"He couldn't even deem to show up tonight to prove to these people that this partnership isn't a bloody farce. What am I? His slave? His builder boy?"
"Smile, Winn, smile. You've been in the news too many times lately for all the wrong reasons," Joey said. He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Come on, man. The investors are watching. Try not to look like you're planning to burn the place down."
"Fuck them all," he muttered, swirling his champagne as if it were a weapon.
"You yourself didn't want Evans involved. He thought it might give you peace if you didn't see his smug face at all, right?"
"And yet, he's still managing to piss me off without even showing up."
"I'm serious, Winn. He kept his distance because he thought it would make things easier for you."
"I still don't understand why he did it," Winn said after a moment. "That damned question gnaws at me, Joey. If it were me, I wouldn't do it. Why did he partner with us?"
