THE TOWERS FAMILY SAGA
        EPISODE 41
The auction house was filled
with people who smelled of
expensive perfume and greed.
They had come to pick over
the remains of the estate.
Minnie sat in the back,
wearing a simple dress.
She didn't want the jewelry
or the antique chairs.
She was there to watch the
last of the anchors vanish.
"Lot forty-two," the man
said, his voice rhythmic.
"The Towers diamond."
It was a piece Robert had
given her for their 20th.
She remembered the way the
gold had felt on her skin.
Now, it was just an asset
being sold for the Rim.
A woman in a fur coat raised
her paddle. "Sold!"
The gavel hit the wood like
a shot from a pistol.
Minnie didn't flinch.
She felt lighter with every
item that left the stage.
She was trading the past for
a future that didn't hide.
By the end of the afternoon,
the catalog was empty.
The Towers collection was
scattered to the winds.
The warehouse was a shell
of dust and shadows.
James met her at the exit,
holding a folder.
"It's done, Virginia. The
private debt is paid."
She looked at the folder,
then out at the street.
"We don't owe anyone a
single cent or a lie."
James nodded, his face soft.
"Robert would be proud."
"Robert would be relieved,"
Minnie corrected him.
They walked together toward
the park-side condo.
The fallout was over.
The wealth was gone, and the
scandal was old news.
But the radical honesty
was still vibrating in her.
It was the only thing they
had managed to keep.
Bella was waiting by the
door when she entered.
The cat sniffed her hands,
looking for a treat.
"No diamonds today, Bella,"
Minnie said, smiling.
"Just a clear conscience."
She sat on the sofa and
looked at the park trees.
The empire was sold.
The woman was finally home.

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