Chapter 6 - The Mother’s Plea
I was sitting in my favorite local diner when an expensive black town car pulled up outside.
Julian’s mother, Eleanor, stepped out of the vehicle wearing a massive fur coat and dark sunglasses.
She walked into the cheap diner, looking around with visible disgust at the ordinary people.
She spotted me in the corner booth and quickly marched over, sliding into the seat across from me.
"Clara, darling, we need to stop this ridiculous, dramatic nonsense right now," Eleanor began smoothly.
I stared at her, noticing how desperate and tired she looked beneath her expensive makeup.
She reached into her designer handbag and pulled out a certified cashier’s check.
She slid the piece of paper across the sticky diner table, stopping it right in front of me.
The check was made out to me for a staggering five million dollars.
"Take the money, drop the lawsuits, and sign a non-disclosure agreement today," she demanded quietly.
She told me that a good wife knows how to forgive and protect her family's reputation.
I looked down at the massive sum of money that would have changed my life a year ago.
I slowly picked up the check, folded it precisely in half, and tore it right down the middle.
Eleanor gasped loudly, her eyes wide with absolute, genuine shock.
"You cannot buy your way out of federal prison, Eleanor, and you cannot buy my silence," I stated coldly.
I slid the torn pieces of paper back across the table toward her shaking hands.
May you like
I told her to save her money because she was going to need it for Arthur's commissary account.
I stood up, left a generous tip for the waitress, and walked out into the crisp city air.
