The Christmas my parents gave my sister a brand-new iPhone, they gave me a black trash bag. Then my father told me to get inside it.

Haley stood up from the floor, dropping her new phone onto the couch like it had suddenly caught fire.

"Dad..." Haley's voice was shaking now. "Is this true? Did you... did you steal money?"

"I did it for us!" Richard yelled, finally snapping under the pressure. He rounded on Susan and Haley, his face contorted in anger. "I did it so we could live in this neighborhood! So you could have your clothes, your cars, your cheerleading! Do you think my middle-management salary paid for all of this? Do you?"

Susan backed away from him, horrified. "You told me you got a promotion! You told me you inherited money from your uncle!"

"I lied!" Richard screamed. "Because none of you were ever satisfied! You always wanted more! More clothes, bigger vacations, better cars!"

I watched them turn on each other like wild animals in a cage. For years, I had believed that this family was a solid wall, unified in their disdain for me. Now I saw the truth. They weren't a family at all. They were a group of parasites bound together by greed, and the moment the host stopped feeding them, they began tearing each other apart.

"Enough," Arthur said, his deep voice easily cutting through the shouting.

They all stopped, looking at the silver-haired man standing in the hallway.

"Richard," Arthur said, pulling a stack of legal documents from his folder. "We are offering you a choice. Option One: You sign these emergency surrender forms immediately. You vacate this property by 5:00 PM tomorrow. You surrender the keys to the Jeep, the house, and all luxury assets purchased with Vance Trust funds. In exchange, Miss Vance will refrain from pressing immediate criminal charges for attempted murder and grand larceny."

Richard stared at the papers. "And Option Two?"

Arthur smiled thin, ruthless smile. "Option Two is that the two federal marshals currently sitting in the black SUV parked outside come through that door and arrest you right now. You will spend Christmas night in a federal holding cell awaiting indictment."

Susan let out a strangled cry and sank onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

Haley stared at me, tears streaming down her face. "Maya... please. We're sisters. You can't do this to us."

I looked at Haley. I thought about all the times she had mocked my clothes. I thought about her laughing when Mom brought out the black trash bag. I thought about her staying silent while Dad dragged me out into the freezing snow.

"We were never sisters, Haley," I said softly. "I was just the maid who paid your bills."

I turned to Richard. "Sign the papers."

Richard looked at the legal documents, his hand trembling violently. He reached into his coat pocket for a pen, but his fingers were shaking so badly he dropped it onto the floor. He knelt down, picked it up, and signed his name on the dotted line of every single page.

When he finished, he looked up at me from his knees, completely broken.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice a pathetic whisper. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"I don't care," I replied coldly. "You have until 5:00 PM tomorrow. If you are still in my house when the clock strikes five, I will have you removed by force."