Chapter 5
Andrew walked up to me.
Andrew said, "Sophie."
I corrected him, "I'm Morgan now."
He gave me a cold look.
"You haven't updated your ID yet."
"Oh."
"Come back with me."
I gripped the stool tightly.
"I'm not going."
"Mom wants you back for dinner."
"Already ate."
He glanced at the empty bowl in front of me.
"You had three bowls of grits?" he asked.
I shielded the bowl.
"None of your business," I said.
Andrew's frown deepened.
"You're working here as a waitress?" he asked.
"Just helping my parents out," I replied.
"The Quinn family raised you for eighteen years, not so you could end up waiting tables," he said.
I looked up at him.
"So, did the Quinn family raise me for eighteen years just so I'd feel worthless every single day?" I shot back.
He froze.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it.
I almost apologized out of habit.
But before I could, Mrs. Morgan rushed out from the kitchen and stepped in front of me.
She was still holding a slotted spoon.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Andrew looked at her and nodded slightly.
"Andrew.
"Soph's brother," he added.
Mrs. Morgan totally lost it.
"What brother?
"The DNA test results are out, so what are you even doing here?
"My daughter finally gets to sleep soundly at home, and now you want to take her back just to make her miserable again?" she shouted.
Andrew's face turned cold.
"Mrs. Morgan, the Quinn family never treated her badly," he said.
Mrs. Morgan pointed at me.
"No mistreatment, huh?" she shot back.
"My daughter broke down in tears over sausage rolls last night!
"She even asked me before bed if she'd get punished for not memorizing her vocabulary in the morning!
"And whenever she sees high heels, she bolts under the bed!
"And you call that no mistreatment?" she demanded.
I tugged at Mrs. Morgan's sleeve.
"Mom, I didn't really go under the bed.
"I just kept my distance," I said.
Mrs. Morgan's heart ached even more for me.
Andrew looked at me, his eyes heavy with emotion.
"Was it really that bad for you with the Quinn family?" he asked.
I wanted to brush it off.
But he just kept staring at me.
Like he just wouldn't back off until I said something.
I said softly:
"Andrew.
"You guys are just too much for me to handle.
"I just can't keep up with you guys.
"And honestly, I don't even want to try anymore," I added.
He was speechless.
Just then, his phone rang.
I couldn't hear what was being said on the other end.
Andrew's expression turned icy.
He hung up and looked at me.
"April joined the company," he said.
I blinked.
"That's good news," I said.
"She took the merger plan Mom spent half a year on and turned it into a move to launch Metaverse Memorial Services," he said.
I was speechless.
Andrew closed his eyes.
"The board is freaking out," he said.
I whispered, "That's pretty forward-thinking."
He said coldly, "Mom wants you back. Now."
I was stunned.
"Why do you even want me back? I don't know the first thing about mergers," I asked.
Andrew looked at me.
"You're the only one who can calm Mom down," he said.
I was even more stunned.
"Me?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Why me?"
"Because when she sees you, she'll think at least someone in the Quinn family is still sane."
I was speechless.
Thanks.
Honestly, that was worse than saying nothing.
*****
When Andrew brought me back to the Quinn family, April was facing off with Victoria in the living room.
She was wearing that white suit I used to dread, her hair perfectly styled.
She was gorgeous, no doubt about it.
But she was also totally losing it.
Victoria slammed a stack of papers onto the table.
"April, do you even know how much money is on the line with this plan?" she demanded.
April's eyes were red.
"I just want to prove myself!" she said.
"I'm your real daughter.
"I'm a hundred times better than Sophie.
"How come she gets to live here for eighteen years, do absolutely nothing, and you all just let her get away with it?"
I had just walked in and heard that, so I tried to quietly slip back out.
But Andrew caught me by the back of my collar.
"Get in there," he said.
I lowered my voice.
"Andrew, if I walk into that war zone, I'm dead meat," I said.
"You've already died a million times. You're basically a pro at this," he replied.
I was speechless.
Seriously, my brother.
Wait, no, my ex-brother.
Victoria spotted me and frowned.
"Sophie, what are you doing just standing there by the door?" she asked.
I straightened up right away.
"Reporting, Mrs. Stone. I was just passing by," I said.
April's eyes turned sharp when she saw me.
"What are you doing back here?" she demanded.
"Didn't you love that diner?" she added.
I raised my hand.
"Yeah, I do," I said.
"But they dragged me back here," I said.
Andrew let go of my collar and said coolly:
"Please," Andrew said coolly.
I glared at him.
"You call that 'please'? You hauled me in here like I was a sack of potatoes," I shot back.
April let out a cold laugh.
"Stop acting all innocent," she said.
"Sophie, did you know I'd mess up from the start?
"You kept reminding me of all those messed-up rules just to mess with me and make me look stupid!"
'Unbelievable,' I thought.
"April," I said.
"I wasn't kidding about the five a.m. class, it's actually a thing," I said.
"And when I said Andrew would randomly quiz you on the news, I meant it. He really does.
"And Newton? That dog is a total snob, seriously."
Newton, the golden retriever, looked up at me from the carpet.
Then he turned his head away.
See?
He still thinks he's better than me.
April pointed at me, her voice trembling.
"Stop pretending!" she snapped.
"You've been living the good life with the Quinns all this time.
"Do you even know what I've been through all these years?
"I was up at four in the morning kneading dough, my hands so frozen in winter they cracked open, and after school, I still had to help close up the diner.
"I never had designer clothes, never had a driver, never had a private tutor.
"I worked my ass off to be number one in the whole city.
"So why should someone like you, a nobody, get to live the life that should've been mine?"
The living room went dead silent.
This time, I didn't crack a joke or try to make light of it.
Because she was right.