"Who is it? Come in."
As soon as Katia opened the door, Julie's face changed completely. All the warmth disappeared, leaving only coldness.
With no one else around, Julie didn't bother to act nice.
"What do you want?" Julie sounded annoyed.
Katia got straight to the point. "I'm leaving for Central City with Allison tomorrow. Before I go, you still owe me something."
Julie frowned. "I sent you the check. What else do you want? Don't tell me five hundred thousand isn't enough?"
Of course she hopes I forgot, Katia thought. Ignore it and hope it goes away—that's what she always does with me.
Katia acted surprised. "Mom, you're so forgetful. Good thing I'm here to remind you." She paused. "Though if we have to get the King involved again, that might be uncomfortable."
