Chapter 1
Sasha, my sister-in-law, showed up again, saying she had an important meeting and asking me to pick up her kid from school.
I checked my calendar. This was already the twelfth time this month she'd dumped her kid on me.
Ever since her kid started kindergarten, her "emergencies" never stopped. Sometimes an overtime, sometimes a client meeting, sometimes a skincare session.
I went from being a career-driven professional to her full-time free babysitter.
Every afternoon at three thirty, I showed up at the school, picked up the kid, cooked, and helped with his homework.
My husband would always say, "We're family. We should help each other."
Funny. Since when did my time become worthless? Why did I always have to put my work on hold for her?
When she once again shoved her child into my arms as if it were completely normal, I said calmly, "Starting next month, I'm going abroad for three months of training."
I watched her panic and stumble over questions about who would pick up her kid.
For the first time in years, I felt completely free.
*****
Sasha Barnett shoved Jayden into my arms without even glancing at him, then hurried straight for the elevator.
She said, "Julie, thanks a lot. I'm not coming back for dinner tonight. I got a tough client."
The moment the elevator doors closed, I caught her adjusting her hair while staring at her phone. She didn't look stressed at all; she was just excited to go have fun.
Five minutes later, she posted something on Instagram.
It was a cute café selfie, rocking the newest designer shades. The caption read: [You have to work hard for a better life.]
Seriously? Did she ever work hard?
I swallowed my anger and led Jayden into the study.
I said, "Jayden, I've got a huge online meeting right now, and the contract is worth millions. Just play with your Lego and whatever you do. Don't touch the laptop on the desk, alright?"
Jayden sniffled, eyes wandering, muttering something barely audible.
I put on my headphones and threw myself into the final negotiation for this merger deal.
As the CFO of a foreign company, I'd been working on this case for six months, and everything was riding on that moment.
The people in the meeting were asking for critical financial numbers.
Suddenly, something cold and sticky trickled down the back of my hand, and then came a harsh electric sizzle.
The screen went black.
I froze and turned.
Jayden was clutching half a bottle of Coke, giving me that clueless look, while smashing the keyboard with his other hand, trying to push the liquid into the cracks.
"What the hell are you doing?" I shot up so fast that my chair screeched across the floor.
The MacBook Pro was still sizzling, smoke curling up from the keyboard. The final version of the contract, six months of work, was all gone.
Jayden froze for a second when I yelled, then started screaming bloody murder. "Aunt Julie is killing me. Help."
His cries shook the whole house, as if he'd just suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
Almost at the same time, the front door beeped and unlocked, and Sasha came charging in in her high heels.
She wasn't working late at all; she was at the spa downstairs. When she heard the noise, she dashed upstairs with the mask still on her face.
"Julie, are you out of your mind? He's only six. What are you screaming at him for?" Sasha snapped.
She scooped Jayden up, tenderly wiping his tears, then turned to glare at me with venom.
Right after her, Logan Perkins walked in, just home from work.
He saw the mess, frowned, and instead of asking what happened, he rushed over and grabbed my arm, sounding annoyed.
He snapped, "What's wrong? I could hear you yelling from the hallway. Julie, why are you always losing it?"
Julie pointed at the soaking laptop, hands trembling.
"All my merger files are destroyed. Logan, this was a deal worth millions. Just the penalty alone is one million," I shouted.
The room froze for a couple of seconds. Logan and Sasha exchanged a look, a flicker of panic flashing in their eyes.
However, it didn't take long for Sasha's shameless mode to kick in.
She rolled her eyes and shot back in that snarky voice, "Oh, please, Julie, it's just a laptop. If it's busted, buy another one. You're loaded. Are you really gonna cry over a laptop?
"Do you have to take it out on a kid? What if Jayden got hurt?"
Logan let out a sigh of relief and assumed a peacemaker stance, patting my back.
He said, "Alright, it's no big deal. Sasha got a point. Laptops can be replaced, but family matters more. Why do you get worked up over a kid? People would think it's silly."
He paused, then threw in, "And come on, you're so on top of things. You probably have backups. No need to freak out."
I stared at their faces—one ignorant and shameless, the other hypocritical to the core.
This was my family, the very people I worked myself to the bone to support. They were just so selfish.
At that moment, the last bit of hope I had for keeping things peaceful just vanished, replaced by a deep chill.