Special gift
My dad came back from a business trip with a
“gift”
–
a girl he told me to be nice to. Yeah,
right. The next day, she was clinging to my brother, Liam, claiming I’d been bullying her. Liam and I exchanged a look. He grabbed her arm to stop her from running off, and I slapped her across the face. “You little gold digger,” I
spat. “Don’t you dare act so entitled.”
It all started with a phone call. Dad was coming
home and promised gifts. Liam and I just stared
at each other. Our emotionally distant father,
who’d never acted like a real dad, was bringing
us gifts? Then we saw her — a slender girl with
an innocent look clinging to his side. I scoffed.
Eighteen years of keeping his affair a secret,
and now this was his grand gesture? Some gift.
–
Dad, noticing my disdain, frowned. “Your sister,
Chloe, has lived without a proper family for
eighteen years. It’s time she took her rightful
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place.” He turned to me, his voice hardening.
“Ashley, you and your sister will get along.”
My fists clenched. Chloe looked eerily similar to
the woman who’d wrecked my mom’s life – the
woman who indirectly caused her death. Liam
coughed, catching my eye. I knew what he
meant.
I lost it. I marched right up and slapped Chloe so hard she fell to the floor. Thanks to my
karate lessons, it was a loud, brutal smack.
“You think you deserve to be treated like one of
us?” I sneered. “I’d be doing you a favor by
giving you scraps. You’re nothing but a
homewrecker’s daughter.”
Chloe sat on the floor, sobbing, clutching her
face. Before Dad could explode, Liam shoved
me to the ground and gave me a theatrical slap.
“Ashley!” he yelled. “How dare you disrespect
Dad! You spoiled brat!”
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I sat there, fuming, glaring at him. Dad,
however, was pleased with Liam’s performance. He patted Liam on the shoulder, then turned an icy glare on me. “To compensate your sister,” he said coldly, “I’m transferring the shares of your mother’s estate to Chloe.” He paused. “I’ll let this slide, but if you ever bully Chloe again, you’ll regret it.”
He turned and left. Chloe scrambled up, still clutching her cheek, glared at me, and scurried after him. As soon as they were gone, Liam rushed to help me up. I brushed him off and got to my feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously, checking me over. “Did I hurt you when I pushed you?”
“Relax,” I said, smoothing my clothes. “The
carpet’s thick. I’m fine. I bet Chloe’s tailbone is
bruised, though, landing on that hard floor.”
Liam chuckled. Our housekeeper called us for
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afternoon tea. We sat in the warm spring
sunshine, a picture of sibling harmony. Liam
took a sip of coffee, glanced up at the second
floor where Chloe was fawning over Dad, and
sneered. “Little gold digger. She thinks she
deserves what Mom left us?”
I smiled. “Patience, Liam. It’ll take some work,
but we’ll get it all back.”
We shared a knowing look, enjoying the calm
before the storm.
Liam and I were Mom’s kids. Before it fell
apart, Mom’s family was old money, one of the
wealthiest in the city. She was their only child,
and she made a terrible mistake marrying Dad,
who was practically penniless. He built his
fortune on her family’s connections, and then,
while Mom was dying, he had an affair, which
hastened her death and devastated her father,
my grandfather. He even took the inheritance
Mom left us and gave it to his mistress. Luckily,
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(ne misiness uitu youny, leavily only unive.
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Our original plan was to wait until Liam had full control of the company before dealing with Dad
and Chloe. But Dad, impatient as always,
pushed Chloe into our lives before she even knew how to handle the wealth he’d given her.
Our plan had to be accelerated, but Liam and I
were determined to reclaim everything that was
rightfully ours. We just needed the right
strategy.
Chloe was naive. She thought she was the
protagonist in some fairytale where everyone
should adore her. Liam played the doting
brother, showering her with affection, and she
fell for it, completely oblivious. Dad, thinking he
was on top of the world, had slowly relinquished
control of the company. Liam had essentially
taken over, becoming the de facto head in the
eyes of the city’s elite.
We used to attend society events together, but
Chloe, envious of my designer gowns and
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jewelry, begged Liam to take her. I put up a
fuss, playing the jealous older sister, which only
fueled Chloe’s desire to go. Dad intervened,
scolding me for being childish, and gave Chloe
my dress and jewelry. Chloe, thinking she’d
won, strutted off with Liam, looking like a
preening peacock. I watched them go, feeling
sorry for my brother.
Chloe, despite her looks, couldn’t imitate the
grace and manners I’d been taught since
childhood. She didn’t know how to walk, how to
dine, or how to dance. She had no idea what
she was up against.
Two hours later, my best friend, Sarah, texted
me: “Ashley, is your brother insane? What is
that girl doing here? She stepped on my foot
while dancing! Ugh.”
I pictured Chloe, clumsy and out of place, and
burst out laughing. I could just imagine her
trying to fit in with the snobby socialites.
