Chapter 2
At ten the next morning, I was sitting in my appraisal room at the auction house, my loupe held up for what felt like ages without reading a single word.
My coworker, Megan Lane, burst through the door.
"Charlotte! Look at this!" She shoved her phone in my face.
It was an Instagram post from an account called @MadelineStone. The profile picture was a carefully posed side profile.
The image was a close-up of a wristwatch.
To be precise, my watch.
The caption was, [Received a special gift recently, a Patek Philippe 7130R. One of only three in the world. Anyone who knows watches knows what this means. Someone's feelings can't be measured in money.]
She used the word "received," not "borrowed."
"Wait, isn't that watch worth over six million dollars?" Megan's eyes were wide. "Who is this woman?"
I set down my loupe. "Can you dig up some info on this account for me?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Megan ran our auction house's social media. She was good at this.
Fifteen minutes later, she placed a file on my desk.
Madeline Stone, 31, Investment Director at Obsidian Capital. She was active on social media, went semi-public on Instagram, and she frequently attended business events.
The last page of the file was a photograph.
From some gala, Madeline was wearing an emerald green Dior gown. The man beside her wore a dark gray Hugo Boss blazer.
The guy was David.
Her hand was linked through his arm.
The photo was dated three months ago.
Three months ago, David had told me he was working late and not to wait up.
I opened my phone's calendar and marked that date with a red dot.
"Charlotte? You look pale," Megan said.
"It's nothing," I replied.
At noon, I went to my parents' house. They were on vacation in another state, so only the housekeeper was there.
I opened the study safe and pulled out a manila folder.
Inside was everything. The Patek Philippe limited edition certificate, the Geneva Seal certification, my grandfather's original purchase contract, and my grandmother's notarized deed of gift, written before she passed.
The donor's name was Grace Rivers.
The recipient was me, Charlotte Rivers.
Property included a Patek Philippe 7130R-001 wristwatch (Serial No. 003).
The notary seal was bright red, dated six years ago.
The day my grandmother gave me the watch, she held my hand and said, "Charlotte, this was the last gift your grandfather ever gave me.
"Charlotte, no matter what happens, don't ever give it away to anyone. It's more than just a watch. It's the symbol of a lifetime your grandfather and I shared."
I photographed the deed of gift and put the original back in the safe.
I locked it.
As I was leaving, the housekeeper called out to me. "Charlotte, your mother-in-law came by a couple of days ago. She was asking where your mom kept her jewelry. I didn't let her into the study."
I stopped. "When was this?"
"Last Thursday. She asked about your mother's jadeite set a few times."
Last Thursday. David had taken the watch the Wednesday before.
My hand tightened on the doorknob.
That evening, David was sitting on the living room sofa when I got home, on the phone. He lowered his voice when he saw me and ended the call quickly.
"Charlotte, perfect timing. I need to tell you something," he said.
He patted the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit.
I didn't.
"Director Stone is very impressed with our company's proposal," he said, leaning back with a satisfied air. "We might be able to sign the framework agreement next week. See? I told you, a couple of days—"
"She posted on Instagram that the watch was a gift from you," I cut him off.
His feet hit the floor. "What?"
I handed him my phone.
He stared at it for five seconds. His brow furrowed, then relaxed.
"So she posted about it. She's saving face. Calling it a gift sounds better. I know what I'm doing. I'll get it back once the contract is signed," he said.
"David, it's a six-million-dollar item. You 'know what you're doing'?" I asked.
He stood up and walked to the water cooler. "Charlotte, that watch can bring us more than six million. This is a one-hundred-million-dollar deal. What's a watch compared to that? Once this is done, I'll buy you something even better."
He made it sound so easy.
But that watch was one of the only three in the world. Nothing could possibly be better.
The doorbell rang.
David answered it. "Mom? What are you doing here?"
My mother-in-law swept in carrying an insulated food container, wearing a mink coat, her hair freshly permed and perfectly curled.
"I heard from David that you've been upset lately," she said, setting the container on the dining table and giving me a look. "I made some soup. Drink it. It'll help you cool down."
The last thing I needed now was to cool down.
"Mom, David gave my watch away to another woman," I complained.
She lifted the lid, steam rising. "David told me about it. It's just a loan for a couple of days. It'll be back before you know it. Don't worry so much."
"It's not some cheap trinket," I said.
"I know it's valuable," she said, ladling soup into a bowl and bringing it to me. "But David is doing this for business. He's worked so hard to get where he is. As his wife, shouldn't you be supporting him?"
"It was my grandmother's keepsake," I said.
"She's gone. Is a thing really more important than your husband's future?" She asked.
My breath caught.
She continued, oblivious, "Besides, you've been married into the Hanley family for five years. Have you ever lacked for anything? Has David ever treated you badly? It's just a watch. Is it worth causing such a fuss?"
David sat on the sofa, silent.
I looked at him.
He stared at his water glass, not meeting my eyes.
"So," I said, picking up the bowl then setting it back down, "You went to my parents' house last Thursday and asked the housekeeper where my mom's jadeite jewelry was. Did David ask you to do that?"
Her hand paused for a split second.
Then she recovered. "Of course not. I was just stopping by."
That jadeite set was my mother's wedding gift from her family. It's not part of our marital property," I said.
"See?" She turned to David. "She's talking to me like I'm a criminal suspect now. David, are you just going to let her talk to me like that?"
David finally spoke. "Charlotte, be reasonable. Mom is just looking out for you."
That was funny.
No one, not once, had asked me for my consent.
"David," I stood up. "I'm telling you one last time. Return the watch within three days."
He sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll talk to Director Stone. Okay?"
As she left, my mother-in-law patted my shoulder. "Charlotte, don't be so petty. Look at me. I've been with my husband for decades. Did I ever make a scene over a possession? Loosen up a little. That's how you keep a marriage together."