Chapter 4The Cost of Favoring His Secretary

Knowing there was no reasoning with Melanie, I grabbed Robert's hand instead. "Robert, please, save my mom."

He glanced at Melanie, then shook me off.

"Drop the act. My people wouldn't actually hurt her. Stop trying to con me with fake paperwork."

I shook my head, tears welling up, but he cut me off before I could get a word out.

"I know you're not really here for the money. You're jealous of Mel, that's what this is. I've told you a hundred times, Mel is talented at her job. I was just rewarding an employee. Can you not throw a fit over it every single time?"

Two bodyguards moved in and dragged me toward the exit, one on each arm.

"Robert!"

I fought them with everything I had. That was when I noticed the earrings hanging from Melanie's ears, a matching set to her half-a-million-dollar necklace. Market value, exactly one million.

There was no time to grieve over it.

I called everyone I knew and scraped together what I could, but it still wasn't enough. In a panic, I remembered my mother's jewelry, tucked away at the bottom of a trunk. It had been passed down for generations, and she'd only let me touch it once, on my wedding day.

I raced home and carefully carried the tiara out. A genuine antique, generations old, worth more than money could measure.

I called an antiques dealer right away. He looked at the photos and agreed to meet without a second thought.

But the moment I stepped outside with the box in my arms, someone slammed straight into me.

Melanie let out a cry and stumbled into Robert's arms, her voice full of reproach. "Angeline, watch where you're walking!"

I didn't have time to deal with her. I scrambled to gather the tiara up carefully. Just as I was about to leave, she snatched it right out of my hands. "Angeline, is this yours?"

"Give it back!"

I lunged for it, but one look from Robert and his bodyguards blocked me before I could reach her.

"Mel's just looking. The sky isn't going to fall."

"I need to sell it! I have a buyer waiting."

Melanie blinked, surprised. "Wait, you want to sell something this pretty?"

Robert made up his mind instantly. "Angeline, name a price. I'll cover it."

My eyes lit up. If I could get the money that fast to treat my mother, that would be perfect.

"Mr. Gilmer." Melanie stepped between us. "It's one thing for someone else, but you two are married. Having to pay each other for something between husband and wife just seems cold, doesn't it?

"Tell you what. Let me borrow the tiara for a few days. I'll have a craftsman make an exact replica and give the original back to Angeline, untouched. That way you save some money too. What do you think?"

Robert smiled at her indulgently. "There you go, always looking out for me."

"No!" I grabbed for it. "If you're not going to buy it, I'm leaving right now."

Melanie held on tight. "It's just a loan; I'm not keeping it. Angeline, why are you being like this?

"Besides, it's so old and worn. If I wanted one, I'd want a new one. I'm not about to steal something like this."

"Let go!"

The tiara was fragile, so I tried to pull it free carefully. Anger flickered in Melanie's eyes, then something colder. She stared me down, and then, suddenly, let go.

The tiara hit the floor with a crack. It shattered into pieces, just like the box had earlier.

"Angeline, even if you didn't want to give it to me, you didn't have to smash it," Melanie said, sounding wounded now.

Robert frowned too. "Angeline! You couldn't even stand lending it out for a few days? Since when did you get this petty, that you'd rather destroy something than let someone else have it?"

I didn't have time to argue. My hands shaking, I called the buyer.

He sighed, "It's all broken. It's lost all its collector's value."