Chapter 3

My eyes stung, but I held back the tears. "I was only twenty then, still in college.

" The house our parents left us was supposed to be sold. You were going to use the money for your business, and I was going to use my share for tuition.

"But at the funeral, you told all our relatives that you wanted me to finish my degree, and that you'd keep the house as my inheritance.

"Everyone praised you as a wonderful brother. They said I was lucky to have a brother like you."

Henry kept his head down, unable to meet my gaze.

"It wasn't until later that I realized you weren't worried about me at all." I crouched down to look him in the eye. "You were scared that if we sold the house and split the money, you wouldn't get enough to pay off your debts.

"So you made me keep the house, and kept asking me for money.

"Over the past ten years, I've lent you over 170 thousand dollars.

"Every time, you said you needed it for your business, and every time, you swore you'd pay me back. But you never paid me back a single cent."

Amy stared at Henry in disbelief. "170 thousand dollars? You told me it was just over 10 thousand."

Henry stayed silent.

Jason already pulled out his phone and called the police. "I don't care about your family drama," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm getting my 2 million dollars back, no matter what."

Ten minutes later, the police arrived.

After hearing what happened, the officers told us to come down to the station to give our statements.

As we were about to leave, Henry suddenly broke free from the officers and lunged at my feet.

"Queenie, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong." He grabbed my legs, his voice cracking. "Please save me. You have the payout, right? Help me pay it back first, and I swear I'll pay you back."

He kept sobbing, his whole body shaking, his grip on my legs tightening.

Amy dropped down beside him, throwing her arms around my legs and crying. "Queenie, if Henry goes to prison, what will happen to the kid and me? Our son is only five."

Jason watched with icy indifference, and the cops stood there, waiting to see what I'd do.

Seeing Henry's tear-streaked face, my resolve wavered for a moment.

After all, he was my brother. We grew up together.

But I quickly remembered the photos.

I remembered the excitement on his face at the gambling table and the rage after he lost.

I also remembered that night a month ago.

I had worked late that evening. As I reached the entrance to my apartment complex, I saw Henry standing with a few men I didn't recognize.

One of them said, "Henry, if you win this time, we'll all get rich with you."

Henry grinned, full of swagger. "Relax. This is a sure thing. The condemnation payout on that house is at least 2 million. I only mortgaged it for 2 million.

"Once the payout comes through, I pay back the principal and interest, and there's still a huge chunk left over."

"What about your sister?"

"Her?" Henry snorted dismissively. "She's a woman. Any money she gets will only end up spent by some other guy. Might as well put it to good use myself."

In that moment, standing in the shadows, my heart turned to ice.

So, from the very start, Henry had been scheming for the payout.

Mortgaging the house was step one. He'd take the two million dollars straight to the gambling tables. If he won, he'd pocket it all.

If he lost, no big deal. The payout would cover it.

He never once considered who that money actually belonged to.

"Henry, you know, I was actually going to help you." I crouched down and looked him in the eye. "Seeing you cry turned my stomach."

Henry's eyes lit up. "I knew it. You—"

"But," I cut him off, "I remembered those things you said to your buddies last month."

Henry's face changed completely.

"You said the payout would only be spent by some other guy if it went to me, so you might as well use it first," I repeated his words exactly. "Isn't that right?"

Henry's face went from pale to flushed. "You heard that?"

"I heard it, and I recorded it." I stood up. "Did you really think I was stupid enough to know nothing?"

I opened the audio file on my phone. The conversation between Henry and those men played back clearly, including him calling me a "useless sister," saying the house would be his sooner or later, and claiming the entire payout for himself.