“Can I help you?”
“I’m just looking.”
“Anything you like?”
She pointed toward a diamond watch.
“That one is ridiculous.”
The associate laughed.
“It is.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred ten thousand.”
Zoe’s eyes widened.
“Why?”
“Partly materials.”
“Mostly finishing.”
“Partly rarity.”
“And partly because luxury pricing is weird.”
Zoe laughed.
Jordan watched from twenty feet away.
The associate did not know who they were.
Zoe asked:
“Can I try it?”
The associate hesitated.
Then:
“Because of value, I can show it on tray but we don’t place this reference on minors without a guardian present.”
Zoe pointed at Jordan.
“That’s my dad.”
Associate looked.
“Great.”
“To be transparent, I’ll need him beside you.”
Clear.
Neutral.
Jordan approached.
“Reasonable.”
The associate opened case.
Zoe looked.
“Still ridiculous.”
Jordan said:
“You've already said.”
“Still true.”
She did not buy.
Obviously.
They left.
Outside, Zoe asked:
“Was that a test?”
“No.”
“Grandpa would.”
“Great-grandpa.”
“You know what I mean.”
Jordan smiled.
“No.”
“She did job.”
“That’s all.”
Zoe thought.
“Would old store have shown me?”
“Maybe if they knew who your family was.”
“That’s gross.”
“Sometimes.”
“What if I actually wanted to buy?”
“With whose money?”
She smiled innocently.
Jordan narrowed eyes.
“Absolutely not.”
Zoe laughed.
The family was slowly escaping story.
That was healthy.
But public fascination with Marcus never fully disappeared.
Every few years the original clip resurfaced.
Usually with increasingly wrong captions.
BLACK MAN KICKED OUT OF ROLEX STORE THEN REVEALS HE OWNS ROLEX
Wrong brand.
Wrong ownership.
No kick.
Another:
SECURITY ARRESTS BILLIONAIRE IN HIS OWN COMPANY
No arrest.
Another:
SALESGIRL FIRED ON SPOT AFTER MOCKING CEO
Not on spot.
Not CEO.
Naomi used to correct.
Then stopped.
Internet was entropy.
At seventy-two, she agreed to record definitive oral history.
The interviewer asked:
“Your father could have ended Claire’s career instantly.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he?”
“Because he wanted to know whether he was angry for good reason.”
“That sounds obvious.”