Chapter 7 - Confrontation in the Boardroom
Julian burst into the small visitor lounge on the third floor, his tie loosened, his sleeves rolled up. His face went white the moment he saw her sitting on the leather couch.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" he hissed, shutting the door behind him and locking it. "I told you not to come near my work! If someone sees you—"
"If someone sees an old woman visiting her son, what will happen, Julian?" Rose asked softly.
Julian dropped his head into his hands, leaning against the doorframe. "You don't understand. Claire’s brother... the people he owes... they're watching everything. If they think I have assets, they'll tear everything down. That's why I gave you the money. It was all I had left from my retirement account before the lien took effect. It was for you! Why couldn't you just keep it and stay away?"
Rose stood up. She walked over to him, placed her frail hand on his cheek, and forced him to look up at her.
"Do you think I carried you for nine months and worked thirty years in a laundry so I could sit in a warm house while my child drowns?" she asked.
She unzipped the canvas bag and placed the stacks of cash on the low coffee table between them. "Take it."
May you like
Julian stared at the money. "I can't. If I pay this, it only covers Arthur’s interest for another month. It doesn't solve it, Mom. It just delays the inevitable. I'm ruined anyway."
"Then we face the ruin together," Rose said. "Cleanly. Without lies, and without you hiding behind a sack of rice."
