Gold Speaks Louder Than Love

Synopsis

Ten years pass, a full decade since I have walked away from Harborland and from Samuel Grant. I am sitting in the airport's VIP lounge when my eyes land on an interview playing on the TV. The woman on the screen is immaculate, dripping in couture and diamonds, a perfect smile gracing her lips. "A gold-plated cage?" she scoffs lightly. "Hardly. I don't see it as an insult in the slightest. My husband gives me two million dollars. We have staff at home and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes for whenever I go out." "Besides," she adds, leaning in conspiratorially, "he moved heaven and earth to be with me back in the day. So yes, he adores me." The host is practically glowing with envy, exclaiming, "Wow, Mr. Grant truly spoils you rotten! Mrs. Grant, you are one lucky woman!" A boarding call crackles over the PA, pulling me from my trance. I tear my gaze from the screen and start toward my gate. I must have drifted off on the plane, because when I open my eyes, the cityscape of Harborland is already crystallizing through the clouds below. A bitter thought surfaces. Maybe being a bird in a gilded cage isn't so bad after all. After all, if she is his canary in a gilded cage, I have just been the one in a cage of rust, trying to get by on a measly five hundred bucks a week.