steadfast. If he weren’t too cynical to believe in such a thing, he would have said Natalia seemed like a good person.
    â€œAnd not just because of my last name,” she added, a faint pinkish hue flashing over her cheekbones, subtle as a brushstroke. “I’m good at what I do.”
    â€œI’m convinced of that.”
    Natalia narrowed her eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re flattering me?”
    â€œNot at all. I’m just naturally charming,” he replied with a smile. He hadn’t expected her to be so appealing that he’d occasionally find himself forgetting her history and her name.
    She smiled. Even if this lunch was a waste of time, at least it was pleasant. She was good company and not a snob. Natalia piqued his curiosity. And, actually, he felt a little attracted to her, which was completely unexpected. Her dichotomy was downright sexy: all that cool paleness and at the same time passionate intensity.
    â€œYou know,” she said, meticulously setting down her silverware yet again. “I know I should be grateful for my background—my family, my name, and all that. And I am; anything else would be arrogant. But sometimes I wish I didn’t have it all, that I’d done it on my own. I think there must be some satisfaction in accomplishing everything oneself.”
    â€œYes, it is satisfying,” David said slowly, studying her expectantly. Not a single upper-class person—neither female nor male—had ever said something like that to him before. “You’re lucky you’re a woman, then,” he added. “At least you’ve had a bit of a handicap.”
    â€œHmm.” She sat in silence, seeming to think.
    Few industries were as backward