Gasps erupted across several tables. No one—absolutely no one—spoke to Harold Weinstock that way.
“Ten years ago,” María continued, “Hollywood called me—not once, five times. MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers. They all wanted the exotic Mexican for their films.”
Pause.
“Do you know what I told them?”
Weinstock did not answer.
“I told them no. To all of them.”
“Why?” someone asked from another table.
María turned toward the voice. It was a young director, genuinely curious.
“Because I understood something you will never understand. Power is not in being desired. Power is in being the one who decides.”
She walked around the main table. Everyone followed her with their eyes.
