Chapter 14
The Briarwood organization changed in subtle ways.
Not because of adoption policy.
Because the garden showed me how perceived preference spreads.
People had raised glasses because they believed I wanted them raised.
That principle extended far beyond Tobin.
A manager once fired a driver because someone said:
“Lucan doesn’t like him.”
I had never heard the man’s name.
A supplier stopped inviting an old associate because a capo said:
“Boss wants distance.”
I did not.
My reputation had become a currency others could counterfeit.
So I demanded attribution.
If someone said:
“Lucan wants—”
The answer became:
“Did Lucan say it?”
Annoying.
Effective.
Jessamine had exposed a weakness in my house by abusing it.
May you like
I could condemn her and still fix the weakness.
That became one of the more useful lessons I never thanked her for.
