The Price Of Insulting My Mother

My mother had gone to the bank to collect a Customer Appreciation gift, a small gesture for long-time account holders. Instead, the clerk had shoved a half-torn bag of premium rice across the counter with the grace of someone tossing trash.

In the clumsy hand-off, the bag slipped. It hit the polished marble floor with a sickening pop, white grains skittering in every direction like tiny, panicked insects.

Instead of helping, the clerk crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned into her microphone, her voice booming through the lobby speakers, distorted and cruel.

"Pick it up. Every single grain. I want this floor spotless!"

"You're pathetic, you old bat. If you don't clean this up, don't even think about walking out that door."

I walked in just as that last sentence echoed off the high ceilings.

My mothers eyes were rimmed with red, her hands trembling as she stood frozen in the middle of the lobby, surrounded by the mess. I stepped forward, pulling her behind me, my heart hammering a cold, rhythmic beat of fury.

Seeing me intervene only seemed to embolden the clerk. She adjusted her name tagMadisonand sneered.

"Perfect timing. Why don't you teach your mother some manners? This is what happens when people are too cheap for their own good."

"If you don't apologize and get out of here right now, don't bother coming back for that loan. My father is the Executive Vice President of this branch. Consider your family blacklisted."

I looked at Madisons smug, porcelain-doll face, then glanced at the branch manager standing beside me. He was already mopping sweat from his forehead, bowing slightly as he tried to offer a weak, conciliatory smile.

Blacklisted?

I looked back at Madison. If I actually walked out of here with the three billion dollars currently sitting in my private accounts, this branch wouldn't just be blacklisted. It wouldn't exist by tomorrow morning.

I frowned, my gaze shifting to Howard, the manager, whose collar seemed to be getting tighter by the second.

"Howard," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "Is this the new standard of service? Skimping on promotional gifts and insulting seniors?"

"If a client of my standing is treated like a beggar over a bag of rice, I cant imagine how you plan on attracting any new business."

At the mention of the gift, Madisons expression flickered with a hint of guiltlikely because shed been skimming the "premium" inventory for herself. But before Howard could stammer out an excuse, she exploded.

"Stop acting like you're somebody! Its a bag of rice. You're making a scene over groceries? God, talk about low-class."

My mother flinched at the word low-class. That small movement, that tiny collapse of her shoulders, snapped something inside me.

"Madison," I said. "Originally, I would have accepted an apology and a replacement gift. But it seems your father never taught you the meaning of the word 'professionalism.'"

Madison slammed her hand onto the granite counter. "Who are you to mention my father? You think youre entitled to an apology from me?"

"Look at you. You look like you crawled out of a clearance rack. A family of grifters causing a scene for freebies. You should be embarrassed."

"Madison! Enough!" Howards voice was sharp, his face ghostly pale.

But she was on a roll, completely blind to the frantic warning in his eyes. Her voice climbed another octave.

"Am I wrong, Howard? Look at them! Theyre probably here to scan for a predatory loan. We shouldn't even be processing their paperwork. Its bad for the banks image."

Howard was practically vibrating with anxiety. "Shut up, Madison! This is"

"This is what? A small-time business owner?" she interrupted, her lip curling. "Howard, please. I brought in a three-million-dollar deposit last month. Why are we catering to people who fight over rice? Just kick them out."

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch into a cold smile.

Three million. That wouldn't cover my corporate travel expenses for six months. I had three billion in liquid cash sitting in their vaults, not counting the gold bullion and the offshore holdings.

Howards face had turned a bruised shade of purple. "Stop it, Madison. Elena is"

I raised a hand, silencing him. I reached into my leather briefcase and pulled out a file.

"Howard, lets skip the pleasantries. Replace the gift. Finish the paperwork. And tell meis the fifty-million-dollar bridge loan for the development project ready for signature today?"

Truthfully, my firm didn't need the money. I was only taking the loan as a favor to Howardan old college acquaintanceto help him hit his quarterly targets.

Howard wiped his brow, nodding frantically. "Yes, yes, of course! Right away. Madison, process the documents for Ms. Montgomery immediately!"

"Wait a second!"

Madison lunged forward, snatching the file before Howard could touch it. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Fifty million? Are you kidding me? You couldn't get a fifty-dollar limit on a store card with that attitude. Lets see what were really looking at."

"Madison! Give that back! That is confidential!" Howards voice cracked as he reached for the papers.

Madison danced back, hugging the file to her chest, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Im doing my job, Howard! Auditing client viability. Preventing fraud. Isn't that what were trained for? Who knows if these documents are even real?"

She began flipping through the pages, her voice rising so everyone in the lobby could hear.

"Wait... look at this. Meridian Group transferred two million dollars into your personal account last month? Why would a CEO send a girl like you that kind of money?"

She paused, a poisonous smile spreading across her face.

"Youre pretty enough, I guess. Is that the trick, Elena? What kind of 'special sacrifices' did you have to make for that check?"

My fists clenched, my knuckles turning white. Before I could speak, she kept going, her voice like a serrated blade.

"Oh, it gets better! Bright-Tech, eighty thousand a month for three months. Maritime Trade, one point five million. God, Elena, youre a busy girl. How do you find the time to service so many 'clients' without catching something incurable?"

The air in the bank felt thick, suffocating.

"You... you liar! Don't you dare speak about my daughter that way!"

A voice, trembling but fierce, cut through the room. My mother, pale as a ghost, stepped in front of me. She put her frail body between me and that girl.

"My daughter is a good woman! She worked for every cent she has! You have no right to spit these lies!"

Madison let out a bored sigh. "Move it, lady. This doesn't involve you."

She leaned back, crossing her arms. "Actually, I get it now. No wonder the mother is so protective. I bet this is how you made your way up back in the day, too. Like mother, like daughter. The apple doesn't fall far from the trash heap."

"You...!" My mothers face went from white to a sickly grey.

"Madison, shut your mouth!" Howard roared, his entire body shaking. "You are violating every privacy protocol in the book! This is gross misconduct!"

Madison didn't flinch. She looked at him with a sugary, fake pout. "What are you going to do, Howard? You promised my dad youd look out for me. You think hes going to let you fire me over a couple of nobodies?"

Howard looked like he was about to have a stroke. My patience, which had been frayed to a single thread, finally snapped.

Just then, my assistant, Jordan, hurried through the glass doors, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

"Elena, I just got word. The escrow for the Eastside lot needs to be settled early. We have a temporary liquidity gapthat fifty-million-dollar loan needs to hit the account today or we lose the land."

I took a deep breath, forcing my heart rate down. I looked at Howard. "Howard. Can you close this loan today? Yes or no? Give me a straight answer."

"Yes! Absolutely! Ill handle it personally!" Howard stammered. He turned to Madison, his voice booming. "Madison, give me those files. Now!"

Instead, Madison pulled the folder further away. "Not so fast! I found a discrepancy! Look hereMontgomery Holdings has an outstanding thirty-million-dollar line of credit from last year. Per regulations, we cannot issue new high-risk loans to entities with unresolved debt."

She lifted her chin, looking at me with pure triumph. "Howard, Im flagging this for internal review. I suspect predatory borrowing. Until the audit is complete, this loan is frozen. In fact, Im recommending we freeze her corporate operating accounts for suspicious activity."

"Are you insane?" Howards veins were bulging in his neck. "Do you have any idea what that would do? This is a multi-million dollar land deal! If you freeze those accounts, the entire project collapses. You cant take that responsibility!"

"Watch me," Madison sneered. "My dad and you run this place. We make the rules. I say we audit, so we audit. Let her wait."

I looked at her, and for the first time today, I felt a strange sense of calm. The kind of calm that comes right before a storm levels a city.

"Madison," I said softly. "You want an audit? Fine. But before you pull that trigger, I suggest you look at who signed off on that thirty-million-dollar credit line last year."

I took a step forward, pinning her with my stare.

"Its right there on the signature line. Robert Miller. Your father."

"If you want a full internal investigation, go right ahead. I have nothing to hide. But the first person the regional board is going to call into a dark room for questioning... is your 'dear old dad.'"

Madisons smirk froze. But after a second, she puffed out her chest again. "Liar! You probably tricked him or forged his signature. You think you can scare me? Once those assets are frozen, we'll see who comes crawling for a favor."

Jordan checked his watch, his voice urgent. "Elena, we have thirty minutes. If the funds aren't in escrow, the seller is moving to the backup bidder."

The silence in the lobby was heavy. Madison let out a derisive snort.

"Scared now? Tell you what, Elena. Ill be generous. Get down on your knees, apologize for your attitude, and maybejust maybeIll find a way to skip the audit."

Before I could move, a soft, broken sound came from beside me.

"Please... please don't do this..."

My mother had stepped forward, her posture bent and humble. She began to bow toward Madison.

"Young lady, Im so sorry. It was my fault. Im clumsy. Ill clean up the rice right now... Ill apologize for my daughter. Just please, don't hurt her business. Please."

"Mom!" I grabbed her shoulders, my heart breaking.

Madison recoiled as if my mother were a leper, shoving her back. "Ugh, get away from me! You're pathetic. No wonder your daughter is such a disaster; she was raised by a beggar."

As I caught my mother, feeling her small frame shaking against me, the last of my mercy evaporated. I stood tall, shielding her.

"Madison, you wanted an apology? You aren't worth the breath it would take. You want an audit? Do it. Start the process."

Howard looked like he had been struck by lightning. "Elena! Please, no!"

He knew. He knew I didn't care about a fifty-million-dollar loan. But he also knew that once the bridge was burned, I would take my entire empire elsewhere.

He turned to Madison, his voice a guttural scream. "Madison! Apologize to Ms. Montgomery! This is your last chance! Do it now!"

Madison remained defiant, her head held high. "Why should I? Shes the one breaking the rules! Whose side are you on, Howard?"

"Fine," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Howard, its clear your authority here is a joke. Don't worry about the internal audit. Ill save you the paperwork."

I turned to Jordan. "Call the National Risk Management head and the Ethics Committee. Tell them Elena Montgomery is requesting a full forensic audit of the Miller familys dealings at this branch. Ill wait right here."

Jordan nodded and stepped away, phone already at his ear.

Madison rolled her eyes, ignoring Howards terrified face, and pulled out her own phone to text.

Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen.

The heavy glass doors swung open. A group of men and women in dark, tailored suits marched in, their expressions grim. They wore the silver pins of the Federal Regulatory Oversight.

In the center of the group was a man whose face was a mirror image of Madisons, though far more weathered.

"Dad!" Madisons face lit up. She put on a tearful, victimized expression and ran toward him. "Dad! Youre finally here! Theyre all ganging up on me! That woman, Elena, she"

She didn't get to finish.

The sound of the slap echoed through the entire bank.

Robert Miller had swung with every ounce of his strength. Madison was sent sprawling onto the marble floor, her hand flying to her cheek.

She looked up at her father, her eyes wide, the arrogance replaced by a hollow, terrifying confusion.