The Daughter She Never Chose Chapter 06

The Daughter She Never Chose Chapter 06

They didn’t notice anything different about me.

Or maybe they did and just didn’t care.

“Oh, good. You’re here.”

Mom barely glanced at me. She slid two documents across the table.
No preamble. No small talk.

“Sign these.”

“Julian’s getting married. He needs a place, so you’ll need to hand
over the keys to the new house.”

“Oh, and they want to renovate before the wedding. That’s going to
cost a fortune. You’re covering that, obviously.”

She said it the way someone would ask you to pass the salt. Then
she smiled.

“You’re so successful, right? This should be pocket change for
someone like you.”

Dad came over and tugged at my sleeve.

“Just do what she says and apologize. Make this easy.”

“If you drag this out, she’s not going to let it go.”

Chloe was on the couch, picking at her fresh manicure. She looked
up.

“Once the house is in our names, we’re not, like, keeping a guest room
for anyone. Right?”

“I don’t do roommates.”

“Of course not.”

Mom turned to Chloe, and just like that, the ice in her face melted into warmth.

“Once it’s Julian’s, it’s yours. End of story.”

“Nobody sets foot in there without your say-so.”

She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As if those houses had always been theirs.

As if the person who paid for them didn’t exist.

I let out a dark, breathless laugh. I didn’t even look at the papers.

“HR told me someone called and claimed my degrees belonged to Julian. That I should step down and hand him my job. Was that you?”

The room went quiet for a beat.

Julian looked away.

Something crossed Mom’s face, a flicker of shame, gone in a second. She straightened up.

“So what if I did?”

“Julian was always better than you. That job should’ve been his from the start.”

“You’ve been stealing his spot this whole time!”

She wasn’t done.

“Oh, and one more thing. After you sign those papers, you march right into your office and hand in your resignation. That job goes to Julian.”

“Do that, or don’t bother calling me your mother ever again.”