Pity From My Rich Sister? Oops, Her New Family Came Begging Chapter 02

Pity From My Rich Sister? Oops, Her New Family Came Begging Chapter 02

I landed in Port Cresswell on Friday.

No one came to pick me up.

I called a rideshare and went straight to my family’s new condo. Ottilie opened the door.

She stared for a second, something unreadable flickering across her face.

“Carys? I almost didn’t recognize you. Aldercrest must be treating you well. You certainly don’t look like someone scraping by on thirty-five grand a year.”

I walked past her without answering.

Elodie’s gaze dropped to my watch, then traveled over my coat. Her lips tightened.

“You didn’t have to spend a fortune just to impress us. How many months are you going to be living on instant noodles after this?”

Merrick glanced me over.

“Ten years away, and the only thing you picked up was a taste for showing off.”

Keaton laughed.

“Not bad, Carys. You used to dress like you didn’t own a mirror. Now you’re buying designer knockoffs.”

I looked at the people gathered in front of me.

Ten years had not changed them much.

Merrick was heavier around the middle. Fine lines had appeared around Ottilie’s eyes, and Keaton’s hairline had crept noticeably backward.

Elodie, on the other hand, looked immaculate, polished until she resembled a doll arranged in a display case.

One thing had not changed at all.

Every face held the same faint contempt, softened by the quiet confidence that they were doing better than I was.

I raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve never told any of you what I make. I’ve never called to complain about money, either. So where exactly did you get this number you’ve all decided is my salary?”

For once, none of them had an answer.

My mother came out of the kitchen carrying a serving dish.

“What kind of job could someone with an associate degree possibly get in Aldercrest? Forty thousand a year, if you’re lucky.”

My father patted my shoulder.

“That’s enough. We’re family. No one’s going to look down on you for struggling, so drop it and sit down.”

The table was covered with food.

Keaton and Ottilie both reacted at once.

“Mrs. Calder, you remembered I love maple-glazed ribs.”

“And you made that garlic-Parmesan pasta again. I’ve been thinking about it since last time.”

I looked over the spread.

Everyone had a favorite dish on the table.

Even the Bichon curled beside the couch had a bowl of plain chicken my mother had prepared separately.

Everyone except me.

Once we sat down, my mother spooned more garlic shrimp onto Elodie’s plate, then glanced around the condo as if making casual conversation.

“When we sold the old house, we used the money to buy four units,” she said, spooning more shrimp onto Elodie’s plate. “Merrick got one, Elodie got one, we kept this one, and the last is a rental.”

Then she looked at me.

“They were both starting careers here. You’d left Port Cresswell after community college, so we didn’t set one aside for you.”

I set down my fork.

“So the payout came with a degree requirement?”

The entire table went silent.

My mother’s face flushed red. She slammed her palm against the table.

“You stay away for ten years, then come home just to pick a fight with me?”

“I should’ve left you at the hospital the day you were born. You’ve never been anything but ungrateful.”

Exactly like ten years ago.

When she saw the grades she believed were mine, she threw a ceramic bowl straight at my forehead.

Warm blood had dripped onto the floor.

She had looked at me with the same cold expression.

“I should’ve left you at the hospital. At least then you wouldn’t have grown up to embarrass me.”

A lot had changed in ten years.

I had built a life of my own.

And I had stopped waiting for scraps of affection from my mother.

Her words no longer hurt.

My father quickly stepped in.

“You know how your mother gets. She says cruel things when she’s angry, but she doesn’t mean them.”

He forced a cheerful smile and changed the subject.

“Elodie, I called in several favors and finally got my hands on a rare bottle of single-barrel Kentucky bourbon. We’ll give it to Mr. Kincaid tomorrow. He’ll love it.”

Elodie pressed her lips into a smile, but something uneasy shifted in her eyes.

“Dad, Grandpa Kincaid might not be coming.”