(journalism) lede

On the occasion of our third wedding anniversary, I went to bring lunch to my husband, only to be barred at the company entrance by his female assistant.

She flicked a bank card at me—one containing three hundred thousand dollars. "What he needs is a woman who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him."

I accepted the card in silence and turned on my heel.

A few days later, during a board meeting, I pushed open the doors clad in a bespoke haute couture suit.

That very assistant who had humiliated me was now trembling as she read out my name: "Please welcome the Founding Partner of Summit Peak Capital, Ms. Olivia Sterling."

Amidst the deathly silence of the room, I turned to that assembly of fossilized directors. "Now, I believe we should get reacquainted."

"My name is Olivia Sterling."