"Still runs."
"Barely."
Diana laughed.
"Don't disrespect my Honda."
He grinned.
Then he returned to work.
Diana walked toward the Aurora Collection.
The necklace remained in the center.
Still beautiful.
Still dramatic.
Still worth more than most homes.
A teenage girl stood beside the case with her father.
The girl looked fascinated.
Her father looked embarrassed.
"We're just looking," he told Ashley quickly.
"No problem."
"We're definitely not buying that."
Ashley smiled.
"You don't have to."
The girl leaned closer.
"Can I ask how many diamonds are in it?"
Ashley answered.
"Twenty-three."
"Can I see it closer?"
The father immediately shook his head.
"No, honey."
Ashley looked at him.
"It's okay."
She unlocked the case.
The father stared.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Ashley removed the necklace and placed it on a display pad.
The girl's eyes widened.
"It's amazing."
Ashley nodded.
"The designer sketched the original concept on an airplane."
Diana stood several feet away.
The girl looked fascinated.
"How do you know?"
Ashley glanced toward Diana.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then Ashley looked back at the girl.
"Company history."
She never exposed Diana.
Never turned the moment into theater.
The girl studied the necklace.
Then asked:
"Do you think I could design jewelry someday?"
Ashley smiled.
"Absolutely."
The father smiled too.
They left ten minutes later.
No purchase.
No commission.
No suspicion.
Diana remained near the case.
Ashley approached.
"Did I pass?"
Diana raised an eyebrow.
"Pass what?"
"The secret CEO test."
Diana laughed.
"I stopped doing those."
"Good."
"Why?"
Ashley smiled.
"Because it's terrifying."
Diana looked toward the door where the father and daughter had disappeared.
"You did well."
Ashley nodded toward them.
"They were nice."
"That's not why."
Ashley understood.
Diana looked around the store.
Five years earlier, Patricia had stood at almost the same spot and declared that the boutique belonged to her.
She had pointed toward the exit.
Threatened security.
Threatened police.
Decided Diana could not afford the diamonds.
Five minutes later, Patricia learned the truth.
The Black woman she wanted removed owned every diamond in the room.
That was the version people loved to tell.