“Mother, you know that’s not true. I love and respect you, and I know that you understand the magnitude of the problem you’ve caused for McKinley today.”

“She shouldn’t be running that hotel to begin with.” With her words, my mother did exactly what I expected her to do—piss my sister off.

“Thanks a lot, Mother,” McKinley says with a sigh. “It’s great to get your vote of confidence—again.”

My mother’s chin cuts toward my sister. “You were supposed to find a husband. You failed. Don’t blame me for wanting a better life for you than toiling away behind a desk.”

“I like toiling away behind a desk. I’m a successful CEO. I love my job. I’m happy. I think that means I’m doing just fine.” McKinley glances at me. “Lincoln’s right. I would like my head of housekeeping back. She’s one of the most reliable employees I have.”

“I’m not apologizing to her for anything. You can’t make me.” My mother looks and sounds like a petulant child, with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Maybe your son and daughter can’t, but I can, Sylvia.” Commodore rolls into the living room with his dog trailing behind, and I have no idea how long he’s been listening or how he got here. “I wanted to see for myself that you’d survived your episode. Since you’re throwing a tantrum, you must be perfectly fine.”

Commodore and my mother have never gotten along, but he is the only person who can control her because he still holds the keys to the kingdom—and keeps a tight grip on the purse strings. It’s not hard to conclude that a large part of my mother’s bitterness comes from the fact that she expected Commodore to die, leave the family fortune to my father, and then she’d be able to freely spend all the money she married. Expectations have robbed her of any kind of happiness, because life hasn’t gone according to her plan.

Instead of sniping back at Commodore, however, my mother goes silent, her eyes blazing with rage as she holds back what is no doubt an impressive volley of vitriol.

“Now, tell me what the hell is going on. Who quit? Is it going to impact the company negatively?” Commodore asks the room in general.

McKinley speaks up. “Jackie Gable. My head of housekeeping. And yes, she’s one of the best employees I had, and I’d like to get her back.”

Commodore looks at me. “And she quit why, exactly?”

“Mother had some things to say about her niece that she objected to, and she resigned.”

The old man’s gaze shifts to my mother. “Sylvia, you have an apology to deliver. Feel free to put it in writing if you can’t manage to keep a civil tongue around the Gables.”

My mother’s mouth drops open, and I can’t hide my shock at his declaration either.

“Over my dead body,” she snaps.

Commodore smiles, but there’s no kindness in it. “Since you failed to die once today, I think that’s highly unlikely.” His gaze sharpens. “As soon as you start interfering with business, you start interfering with me. We both know how that battle will turn out, don’t we?”