I Bought The Bank You Faked Chapter 2

Seeing Justin take her side, Wendy puffed up with renewed confidence.

"Whatever. I understand. A multi-million dollar condo is something most people will only ever look at from the sidewalk. It's natural for you to be jealous."

"This place is going to be in my name. I can't wait to start decorating…"

Right at that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out. A notification lit up the screen.

“Dear Ms. Ellis, your real estate deposit refund has been processed. Total amount credited: $4,900,000.”

I swiped the notification away, locked the screen, and slipped the phone back into my pocket.

"Alright," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "Enjoy the new house, you two. I hope the move-in goes smoothly."

I turned and walked out the glass doors.

That evening, I had barely stepped out of the shower when my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Get over here right now!" she shrieked.

The moment I unlocked the door to my mother's house, before I could even take my shoes off, she lunged at me, digging her nails into my forearm. "Wendy loves the condo! Go back to the developer right now and wire that money!"

Before I could process the demand, Justin stood up from the sofa, his face dark with anger.

"What the hell was your problem at the sales office today?"

"It was your first time meeting Wendy, and you intentionally try to humiliate her?"

I stared at him, letting the silence stretch until it became uncomfortable.

"I humiliated her? She looked me in the eye and called me a whore, Justin. Did you conveniently go deaf?"

He scowled, waving a hand dismissively. "She lived in Europe for years! They're direct over there. Stop being so dramatic!"

"Besides, so what if she gave you a little tough love? She meant well!"

I felt a cold smile stretch across my face. "I'm being dramatic?"

"Fine." I locked eyes with him.

"Since she loves the condo so much, you guys can buy it yourselves. Why are you asking me for the money?"

Justin's face flushed a deep, ugly red. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

My mother’s face hardened into the familiar, terrifying mask of disappointment. "How dare you speak to your brother that way?"

"Justin is the man of this house! He is the foundation of this family! Is it going to kill you to defer to him for once?"

A laugh clawed its way up my throat.

"Why is he always right?"

"Why am I always the one who has to bleed for him?"

My mother's voice turned to ice. "Because a family needs a man to hold it up!"

"What good is relying on a girl? You'll just leave us anyway."

I looked at her. I didn't say a word.

It was a script I knew by heart. I had heard those words for years.

When my dad was dying, they said the family needed a caretaker. They forced me to drop out of college. Later, I clawed my way back, finishing my undergrad purely on merit scholarships, working until my bones ached.

Then my dad passed. I was accepted into a fully-funded Master's program in the UK. I thought I had finally made it. I thought the nightmare was over.

But I didn't go. Because they went into my bank account, drained the four years of savings I had bled for, and used it to bribe recruiters and buy expensive networking club memberships to secure Justin—the golden boy—a cushy corporate job.

When I found out and screamed at them, my mother said the exact same thing she was saying now.

What's the point of a girl reading so many books? A family relies on its men.

They broke my wings, forcing me to abandon my education and plunge into the workforce just to survive.

I stood in the hallway, looking at the two of them. I opened my mouth to fight, to scream, to demand justice. But the fire went out. It was just exhausting.

I nodded slowly.

"I have to go back to work."

I turned to leave. Justin chased me to the doorway.

"Look at your goddamn attitude! You make a few bucks and suddenly you think you're better than us?"

"Running around all night—God only knows what shady things you're actually doing!"