Chapter 5

I cried pitifully over the phone, and in the end, he transferred me a token payment of a hundred dollars.

"This is all I'm able to do for you," he said.

I stared down at the shattered tiara in my hands, then at the pitiful few digits left in my account.

I looked up. Robert had already walked off with his arm around Melanie. I caught him murmuring to comfort her, "Don't worry about it. There's another tiara coming up at next week's auction. I'll put in the winning bid for you."

The hospital's payment notices kept coming. The doctor's messages kept pushing for a decision. My nails dug so hard into my palms I nearly drew blood.

After turning it over and over in my head, I dialed a number. "I'll divorce him and marry you. But I want money first."

I stumbled through paying the deposit and got Mom into surgery. When word came that it had gone well, exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I passed out.

The moment I woke, I rushed straight to see Mom. Seeing the color back in her face, I held her hand and cried.

"Angeline, didn't you say your mother needed emergency surgery? Looks like she's doing just fine."

I turned around. Melanie stood there, her eyes still wet with tears. "You clearly had the money, and your mother's clearly fine. So why did you have to snatch my things?"

I frowned. Robert grabbed my wrist.

"You had money for a winning bid this whole time, and instead you put on a show in front of everyone to turn Mel into a target. You cursed my mother, and now you're dragging your mother into it just to make a scene about your jealousy.

"I told you, I was just rewarding a good employee. Do you have to throw a fit no matter where we are?"

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Mom, alarmed, stepped forward to try to intervene. "Robert, there's clearly some kind of misunderstanding. What winning bid?"

She didn't get to say anything else. Robert shoved her aside before she could finish. She'd only just had surgery, and even that light a push sent her crashing to the ground.

"Mom!"

I rushed to help her up, but his grip on my wrist only tightened. "Don't you two put on an act for me. I barely touched her. I never expected it, Angeline, but your mother's an even better actress than you are."

I was close to tears. "My mom really did have surgery! Let go of me!"

Robert's eyes turned colder. "This time you're not even claiming she's dying?"

Fury boiled over in me. "It's your mother who's dead!"

He shoved me to the ground, putting his full weight behind it. Pain shot up my spine from the impact, sharp enough to bring cold sweat to my forehead. But there wasn't time to feel it. I scrambled to check on Mom instead.

"Mom! Are you all right?"

Robert loomed over me. "I checked. That tiara at the auction, the winning bid was placed under your name.

"Five million dollars, gone just like that, and now you're going to pretend you don't have money? Not going to kneel in front of my staff and humiliate Mel this time?"

I froze. Someone had placed a winning bid on a tiara under my name?

"Angeline, this time, even if my mom is looking out for you, I won't let it slide again."

He threw a set of divorce papers in my face. "We're getting divorced. You walk away with nothing."

Melanie couldn't hide the delight in her eyes.

Robert called one of the staff, "Don't tell my mom about the divorce. Everyone keeps their mouth shut, understood?"

There was a pause on the other end. "But, Mr. Gilmer, your mother passed away over a month ago."