I Bought The Bank You Faked Chapter 1

The day I accompanied my brother to look at his new house was the first time I met his fiancée. She was a wealth management elite, fresh off a stint in Europe, or so the family legend went.

She looked me up and down, her body physically blocking the doorway of the luxury condo, her face twisting into a mask of pure disdain.

"You’re the delivery driver, right? Don't come in. You’ll track dirt all over my new hardwood."

I froze. The air in my lungs went completely still.

My brother, Justin, let out a nervous, scraping laugh and tried to smooth it over. "Wendy’s been living overseas for a long time. She’s just… blunt. Don't take it to heart, Margot."

I didn't want to make a scene. I truly didn't. I turned on my heel, ready to walk away and let them have their moment, but her voice drifted through the open door, laced with a casual, devastating cruelty.

"Look at her. She’s built like a twig. If she was actually just delivering food, that would be one thing."

She paused. I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"But you have to wonder about the girls who do those late-night deliveries. The ones who bring themselves right to the customer's door."

"It's just… dirty."

My footsteps stopped. A quiet, hollow laugh slipped from my throat.

I didn't leave the building. Instead, I turned and walked straight down the hall to the developer’s sales office.

"The wire transfer I authorized an hour ago for the down payment," I told the agent. "Cancel it. I want a full refund."

* * *

"Ms. Ellis, are you entirely sure?" The agent looked panicked, his fingers hovering over his keyboard. "If we terminate the contract now, there's a two percent penalty fee."

He swallowed hard. "That's… roughly ten thousand dollars."

Hearing the number, I just smiled.

"That's nothing."

"I would rather set that money on fire than let her have a single dime of it."

The agent stared at me, dumbfounded.

I didn't offer another word. I turned and walked out.

Just as I rounded the corner into the grand lobby, I spotted Justin and Wendy.

Her voice wasn't a shout, but in the echoing marble foyer, she made absolutely no effort to hide it.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Justin. If you hadn't shown me how serious you are by putting my name on this deed, I never would have agreed to marry you."

My brother stood there, staring at the floor, mutely adjusting the straps of her designer shopping bags on his shoulder.

Seeing him cower, she let out a cold little scoff.

"You know the kind of clients I deal with at the bank. High-net-worth individuals. Old money. If we're being honest, your family background is entirely beneath me."

She paused, and the temperature in her voice dropped.

"Especially that sister of yours."

"A grown woman, running around dropping off takeout? God, it’s humiliating just to admit I know her."

Justin didn't say a word. His silence was the fuel she needed to keep burning.

"She's not going to latch onto me, is she? Because I'm telling you right now, do not expect me to use my network to get her a real job."

"I'm closing a massive portfolio deal next week. It's my ticket to Managing Director. At a critical time like this, I cannot have your sister dragging down my image."

Justin nodded eagerly, like a dog begging for a treat.

"No, no, of course not. I promise, she won't bother you."

I stood in the shadows of the alcove, perfectly still. My heart was a slow, heavy drum in my chest.

Wendy, feeling entirely victorious, kept going.

"I've seen plenty of girls like your sister when I was abroad. Trust me. Nine times out of ten, that 'gig work' she's doing is a front. These delivery girls…"

She laughed. It was an ugly sound.

"Who knows what beds they're crawling into at night—"

She looked up. And she saw me.

The air in the lobby turned to glass.

I looked right back at her, a faint smile playing on my lips.

"Why'd you stop? Please, keep going."

"What happens at night?"

Justin’s face drained of color. He immediately stepped between us, his voice sharp and defensive. "What kind of attitude is that? Have some respect. Can't you even say hello to your sister-in-law?"

I kept my eyes on him. I didn't move an inch.

Wendy recovered quickly. The viciousness vanished from her face, replaced instantly by the polished, condescending mask of a concerned relative.

"Don't be mad at me for being blunt, Margot. I'm only saying this for your own good."

"If you weren't Justin's sister, I wouldn't waste my breath." She sighed softly, playing the martyr. "Look, I know you didn't finish your graduate degree. I know you're desperate for cash. I get it. You don't have the kind of professional pedigree I do."

"But a woman has to have boundaries. Selling your body is going to ruin this family's reputation."

I let out a harsh bark of laughter. I opened my mouth to tear her apart, but Justin grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

"Enough, Margot. Wendy is treating you like family. She's bearing her soul to give you advice."

"Don't be a brat."

I looked down at his hand on my arm. A sudden, overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over me.

I didn't know if Wendy was bearing her soul.

But I did know that my wonderful, perfect older brother had absolutely no heart at all.