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00:00My family mocked my business for a decade, secretly planning to steal my money from my
00:05sister. But tonight, I didn't pay her loans. I gave my brother a free house instead. Hit subscribe
00:13to watch the karma hit instantly. The fever felt like it had replaced my marrow with lead.
00:20It was a heavy, aching cold that had absolutely nothing to do with the winter wind
00:26howling outside my apartment window. I was on day three of a vicious flu wrapped in a cocoon of
00:33three different quilts, shivering despite the heat being cranked up to 75 degrees.
00:40The room was dark, save for the sickly yellow glow of a street lamp filtering through the blinds.
00:47I was drifting in and out of a restless sleep when the vibration of my phone on the nightstand made
00:53me jump. I squinted at the screen. The brightness burned my eyes. It was a picture of my mother,
01:03Margaret, smiling that tight, polished smile she wore for Christmas cards.
01:09I let it ring twice. I debated letting it go to voicemail. But the guilt,
01:14the guilt is a reflex they installed in me a long time ago. I picked up. Hello? Alina? You sound
01:26terrible. Are you still sick? Her voice was bright. Too bright. It was a sharp, piercing contrast to the
01:35dull, rhythmic throbbing behind my eyes. Hey, Mom. Yeah, it's a bad one. Just trying to rest.
01:44Oh, that's a shame, she said. But the tone wasn't sympathetic. It was dismissive, like my illness
01:51was a minor scheduling inconvenience for her. Listen, I won't keep you. I know you're busy with
01:58your... your little hobby. I winced, closing my eyes tight. My business, Mom. I corrected her,
02:08my voice cracking. It's called a business. Right, right, of course. She breathed past it.
02:16Well, I was just calling because your sister's final tuition payment is due on the first.
02:21And your father and I, well, we're just a little short. You know how it is. Property taxes,
02:27the new assessment on the house, it all adds up. I pulled myself up onto my elbows.
02:33The room spun slightly, a kaleidoscope of shadows. Short? I asked. Short by how much?
02:42Oh, it's nothing really, she said. She used that airy, casual tone she always adopted right
02:50before she asked for something impossible. Just the last installment, $15,000.
02:56Coughing fit. I actually choked on my own breath. 15? Mom, that is not a little short. That's the
03:07price of a car. Now, Alina, don't be dramatic, she snapped. The brightness evaporated instantly,
03:15replaced by cold steel. This is your sister's future we are talking about. This is Harvard Law,
03:21not some online knitting club. We've all had to make sacrifices. Your father and I remortgaged the
03:28house. The least you can do is pitch in. I know your little online shop doesn't make much,
03:33but surely you can spare something for your family. There it was. The dismissal. The little shop she
03:41was talking about? I started it in my garage 10 years ago. That hobby now employed 12 full-time staff
03:50members. It occupied a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. We shipped premium artisanal textiles to 40 different
03:59countries. But to Margaret and Richard, it was a child's lemonade stand. For a decade, I had swallowed
04:07this poison. I had sat at Thanksgiving dinners, feverish with exhaustion from working 80-hour weeks,
04:14listening to my father toast our future legal eagle, Sophia. Meanwhile, they would turn to me with a
04:22pitying smile and ask if I was still selling string on the internet. I had watched them drain their
04:29retirement accounts. I saw them sell my grandmother's antique jewelry. I watched them leverage their entire
04:36lives for Sophia. Sophia, who absorbed their praise and their money with the placid entitlement of a
04:44golden god. And me? I was Alina, the quiet one, the creative one, the one who paid my own way through
04:52State College by waiting tables until my feet bled. Mom, I said, my voice shaking. It wasn't just the fever
05:03now. It was a sudden, glacial rage rising in my chest. I can't. I don't just have $15,000 lying around.
05:16This was a lie. Of course I had it. I had that amount in a checking account I used for
05:24petty cash and office supplies. But it was the principle. Well, I just don't know what to tell
05:32you, Alina. My mother sighed. A heavy, disappointed sound designed to crush me. It had worked for 34
05:40years. My father is so stressed. I'm worried about his heart. This one last push will get Sophia over
05:48the finish line. Then, then she can take care of all of us. It's a family investment. A family investment.
05:57That's what they called it. But I realized, shivering in the dark, that I wasn't part of
06:04the family. I was the auxiliary fund. I was the emergency credit card they hadn't managed to max
06:11out yet. I'm sorry, Mom. I can't. I have payroll to make, I whispered. The line went silent,
06:20static hummed in my ear. When she spoke again, her voice was sharp, like chipped ice.
06:28I see. I see how it is. Well, I hope you feel better, Alina. Some of us are trying to build a
06:36legacy. She hung up. I threw the phone onto the tangled blankets and fell back against the sweat-dampened
06:44pillows. My body was shaking violently. But it wasn't the flu making me cold anymore. It was the
06:51realization that to my family, I wasn't a daughter. I was a resource. A resource they were angry they
06:59couldn't harvest. The silence in the room was heavier than the illness. My no wasn't just a refusal of
07:07money. It was a betrayal of the script. Sophia was the star. I was the supporting cast member who was
07:15supposed to sacrifice myself for the finale. My phone buzzed again. I didn't want to look, but I did.
07:23A text message from Sophia. Mom says you're holding out. Don't be selfish, Alina. My future is the
07:32family's future. We're all counting on you to do the right thing. Selfish. The word almost made me laugh.
07:42Sophia, who hadn't worked a single day in her life. Sophia, who was 26 years old and still had
07:49her credit card bills paid by our father. She was calling me selfish? My mind drifted back to a dinner
07:58a few months ago. Just before I got sick. My father, Richard, had been acting strange. He was a man who
08:06usually only spoke to me about my business with a sort of bemused patronage. But that night, he had
08:13poured himself a second glass of wine and leaned in. So, Alina, this e-commerce thing of yours, it's doing
08:22well, I hear. I remembered feeling a pathetic little flicker of hope. He was finally seeing me.
08:30It is, Dad, I said. We're expanding our supplier network into Peru. Peru? Hmm. And legally, how was that
08:40all structured? You're just a, what, a sole proprietorship? He tapped his temple. You really
08:48should have some liability protection. As your father and as a financial advisor, I worry. It's
08:55easy to get in over your head. At the time, I thought he was being protective. Now, lying in the
09:03dark, replaying the tape, it sounded different. It wasn't interest. It was reconnaissance.
09:10Oh, I'm not a sole proprietorship, Dad, I had told him brightly. I'm an S-corp. I remembered his smile
09:18tightening just a fraction. An S-corp? Well, good for you. But you're the only owner, right? It's all just
09:28you. Pretty much, I had lied. It was a small, instinctive lie. The kind you tell when a predator
09:37gets too close, even if you don't know why you're scared yet. I felt a wave of nausea.
09:45He had been probing for weaknesses. He was assessing my value for the family investment.
09:52I picked up my phone again. My fingers were trembling, but my mind was suddenly painfully
09:58sharp. The fog of the flu was lifting, replaced by clarity. I ignored Sophia's text. Instead,
10:07I scrolled to a different number. My real financial advisor, a woman named Julia, whom I'd hired
10:14five years ago, a woman my father knew nothing about. I typed a message. Julia, I have a bad
10:22feeling. Can you please, very discreetly, do a deep dive on my parents' financial situation?
10:29I need to know exactly what kind of debt we're talking about.
10:34Typing sound. I hit send. Then I opened another message thread. This one was to my brother, Ben.
10:44The other overlooked one. He was graduating this week too, with his bachelor's degree in computer
10:51science. But his achievement was being completely eclipsed by Sophia's looming law school graduation.
10:59Hey, B, I typed. Just checking in. Are you excited for your graduation dinner next week?
11:05He replied almost instantly.
11:08Hey, Al. Yeah, I guess so. Mom's mostly just talking about Sophia's internship,
11:14but thanks for asking. Are you feeling better? A small, genuine smile touched my dry lips.
11:23At least there was Ben. I closed my eyes. The rage was settling into something colder.
11:31Something purposeful. My family thought I was their emergency fund. They thought I was a pushover
11:37with a string hobby. They were about to find out that I was a fortress, and they were standing on the wrong
11:46side of the gate. Pause.
11:52The flu finally broke on Thursday morning. I woke up weak, stripped of energy, but my head was clear.
12:00I sat up and drank a glass of water, the sunlight streaming into my room, feeling less like an assault,
12:06and more like a fresh start. My phone buzzed on the duvet. It was Julia.
12:16Alina? Are you sitting down?
12:20I'm in bed, I said, my stomach dropping. Tell me, what did you find?
12:28It's bad, she said flatly. It is much worse than you thought.
12:34I gripped the phone tighter. How bad?
12:39They remortgaged the house two years ago, Alina, but that wasn't enough.
12:45They took out a second mortgage. The interest rate is criminal. It's predatory.
12:52And, Julia continued, they have three high-interest private loans,
12:57all taken out in the last 18 months. And Alina.
13:02Sophia co-signed them.
13:04What?
13:06She's on the hook. All of it is tied to her future earning potential.
13:11Your parents leveraged her, and she let them.
13:15The total debt, not including the primary mortgage,
13:19is just over $450,000.
13:21The room went silent. The dust molts dancing in the sunlight seemed to freeze.
13:29The $15,000 they asked you for yesterday?
13:33Julia said softly.
13:34It wasn't for tuition.
13:36Tuition is already paid.
13:38That money was just to service the interest on the other loans.
13:42They are in a death spiral, Alina.
13:45They are robbing Peter to pay Paul.
13:47I closed my eyes.
13:50They hadn't just been short.
13:53They had been lying.
13:56And Alina, Julia added, her voice dropping a decibel.
14:01I looked at your father's advisory registration.
14:05Yeah?
14:06He was censured by the board five months ago.
14:10It's on the public record.
14:12For making unsuitable recommendations to elderly clients.
14:16He's not just a bad father.
14:18He's a bad advisor.
14:20He's desperate.
14:22My blood ran cold.
14:24This wasn't just favoritism.
14:27This was a collapse.
14:28My father, the prudent man,
14:31the one who lectured me about real careers,
14:34was drowning.
14:35He had bet the farm, literally, on Sophia.
14:39And now that the bet wasn't paying out fast enough,
14:43he was coming for me.
14:44Ben's graduation dinner was in two days.
14:48The talk my father wanted to have wasn't a request.
14:52It was going to be an ambush.
14:55I hung up the phone.
14:57I looked at the wall, my jaw setting tight.
15:00I wasn't just protecting my business anymore.
15:03I was protecting myself from a desperate man.
15:07And the fact that he was my father,
15:09that just made him more dangerous.
15:11I needed a plan.
15:13And I needed one fast.
15:16The sickness had passed,
15:18leaving behind a cold, hard clarity.
15:21The hurt that had defined my relationship with my family
15:25for two decades was gone,
15:28burned away by the fever and the facts Julia had uncovered.
15:32In its place was a calculating anger.
15:35I wasn't a daughter they had overlooked.
15:38I was a resource they had miscalculated.
15:42My little side hustle was born from a place of quiet defiance.
15:47Ten years ago,
15:48after I graduated from state college,
15:51an achievement met with a polite,
15:53that's nice, dear,
15:55from my mother,
15:56I found myself back in my childhood bedroom.
15:59Sophia,
16:00despite being seven years younger,
16:03already had the larger room.
16:05The one with the better view.
16:07My mother said
16:07she needed the light to study.
16:10I was working a dead-end job
16:12at a local insurance office,
16:15saving every penny.
16:16My family saw it as a temporary failure.
16:20It's just until you find something real, Alina,
16:23my father would say,
16:24patting my shoulder.
16:26Don't get comfortable.
16:27But I wasn't looking for a real job.
16:30I was building a war chest.
16:33My passion was artisan textiles,
16:35rare yarns,
16:36hand-dyed silks,
16:38traditional weaving tools.
16:40I loved the history,
16:41the tactile feel of it.
16:43I started a small blog,
16:45then I started selling kits on Etsy.
16:47My father, Richard,
16:50was the enabler of my insecurity.
16:53He was a financial advisor,
16:54a man who built his identity
16:56on being prudent.
16:58When I brought him
16:59my first year's tax returns,
17:01showing a modest profit of $30,000,
17:04he glanced at the paper and sighed.
17:07Alina, this is fine.
17:09It's good fun money,
17:11but it's not a career.
17:13You have no benefits,
17:14no 401k.
17:15Hey, one bad shipment
17:17and you're done.
17:19He slid the paper back to me
17:21across the table.
17:22I'm putting together
17:23a portfolio for Sophia,
17:25something solid.
17:27We're investing in her future now.
17:29That's a sound investment.
17:31I never showed him
17:32my tax returns again.
17:34The next year,
17:35I cleared six figures.
17:37I quit the insurance job.
17:40I hired my first employee.
17:41I signed the lease
17:43for that first warehouse.
17:45I sent the family
17:46a picture of me
17:47holding the keys.
17:48That was the night
17:49my mother called
17:50to celebrate Sophia
17:52getting an A on a midterm.
17:54They didn't even mention
17:56the warehouse.
17:57But they had forgotten
17:58one crucial thing.
18:00They had forgotten
18:01who I was.
18:03They thought I was
18:04the pliable,
18:05creative daughter.
18:06They had forgotten
18:08that you cannot build
18:09a multi-million dollar business
18:12from nothing
18:13by being soft.
18:14You cannot manage
18:16a global supply chain
18:17by being stupid.
18:19And you certainly
18:20don't leave
18:21your assets exposed
18:22when you have a father
18:23who thinks he knows better.
18:26Years ago,
18:27on the advice of Julia,
18:29not my father,
18:30I had structured my company
18:32with surgical precision.
18:34Alina's Artisans LLC
18:37was not just an S-corp.
18:40It was an S-corp
18:41whose majority shares,
18:4375% of the entire company,
18:46were held by the EMR Legacy Trust.
18:49An irrevocable trust.
18:52I was the trustee.
18:54But I could not,
18:56even if I wanted to,
18:57simply dissolve it
18:59or hand over its assets
19:00to pay for a sister's bad loans.
19:03It was a fortress.
19:06My father couldn't
19:07absorb my company.
19:09He couldn't manage
19:10its profits.
19:11He couldn't touch
19:11a single thread
19:13of Peruvian yarn.
19:15The remaining 25%,
19:17that was in my
19:19personal portfolio.
19:20A portfolio
19:21my father had never seen.
19:24The phone call
19:25I had been dreading
19:26finally came that afternoon.
19:29Alina, sweetheart.
19:31My father's voice
19:33was all honey
19:33and concern.
19:35I heard you were
19:36under the weather,
19:38feeling better.
19:39Much better, Dad,
19:41I said,
19:42keeping my voice neutral.
19:44Thanks for asking.
19:45Wonderful.
19:47Listen,
19:47your mother and I
19:48were thinking.
19:49Ben's graduation
19:50is on Saturday,
19:52but I'd love to have
19:53a little chat with you
19:54before that.
19:55Just us.
19:56To discuss
19:57the future.
19:59The future.
20:01The family investment.
20:03It was all a script.
20:05The future,
20:06I asked.
20:08What about it?
20:09Well,
20:10just family finances.
20:12You've done so well
20:14with your
20:14business.
20:16And Sophia
20:17is about to graduate.
20:19I have an idea
20:20for a new family fund
20:22that I think
20:23could be very beneficial
20:24for all of us.
20:25You,
20:26me,
20:28Sophia,
20:29even Ben.
20:30A family fund
20:32managed by him.
20:34I felt a chill.
20:36He was going to propose
20:37I liquidate my business
20:39and pour the cash
20:40into his desperate venture.
20:43Dad,
20:43that sounds
20:44interesting.
20:46I lied.
20:48I can give you
20:4930 minutes on Friday.
20:51Come to my office?
20:53No,
20:54he said quickly.
20:55Come to mine.
20:56It's more private.
20:58He wanted
20:59home court advantage.
21:01Fine.
21:02Friday at 3.
21:03I hung up
21:04and immediately
21:05dialed another number.
21:07My personal broker,
21:08David.
21:09It's Alina.
21:11I need to do
21:12something aggressive.
21:13I need to buy
21:15a property.
21:16All cash
21:17and I need to do it
21:18by Friday.
21:19Alina?
21:20David sounded surprised.
21:22That's tight.
21:24Where?
21:25It's for my brother,
21:26Ben.
21:27He just got a job
21:28at that new tech
21:29incubator downtown.
21:31I need a one-bedroom
21:32or studio condo,
21:34walking distance.
21:35And David,
21:36I need the deed
21:37in his name only.
21:40David,
21:40who had seen
21:41my accounts grow
21:42from five figures
21:43to eight,
21:44didn't question me.
21:46I have three listings.
21:48We can wire
21:48the money today
21:49and have the keys
21:50by Saturday morning.
21:52Perfect,
21:53I said.
21:55And David,
21:56my name is not
21:57to appear
21:57on any of the
21:58public-facing documents.
22:00This is a gift.
22:02I wired $515,000
22:05from my personal account
22:07that afternoon.
22:08The trap was set.
22:10My father had a plan,
22:12but I had a deed.
22:14Friday arrived.
22:15I walked into
22:17my father's office,
22:18a space I had always
22:20found intimidating
22:21as a child.
22:22It was all dark wood,
22:24leather-bound books
22:25he'd never read,
22:26and framed photos
22:27of Sophia.
22:29Sophia at debate club.
22:31Sophia at graduation.
22:33Sophia,
22:33Sophia,
22:34Sophia.
22:35There was one
22:36small,
22:37dusty photo
22:38of Ben and I
22:39at a pumpkin patch
22:40tucked away
22:41in the corner.
22:42Alina,
22:43you look wonderful.
22:44He said,
22:46standing up.
22:47He sat behind
22:48his large mahogany desk,
22:50steepling his fingers,
22:52the picture of
22:53the wise financial guru,
22:55but I saw the sweat
22:57on his upper lip.
22:58I saw the tremor
23:00in his hands.
23:01I'm feeling better,
23:03thanks.
23:04I didn't sit.
23:05I stood,
23:07clutching my purse.
23:08I only have
23:09a few minutes, Dad.
23:10I have a shipment arriving.
23:12Of course,
23:13of course.
23:14So,
23:15this family fund.
23:17He launched
23:17into his pitch.
23:19It was full of buzzwords,
23:21synergy,
23:22leveraging assets,
23:24multi-generational wealth.
23:26It was a practiced,
23:27polished speech,
23:29probably the same one
23:30he'd used
23:31on the elderly clients
23:32he'd swindled.
23:34Naturally,
23:35he said,
23:36leaning forward,
23:37Our first priority
23:38is to eliminate
23:39the associated debts
23:41from Sophia's education.
23:44It's a heavy burden,
23:45Alina.
23:45And you've been
23:46so fortunate.
23:48It's only right
23:49that you help
23:49carry that burden.
23:51We are a family.
23:53After all,
23:54your success
23:55is our success.
23:56There it was.
23:58So,
23:59I said,
24:00my voice flat,
24:01so you want me
24:03to give you
24:04my profits
24:05so you can pay off
24:06Sophia's loans.
24:08He winced
24:09at the bluntness.
24:11It's an investment,
24:12Alina,
24:13an investment
24:13in your sister.
24:15When she's a partner
24:16at a firm,
24:17the return will be
24:18astronomical.
24:20I see.
24:21I let the silence
24:22hang in the air.
24:24He was smiling,
24:26waiting for me
24:26to agree,
24:28waiting for the good,
24:29pliable daughter
24:30to write the check.
24:32That's an interesting
24:33idea, Dad,
24:35I said,
24:36walking closer
24:37to his desk.
24:38But there's a problem.
24:40His smile faltered.
24:42A problem?
24:44My business
24:45isn't a sole proprietorship
24:47like you thought.
24:48It isn't really
24:49mine to invest.
24:51I watched his eyes.
24:53It what?
24:54What do you mean?
24:56Of course it's yours.
24:57No,
24:58not really,
24:59I said,
25:00almost conversationally.
25:0275% of my company's shares
25:04have been held
25:05in the EMR Legacy Trust
25:07for the last five years.
25:08I'm the trustee,
25:10but I can't just
25:11liquidate the assets
25:12and give them to you.
25:13The trust's charter
25:14is very specific.
25:16It's to ensure
25:17the long-term health
25:18of the company.
25:19I leaned in,
25:20my voice dropping
25:21to a whisper.
25:23Paying off personal loans
25:24for a family member?
25:26That's not on the list.
25:28He stared at me.
25:30The mask of the wise father
25:31crumbled.
25:33In his eyes,
25:34I saw the panic
25:35of a drowning man.
25:37A trust?
25:38He stammered.
25:39You set up
25:40an irreparable trust?
25:42Who advised you
25:43to do that?
25:44His voice rose,
25:46cracking with disbelief
25:47and fury.
25:48You went behind my back.
25:50Behind your back?
25:51I shot back.
25:53Dad,
25:53you're not my financial advisor.
25:56You've never wanted to be.
25:57You told me my business
25:58was a whim.
25:59You told me to be careful.
26:01So I was.
26:02I hired a professional.
26:04A professional?
26:05He stood up,
26:07his face reddening.
26:08You little fool.
26:10You've locked up everything.
26:11Do you have any idea
26:12what you've done?
26:14Your mother and I,
26:15we've been counting on you.
26:17Counting on me for what?
26:18I yelled,
26:19finally letting the anger surface.
26:21To be your piggy bank?
26:23I know about
26:24the second mortgage, Dad.
26:25I know about
26:26the private loans.
26:27I know you're in
26:28over your head.
26:29He looked as if
26:30I had slapped him.
26:32How dare you?
26:34He whispered.
26:35You have no right
26:36to look into my affairs.
26:38And you have no right
26:39to plan my future
26:40to pay for your mistakes,
26:42I said.
26:43I turned and walked to the door.
26:46You will undo this, Alina.
26:47You will find a way
26:48to break that trust
26:49or I swear
26:50I will tell your brother
26:52what you've done,
26:53how you've abandoned
26:54this family.
26:55I paused at the door,
26:57my hand on the brass handle.
26:59It was so pathetic.
27:01Tell him what?
27:02I asked,
27:03looking back over my shoulder.
27:05That I protected
27:06my life's work from you?
27:07That I refused
27:08to be your bailout?
27:10I opened the door.
27:12I'll see you,
27:13Mom,
27:14and Sophia
27:14at Ben's dinner tomorrow.
27:15We should all be there
27:17to celebrate him,
27:18don't you think?
27:19I left him standing
27:21in his office,
27:22mouth open,
27:23his grand plan
27:24shattered on the floor.
27:26But he had no idea
27:27that I wasn't done.
27:29The real lesson
27:30was coming at dinner.
27:33The explosion
27:34I had detonated
27:35in my father's office
27:36sent shrapnel flying
27:37through the family
27:38communication lines
27:39before I even made it
27:41back to my warehouse.
27:42My hands were still shaking
27:43on the steering wheel
27:44when my phone lit up.
27:46It was my mother.
27:47I let it go to voicemail.
27:49Then,
27:50a text message.
27:52Alina,
27:53your father just called me.
27:54I am disgusted,
27:56absolutely disgusted
27:57by your selfishness.
27:58Call me this instant.
28:00I silenced my phone
28:01and threw it
28:02into my desk drawer.
28:04I had a business to run.
28:05For the next three hours,
28:07I forced myself to focus.
28:09I checked the manifest
28:10for the Peruvian wool.
28:12I approved
28:12a new marketing campaign.
28:13Every spreadsheet I read,
28:15every number I crunched,
28:17felt like another brick
28:18in the fortress
28:19I had built around myself.
28:21My work,
28:22the hobby,
28:23they'd mocked,
28:24was my sanctuary.
28:26When I finally pulled
28:27my phone from the drawer
28:28at 6 p.m.,
28:29it was a digital minefield.
28:31Three missed calls
28:32from mom,
28:33two from dad,
28:34and one from Sophia.
28:36I listened to my mother's
28:37voicemail first.
28:39It was a master class
28:40in manipulation.
28:40How could you do this
28:42to your father?
28:43He is so stressed,
28:45Alina,
28:45his heart.
28:46And after all we gave you,
28:48we let you live
28:49in our house
28:49for two years,
28:50you ungrateful child.
28:54She was so desperate
28:55to maintain the illusion
28:56of the perfect family
28:57that she was willing
28:59to sacrifice me
29:00to do it.
29:01Then,
29:02I listened to Sophia's.
29:04It wasn't a performance.
29:06It was a declaration of war.
29:08Alina,
29:09I don't know what kind of
29:10sick, jealous game
29:11you're playing,
29:12but you need to stop.
29:13Dad said you hid in
29:14all your money
29:15and some legal thing.
29:16You were just jealous.
29:18You're jealous
29:18that I'm a success.
29:20You're just a bitter old maid
29:21with a stupid,
29:22worthless hobby,
29:23and you're trying to ruin
29:24my life because
29:25you have nothing.
29:26I saved the voicemail.
29:28The case was built.
29:30The manipulation,
29:31the entitlement,
29:32the attempted theft.
29:34It was all out
29:35in the open.
29:35They were no longer
29:37hiding behind smiles
29:38and fatherly advice.
29:40My phone rang again.
29:42This time,
29:43the name on the screen
29:44made my heart ache.
29:46Ben.
29:47I answered immediately.
29:50Hey, B.
29:51Alina?
29:53His voice was small,
29:55confused.
29:56What is going on?
29:58I could hear
29:59the background noise
30:00of him packing boxes
30:01in his college apartment.
30:04Mom just called me.
30:05She was crying,
30:07like really crying.
30:09She said you and dad
30:09had a huge fight.
30:11She said you're refusing
30:12to help the family.
30:13She said you're hoarding
30:14your money
30:14and turning your back
30:15on Sophia.
30:16He paused,
30:18his voice trembling slightly.
30:20I,
30:21I don't get it, Elle.
30:23I thought your shop
30:24was just,
30:25you know,
30:26a little side hustle.
30:27Yeah,
30:28that's what they told you.
30:30Is that,
30:31is that not true?
30:33This was the part
30:34that hurt.
30:36Ben wasn't malicious.
30:38He was just
30:38collateral damage.
30:40He had been fed
30:41the same narrative
30:42I had.
30:44He was the audience
30:45in their grand play
30:46and he believed
30:47the script.
30:49Ben,
30:50I said,
30:52leaning my head
30:53against the cold glass
30:54of my office window.
30:55it's complicated
30:57but it's not
30:59what they're telling you.
31:00They are in trouble,
31:02bad trouble
31:03and they were planning
31:05on using my money
31:06to fix it.
31:08Money I earned.
31:10I took a deep breath.
31:13They didn't ask me,
31:15Ben.
31:16They expected me
31:18and when I told them
31:19they couldn't have it,
31:21they broke.
31:22He was silent
31:25for a long time.
31:27They're always like this
31:29about Sophia,
31:30he finally whispered,
31:32like she's the only one
31:33that matters.
31:35I know.
31:37Are you,
31:38are you okay,
31:40Elle?
31:41That simple question,
31:44are you okay,
31:46was something
31:46my parents
31:47or sister
31:48had not asked me
31:49in years.
31:50I am now,
31:53I said,
31:54my throat tight.
31:57Listen,
31:58about the dinner tomorrow,
32:00it's probably
32:02going to be tense
32:03but it's your graduation.
32:07I want you to know
32:08that I am so,
32:10so proud of you
32:11no matter what happens
32:13tomorrow.
32:14Remember that.
32:16Thanks, Elle.
32:17That means a lot.
32:20I'll see you tomorrow.
32:22See you tomorrow,
32:23B.
32:23And wear a nice suit.
32:25It's a big night.
32:29I hung up.
32:30My resolve
32:31was now absolute.
32:34My trap
32:35wasn't just about
32:36defending myself
32:38anymore.
32:39It was about
32:40showing Ben,
32:42the only person
32:43in my family
32:44who was still reachable,
32:45what real support
32:47looked like.
32:48The restaurant
32:51was my mother's
32:52choice,
32:53of course.
32:54It was
32:55offensively
32:56expensive.
32:58Dark wood
32:58paneling,
33:00hushed waiters
33:01and chandeliers
33:02that dripped
33:02crystal.
33:04It was a stage.
33:06It was a place
33:06you went to
33:07perform success,
33:09not celebrate it.
33:11When I arrived,
33:13the air at the table
33:14was thick
33:15enough to choke on.
33:16My father
33:18looked pale,
33:20sweat beating
33:20on his forehead,
33:22tugging nervously
33:23at his collar.
33:25My mother
33:25was overcompensating,
33:27her smile
33:28brittle and bright,
33:30her voice
33:30too loud
33:31as she gushed
33:32to the server
33:32about,
33:33my son,
33:34the graduate.
33:36And Sophia?
33:38Sophia was
33:39magnificent
33:40in her arrogance.
33:42She was dressed
33:43in a sleek
33:43black dress
33:44that probably
33:45cost two months
33:46of my first
33:47year's salary.
33:49She looked at me
33:50with open contempt,
33:53a little smirk
33:53playing on her lips.
33:55She thought
33:56she had won.
33:58She thought
33:59the combination
33:59of my father's
34:00anger
34:01and my mother's
34:02tears
34:02would have
34:03broken me.
34:05She expected me
34:06to show up
34:07ready to surrender
34:07the checkbook.
34:10Ben,
34:11bless him,
34:12looked handsome
34:12in his new suit,
34:14but he was
34:15deeply uncomfortable.
34:17He kept glancing
34:18between me
34:19and our parents,
34:20sensing the static
34:21electricity in the air.
34:24I remained calm.
34:27I was polite.
34:28I ordered a sparking water.
34:31I complimented Ben
34:32on his tie.
34:34This threw them off.
34:37My mother kept
34:38trying to catch my eye
34:39with the look
34:40of deep,
34:41pained disappointment.
34:43My father refused
34:45to look at me at all.
34:51Well,
34:52my mother said,
34:53raising her champagne flute.
34:56Her hand was shaking
34:57slightly.
34:59A toast
35:00to our brilliant
35:01son,
35:02Ben.
35:04We are so,
35:06so proud
35:07of his achievements.
35:09She pivoted
35:10instantly.
35:12And,
35:13of course,
35:14to our brilliant
35:15Sophia,
35:17who was about
35:18to take the world
35:19by storm.
35:22Ben's smile
35:23wavered.
35:23Even his toast
35:25was co-opted.
35:27We all clinked
35:28glasses.
35:29But my mother
35:31wasn't done.
35:32She set her glass
35:33down and fixed
35:35me with a hard,
35:36staring look.
35:38To family,
35:41she said,
35:42her voice
35:42dropping to a
35:43serious,
35:44warning tone.
35:46And to remembering
35:47what is important.
35:50To supporting
35:51each other
35:52no matter
35:53what.
35:55Because,
35:56in the end,
35:57family is the
35:58only thing
35:59that matters.
36:02It was a threat
36:03wrapped in a
36:04hallmark card.
36:07You're so
36:08right,
36:09mom,
36:10I said.
36:11My voice
36:11was calm,
36:13clear.
36:16The table
36:17went quiet.
36:19Family is what
36:20matters,
36:22I continued.
36:24Supporting each
36:25other.
36:26Celebrating each
36:27other's achievements.
36:29All of them.
36:30I turned to
36:33my brother.
36:34Ben,
36:35I am so
36:36incredibly
36:37proud of you.
36:38I know
36:39you've been
36:40worried about
36:40what comes
36:41next.
36:42About getting
36:43a job.
36:44About the
36:44housing market.
36:46About having
36:47to move
36:47back home.
36:50Ben
36:51blushed
36:51and looked
36:52down at
36:52his plate.
36:54Yeah,
36:55it's a lot,
36:56Elle.
36:56Well,
36:59I reached
37:01down to
37:01the briefcase
37:02I had
37:02placed by
37:03my chair.
37:04I heard
37:05the leather
37:06creak in
37:06the silence.
37:08I pulled
37:09out a
37:09sleek
37:10black
37:10leather
37:11portfolio.
37:12I slid
37:15it across
37:15the white
37:16tablecloth.
37:17It stopped
37:18right in
37:18front of
37:19him.
37:21What is
37:24this?
37:25He
37:26stammered.
37:27Happy
37:28graduation,
37:28B.
37:30I said
37:31softly.
37:32It's the
37:33deed to
37:34a condo
37:34two blocks
37:36from your
37:36new office.
37:37It's in
37:38your name.
37:39And it
37:42is paid
37:43in
37:43full.
37:44Time
37:44seemed
37:45to
37:45stop.
37:46Ben's
37:47hand,
37:48reaching
37:48for the
37:48portfolio,
37:50froze
37:50in
37:50mid-air.
37:51He
37:52just
37:52stared
37:52at
37:53it,
37:53his
37:53mouth
37:54slightly
37:54open.
37:56Sophia,
37:56who had
37:57been
37:57sipping
37:57her
37:58champagne,
37:59sputtered,
38:00choking
38:00on the
38:00liquid.
38:02You
38:02what?
38:05My
38:05mother's
38:06proud,
38:07brittle
38:07smile
38:08dissolved,
38:09it didn't
38:09just
38:10fade,
38:11it
38:11collapsed.
38:12Her
38:12face
38:13sagged
38:14into
38:14a
38:14mask
38:14of
38:15pure,
38:16unadulterated
38:17shock.
38:19But my
38:19father,
38:20my father
38:21went sheet
38:22white.
38:23His eyes
38:24darted from
38:24the portfolio
38:25to my
38:26face.
38:26He did
38:27a frantic,
38:28silent
38:28calculation.
38:29I could
38:29practically
38:30hear the
38:31numbers
38:31spinning
38:31behind his
38:32eyes.
38:33He
38:34understood.
38:35He
38:35understood
38:35the amount
38:36of money
38:36I had
38:37just
38:37given
38:37away.
38:38$515,000.
38:41Money that
38:42wasn't in
38:43the trust.
38:44Money he
38:44had no
38:45idea existed.
38:46He
38:47understood,
38:48in that
38:48single
38:48instant,
38:49the true,
38:50vast scale
38:51of the
38:52wealth he
38:52had tried
38:53to steal.
38:55He leaned
38:56across the
38:56table.
38:57His hands
38:58gripped the
38:58tablecloth so
38:59hard,
39:00his knuckles
39:00turned white.
39:02His voice
39:03was a low,
39:03furious hiss
39:04voice that
39:05only I
39:06could hear,
39:07vibrating with
39:07a desperate
39:08rage.
39:09You
39:09weren't
39:09supposed to
39:10do this,
39:10he snarled.
39:12That money,
39:13that money
39:13was for
39:13her loans.
39:15The title
39:16line,
39:17the thesis,
39:18the entire
39:19truth of my
39:20life,
39:21whispered by
39:22a desperate,
39:22beaten man.
39:24That money
39:25was for
39:26her loans.
39:27I didn't
39:28whisper back.
39:30My voice
39:30was level.
39:31It wasn't
39:32loud,
39:32but it
39:33cut through
39:33the restaurant's
39:34quiet murmur
39:35like a serrated
39:36knife.
39:37Every person
39:38at that
39:38table,
39:39and the
39:40two tables
39:40next to
39:41us,
39:41heard every
39:42single word.
39:45What money,
39:46dad?
39:47I asked,
39:48looking him
39:49dead in the
39:50eye.
39:51My little
39:53side hustle
39:54money?
39:54The string
39:55hobby you
39:56all laughed
39:57at for ten
39:58years?
39:59I slowly
40:00turned my
40:00gaze to my
40:01mother and
40:02sister.
40:03They were
40:03staring at
40:04me in
40:04horror,
40:05frozen like
40:05statues in
40:06a museum
40:06of greed.
40:08For a
40:09decade,
40:09you two
40:10have mocked
40:10me.
40:11You called
40:11my company
40:12a joke.
40:13You called
40:13me a bitter
40:14old mate
40:14with a stupid
40:15hobby.
40:16You thought
40:17I was a
40:17failure.
40:18I leaned
40:19forward,
40:20placing my
40:21hands flat
40:21on the
40:22table.
40:23Well,
40:24that joke
40:25did eight
40:25figures in
40:26revenue last
40:26year.
40:27That hobby
40:28employs
40:29twelve
40:29people.
40:30And that
40:31hobby just
40:32bought Ben
40:32a half
40:33million dollar
40:33condo.
40:34In cash.
40:35With money
40:36you didn't
40:37even know
40:37I had.
40:38I turned
40:39back to
40:39my father.
40:40His face
40:41had gone
40:41from white
40:42to a sickly
40:43shade of
40:43gray.
40:44You weren't
40:45counting on
40:46my money,
40:46Dad.
40:47You were
40:47planning to
40:48steal it.
40:50Ben,
40:51who had been
40:51frozen this
40:52whole time,
40:53finally moved.
40:55He opened
40:55the leather
40:56portfolio.
40:57He stared at
40:58the deed.
40:58He traced
40:59his finger
41:00over his
41:00name.
41:01He looked
41:02at the
41:02address.
41:04He looked
41:04up,
41:05his eyes
41:05shining with
41:06tears.
41:07He looked
41:07at my
41:08parents,
41:09his expression
41:09hardening as
41:10my words
41:11sink in.
41:12Is,
41:13is that
41:13true?
41:14He asked
41:15them,
41:15his voice
41:16shaking.
41:17You,
41:18you were
41:18going to
41:19steal from
41:19her?
41:21My mother
41:22opened her
41:22mouth to
41:23speak,
41:23but no sound
41:24came out.
41:25She was a
41:25fish gasping
41:26for air.
41:28My father
41:28just stared
41:29at me with
41:29pure,
41:30unadulterated
41:31hatred.
41:32It was
41:33Sophia who
41:33broke.
41:34She,
41:35she owes
41:35us,
41:36she shrieked,
41:37slamming her
41:37hand on the
41:38table.
41:39People turned
41:39to stare.
41:41Sophia pointed
41:42a trembling,
41:43manic finger
41:43at me.
41:45She had it
41:45all and she
41:46just hid it.
41:47You are
41:48selfish.
41:49You ruined
41:49everything.
41:51No,
41:51Sophia,
41:52I said,
41:53standing up
41:54and smoothing
41:55my dress.
41:56You all
41:56did this
41:57to yourselves.
41:58You just
41:59thought I
41:59would be
42:00the one
42:00to pay
42:01the bill.
42:02The public
42:03humiliation
42:03was total.
42:05It was
42:05silent,
42:06complete,
42:07and devastating.
42:09Ben stood
42:09up.
42:10He clutched
42:11the portfolio
42:11to his chest
42:12like a shield.
42:13He looked
42:14at my parents,
42:15then at me,
42:16and he made
42:17his choice.
42:18I need
42:19some air,
42:20Ben said,
42:21his voice
42:22raw.
42:23He looked
42:23at our parents
42:24one last time.
42:25His expression
42:26wasn't angry.
42:27It was
42:27something far
42:28worse.
42:29It was
42:29deep,
42:30profound
42:31disappointment.
42:32He turned
42:33and walked
42:34out of the
42:34restaurant,
42:35not looking
42:35back.
42:36My mother
42:37started to
42:37get up,
42:38her chair
42:38scraping loudly
42:39against the
42:40floor.
42:41Ben,
42:41wait,
42:42sweetheart.
42:43I put my
42:44hand on her
42:45arm.
42:46She flinched
42:47as if I had
42:47burned her.
42:49Leave him
42:49alone,
42:50mom,
42:51I said.
42:52You've
42:52done
42:53enough.
42:54I reached
42:54into my
42:55purse and
42:56pulled out
42:56a stack
42:56of cash.
42:57I dropped
42:58$500 on
42:59the table,
43:00more than
43:00enough to
43:01cover the
43:01champagne and
43:02appetizers they
43:03had ordered.
43:04This,
43:05I said,
43:06pointing to
43:07the bills,
43:08is the
43:08last dollar
43:09you will
43:09ever get
43:11from me.
43:12My father
43:13was silent,
43:14a man
43:14carved from
43:15stone.
43:16Sophia was
43:17crying now,
43:18not with
43:19sadness,
43:20but with the
43:20rage of a
43:21spoiled child
43:22who has
43:22finally been
43:23told no.
43:24I'm going,
43:25I said.
43:26I walked out
43:27of the
43:27restaurant,
43:28leaving the
43:28three of
43:28them sitting
43:29in the
43:29wreckage of
43:30their grand
43:30plan.
43:31I found
43:32Ben on
43:32the sidewalk
43:33outside.
43:34He was
43:34leaning against
43:35the concrete
43:35pillar,
43:36staring at
43:37the deed in
43:37his hands
43:38under the
43:38street lamp.
43:39Alina,
43:40he said,
43:41his voice
43:41thick.
43:42A condo,
43:44paid in
43:44full.
43:45I,
43:45I don't
43:46know what
43:46to say.
43:48You don't
43:48have to say
43:49anything,
43:49I said,
43:50standing next
43:50to him.
43:51It's
43:51yours.
43:52Congratulations,
43:53Ben.
43:54You earned
43:54it.
43:55They,
43:56they really
43:57did that,
43:58he asked,
43:58looking at
43:59me.
43:59All that
44:00about your
44:00money,
44:01about Sophia's
44:02loans.
44:03They did.
44:04I took a
44:05deep breath
44:06of the cool
44:06night air.
44:08I had the
44:08voicemails if
44:09you want to
44:09hear them.
44:11He shook
44:11his head,
44:12a look of
44:12disgust crossing
44:13his face.
44:14I don't,
44:15I believe you,
44:16all those
44:17years,
44:18God,
44:18I was so
44:19stupid.
44:19I just
44:20believed them
44:21when they
44:21said you
44:21were just,
44:22you know,
44:23playing with
44:24string.
44:25It's okay,
44:26I said,
44:27wrapping an
44:27arm around
44:27his shoulders.
44:28We're good
44:29now.
44:30He
44:31straightened
44:31up and
44:32slid the
44:32portfolio into
44:33his suit
44:34jacket.
44:34I'm going
44:35with you,
44:35he said.
44:36I'm,
44:37I'm not
44:38going back
44:38in there.
44:39I don't
44:39think I
44:39can ever
44:40go back.
44:41We walked
44:42to my
44:42car together.
44:43The drive
44:44to my
44:44apartment
44:45was quiet,
44:46but it
44:46wasn't
44:47awkward.
44:48It was
44:48the silence
44:49of two
44:49survivors
44:50escaping a
44:50burning
44:51building.
44:52When we
44:52got inside,
44:53he finally
44:54let it
44:54all out.
44:55He cried
44:56on my
44:56couch and
44:56I held
44:57him,
44:58my little
44:58brother,
44:59the other
44:59one they'd
45:00left behind.
45:01The aftermath
45:02was swift
45:03and brutal.
45:05Sophia's
45:06student loans,
45:07the ones my
45:07parents had
45:08co-signed and
45:09the ones she
45:09had taken
45:10herself,
45:11all came
45:11due within
45:12six months
45:13of her
45:13graduation.
45:14Without my
45:15bailout,
45:15they defaulted.
45:17My father,
45:18Richard,
45:18was ruined.
45:19The loan
45:20companies went
45:20after his
45:21assets.
45:22His censure
45:22became a
45:23public suspension
45:24when his
45:25creditors started
45:26digging into
45:26his practice.
45:28He lost
45:28his advisory
45:29license.
45:30My mother,
45:31Margaret,
45:31was forced
45:32to sell
45:33their house,
45:33the house
45:34I grew up
45:34in,
45:35at a massive
45:35loss just
45:36to cover
45:37a fraction
45:38of the
45:38debt.
45:39They moved
45:40into a
45:40small,
45:41bleak rental
45:41apartment
45:42across town.
45:43Margaret's
45:44social life
45:44evaporated.
45:46The prestige
45:46she had built
45:47her life
45:47on was
45:48gone.
45:49And
45:49Sophia,
45:50our golden
45:51child,
45:52had a rude
45:53awakening.
45:54With a
45:55mountain of
45:55non-dischargeable
45:56debt in a
45:57credit history
45:58that was now
45:59radioactive,
46:00she couldn't
46:01get a loan
46:01for a car,
46:02let alone an
46:03apartment.
46:04The high-powered
46:05corporate law
46:05firm she dreamed
46:06of wouldn't
46:07touch her
46:08with a 10-foot
46:08pole.
46:10Background
46:10texts are a
46:11funny thing
46:11like that.
46:13She was
46:13forced to
46:13take a
46:14grueling,
46:14low-paying
46:15public defender
46:16job in a
46:16different city
46:17just to make
46:18the minimum
46:18payments that
46:19would haunt
46:20her for the
46:20rest of her
46:21life.
46:22The investment
46:23family had
46:24yielded nothing
46:24but ruin.
46:26And me?
46:27I helped Ben
46:28move into his
46:29new condo.
46:30I used my
46:31string money
46:32to invest in
46:33a small software
46:34startup idea he
46:35had.
46:36My business
46:36network connected
46:37him with the
46:38right people.
46:39His idea took
46:40off.
46:41He was happy.
46:42He was free.
46:44Six months
46:45later, I was
46:46sitting in my
46:46real office,
46:47the big,
46:48bright corner
46:49office of my
46:49new, larger
46:50warehouse.
46:51I was looking
46:52over a design
46:53for a new line
46:53of silks from
46:54Japan.
46:55Ben had just
46:56stopped by with
46:56coffee to say
46:57hi before heading
46:58to his own
46:59office.
47:00How's it going,
47:00boss?
47:01He joked,
47:02leaning against
47:02the doorframe.
47:04It's going well,
47:05B.
47:05It's going
47:06really well.
47:08After he left,
47:09my phone buzzed
47:10on the mahogany
47:10desk.
47:11I glanced at
47:12the screen.
47:13It was a text
47:14from a number
47:15I didn't recognize,
47:16but I knew
47:17who it was
47:17immediately.
47:19Alina,
47:20it's your mother.
47:21Your father is
47:22sick.
47:23We are desperate.
47:24You need to
47:24help us.
47:25Please.
47:26I looked at
47:27the message
47:28for a long
47:28moment.
47:30I remembered
47:30the,
47:31that's nice,
47:32dear.
47:32I remembered
47:33the,
47:34little hobby.
47:35I remembered
47:36the plan to
47:37steal my
47:37life's work.
47:38I didn't
47:39feel anger.
47:40I didn't
47:41feel sadness.
47:42For the first
47:43time in my
47:43life,
47:44I just felt
47:45peace.
47:46I deleted
47:47the message.
47:48I blocked
47:49the number.
47:50And I went
47:50back to work.
47:52The books
47:52were finally
47:53balanced.
47:54The debt
47:55was paid.
47:56Just not
47:57by me.
47:57You
47:59for the first
48:00time in my
48:02world.
48:03You
48:04talked to me
48:05about the
48:05little coin.
48:07You
48:07said,
48:08you
48:08don't
48:10miss it.
48:11You
48:12tell me
48:12the
48:12decision is
48:14because I
48:14don't
48:14know.
48:15I
48:15can't
48:16do it.
48:17I
48:18don't
48:20see it.
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