Chapter 9 - THE BILL
The $14,280 bill still existed.
That surprised people.
Richard had not erased it.
The restaurant pursued Charles Mitchell as the reservation holder and ordering customer.
His attorney argued the entire table had consumed the meal.
Amber had consumed some.
True.
The parties settled the account privately.
Amber paid for:
her pasta,
sparkling water,
tax,
tip.
$86.
She insisted.
Charles paid the rest.
Then he sent Amber a copy of the receipt.
At the bottom he wrote:
I hope this proves nothing.
Amber looked at it.
What did that mean?
She called him.
“What is this?”
Charles said:
“I thought leaving you there would show you how protected you are.”
“By humiliating me?”
“Yes.”
He sounded ashamed saying it aloud.
Then:
“I wanted you to feel the consequences before the consequences got worse.”
Amber almost laughed.
“You keep manufacturing consequences and calling them reality.”
Silence.
That sentence became the center of their conflict.
Charles had:
cut support,
interfered with galleries,
allowed residency rejection,
abandoned her with a bill.
Then pointed to the resulting instability as proof art was impossible.
A self-fulfilling lesson.
Then Amber asked:
“If I succeed now, will you believe me?”
Charles paused.
“I don’t know.”
Honest.
May you like
Because this had stopped being about art.
It was about authority.
