“Sheikh Kaled to you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sheikh Kaled.Oh, now I remember where I know you from. You were standing next to that woman he walked in with.”
“That woman is not only my best friend but also my sister-in-law and the mother of my nephew, so be careful with what you’re about to say,” I warn, putting my hands on my hips.
“Jesus, you’re pretty fiery, aren’t you?”
“Usually not, unless someone messes with the people I love.”
“Can we try starting over?” She extends a hand to me. “Nice to meet you. My name is Josephine,” she says casually, without mentioning a last name.
I take a second before accepting, but even though remembering who her friend is irritated me, Josephine has a very sweet face. “Is your friend behind this attempt to talk to me?”
Another eye roll. “Ingrid and I wereacquaintances. Never friends. She was staying at my neighbor’s house and invited me to that party you mentioned.”
“Then why did you defend her that night?”
She shrugs. “I caught the story halfway through. What Ingrid told me was that she and your brother were dating and that Kaled was cheating on her with someone else.”
For the first time since arriving at this disaster of a party, I start laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“My brother was with her for one week, and they didn’t even see each other every day. That hardly qualifies someone as a girlfriend. Besides, even if it had been a relationship, he had ended everything before he started seeing Adeela.”
“I found out later,” she says, blushing. “The scandal Ingrid caused in the tabloids and celebrity magazines was embarrassing. Her career ended, you know?”
Of course I know—my brother arranged that after she staged photos with a paparazzo to make it look like Kaled was leaving a hotel with her.
“Really? Maybe she’s just too old.” I disguise a smirk.
“She’s actually only twenty-five, but with all the pressure for thinness and perfection, who knows, right? Anyway, the last thing I heard is she got married and moved somewhere in the countryside in Brazil. Living a quiet life now.”
“I’d have preferred she picked Mars as a residence.”
Josephine laughs, and now that I’ve let go of my initial negative impression, I start warming up to her.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asks. “Tell me if that sounded rude. I’m kind of filterless, and some people don’t like that.”
“It didn’t. You’re just direct. I study at this college. I just started industrial design.”
“No way! I’m in that program too. I mean, I already make some jewelry pieces because I learned the craft from my godmother, but I feel like I’m still missing something, you know?”
I take a step closer because the pendant on her necklace has caught my attention. “May I?” I ask before touching it.
“Of course.”
“Did you make this?”
“I did.”
“Josephine, this is one of the most beautiful and delicate pieces I’ve ever seen.”
I adore jewelry. I own so much I’d need another body to wear it all. Some pieces were made in my country, others by famous designers, but none of them are this beautiful.
“Josephine, you don’t need college. You’re extremely talented.”
“You really think so?”