Queen Mom Rules novel · Chapter 4 of 24

Chapter 4: Glass

My mother did not say a word.

She took the necklace out of the appraiser's gloved hand, put it back in her purse, and walked across the marble toward the revolving door.

Three hundred of my employees parted for her.

Nobody clapped.

I was proud of them for that.

Junie watched my mother go and said, in a clear small voice, "She forgot to say sorry."

"I know, baby."

"I'm going to write that down."

I handed Junie to the front desk with a kiss, because the front desk has crayons and a patient guard.

Then I took Leon Brannigan upstairs.

The conference room on twenty-six has a glass wall and a view of the whole river.

Leon didn't look at the view.

He put the appraiser's folder on the table and slid it toward me.

"Three hundred dollars," he said. "Your father owes me four million, secured by a handful of cut glass."

"I know what it says."

"The state calls that fraud."

"Whose?"

"Your mother signed the pledge form and your father signed the loan. One of them knew, or both did."

"My father didn't know."

"You can't be sure."

"I can," I said. "On Saturday he begged me not to make a scene, because he couldn't lose your loan."

I rubbed my eyes.

"If he'd known the necklace was glass, he'd have been sweating through his tux."

"He was sweating through his tux."

"Over you," I said.

Leon almost smiled.

He leaned back in his chair and studied me.

"I can send this folder to the county prosecutor today."

"And?"

"And your father would be charged. Maybe not convicted. But charged."

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