Page 154 of What Goes Around

They called three days later.

The interview was clinical. No small talk. No “tell us about yourself.” They handed me case studies and incomplete datasets and asked me to find the failure points. They wanted to know how I would kill a project before it killed them.

I didn’t hesitate.

By the end of the interview, they made me an offer. I accepted.

The job was a necessary stepping stone for my larger plan.

My role was to dissect billion-dollar projects before they were ever allowed to breathe. I evaluated locations, stress-tested financial assumptions, modeled long-term risk, and predicted market behavior under worst-case scenarios. Where others saw blueprints and profit margins, I saw patterns. Fault lines. Pressure points.

I stayed in my Boston apartment.

After graduation, Amy found her own small place in the same building. She said it was time. That she wanted her space back. I didn’t argue.

Brandon called on a Tuesday evening.

I let it ring twice before answering.

“Ashley,” he said. “Hi. I was hoping you’d pick up.”

“I’m on my way home,” I said. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said quickly. “I just wanted to check in. See how you’re doing.”

“I’m good.”

“How’s the new job?” he asked. “Settling in?”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Busy. Challenging. Exactly what I wanted.”

“That’s good,” he said, pride bleeding into his voice. “I always knew you’d do well. Data science, right? Development analytics?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve told a few people about you,” he continued. “They’re very curious.”

I didn’t respond.

He cleared his throat, recalibrating.

“And Boston? Are you… happy there?”

“It works,” I said. “What did you want to talk about, Dad?”

There was a pause.

“Well,” he said carefully, “the Richards Group is celebrating its twentieth anniversary next month.”

I closed my eyes.

“We’re hosting a formal event,” he went on. “A dinner. Some speeches. Clients, partners. People who’ve been with us since the beginning.”

“That’s great,” I said. “Congratulations.”

“I was hoping you’d come.”

“No.”