Chapter 3

"What is it? I have an important pretrial meeting this afternoon." Richard settled into his plush leather chair, fingers laced together, all business.

"Dad, there's an academic workshop at school. It costs 60 dollars," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"60 dollars?" He raised an eyebrow, like he'd heard a joke. "You really came all the way to my law firm for that?"

His words stung like a needle, piercing right through my heart.

"I tried calling you, but you didn't answer," I said.

"I'm busy. I don't have time to check my phone," he said matter-of-factly, not even blinking. "Go ask your mom for the money."

"Mom said she was busy and told me to come to you," I said.

He let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Of course she's busy, busy grooming her little programming genius. That's Evelyn for you, always so selfish."

He launched into his usual rant about Evelyn, totally forgetting why I was even here.

I cut him off, "Dad, the payment is due today."

He finally seemed to realize how serious this was, frowning as he pulled out some cash from his wallet.

Instead of handing it to me, he slid it across the desk with his finger, like he was dismissing a beggar.

"30 dollars. I'm only covering half," he said coldly. "The court made it clear. We each pay half for your expenses. Go ask her for the rest."

The stack of bills looked almost pathetic next to the solid gold ornament worth tens of thousands of dollars on his desk.

All my hurt and anger boiled over in that moment.

I didn't take the money. Instead, I locked eyes with him. "Dad, you spend thousands on a dress for Chloe for one dinner party, saying it's an investment in her future.

"Evelyn shells out tens of thousands for a server for Lucas, calling it a stepping stone for his dreams.

"But when I ask for 60 dollars for something that could change my life, you start counting every penny with me?"

My words made his face turn awkward.

"What's with that attitude?" he snapped, his voice rising, clearly offended. "Your sister's out there building connections, future resources. She's worth more than you can imagine.

"And you? All you ever do is study. What else can you do? Do you really think I'll ever get anything back from investing in you?"

Return on investment...

So, to them, kids were another investment, always weighing the cost and the payoff.

And I was obviously the one they saw as the worst asset, not even worth putting money into.

"Take the money and get out," he said, pointing at the door. "Don't get in the way of my work."

I grabbed the 30 dollars, my hand shaking a little.

At least I got half.

But it cost me my dignity.

*****

Stepping out of the law firm, I found the sky as heavy and gray as my mood.

It took me an hour and a half on the bus, traversing the city from end to end, to reach the university housing complex where Evelyn lived.

The place was quiet, full of greenery and shaded by trees, a stark contrast to the shabby old apartment building I grew up in.

The door to Evelyn's place was left slightly open, and inside I could hear her and Lucas deep in an animated discussion, their voices bubbling with excitement.

"Lucas, your app has amazing business potential. I'm investing another 60 thousand dollars in it. Make sure you get the core algorithm patented," Evelyn said.

I pushed the door open, and the living room was bathed in warm light.

Lucas sat at his computer, the screen crowded with lines of code, while Evelyn stood proudly beside him, her face lit up with satisfaction and pride.

My arrival shattered the cozy mother-and-son scene.

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt.

"What are you doing here?" Evelyn's brows knitted together, her gentle expression instantly turning impatient.

Lucas turned around, his face full of annoyance when he saw me. "Emily, what are you doing here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of solving a technical problem?"

"Mom, I'm here for the workshop registration fee," I said, not beating around the bush.

"Registration fee?" Evelyn's face went even colder. "Didn't I tell you to go ask your dad? He couldn't even give you that?"

I said, "He only gave me half."

"That bastard!" Evelyn cursed under her breath, but then she snapped at me instead. "Why can't you explain things properly the first time?

"I wasted all that time calling your dad for nothing. Do you have any idea how precious my time is?"

I dropped my eyes, fingers twisting hard at the edge of my shirt. "Mom, I need another 30 dollars."

"30 dollars. All you ever think about is money!" she snapped, yanking a stack of bills from her wallet.

She slammed them down on the shoe rack by the door. "Just take it and go. Don't hang around here bothering Lucas."

That stack of bills felt like a blazing fire, burning a hole right through my eyes.

Lucas scoffed, "Emily, your grades are terrible. What's the point of you going to a workshop for top students?

"You'll be there to make them look good. Why not save the money and help me upgrade my server instead?"

"Lucas!" I barked, using his full name for the first time, my voice harsher than ever.

He froze, totally stunned by my sudden outburst.