Chapter 6 - The Sister's Desperation
Two days after the bail hearing, I was sitting in my temporary administrative office at Sterling Holdings, reviewing the blueprints for the bakery’s reconstruction.
Sterling’s construction team was moving at light speed. Because they possessed endless corporate capital, they had already cleared the debris, reinforced the structural columns, and ordered state-of-the-art Italian pastry ovens to replace the ones my father had smashed.
My phone rang. It was an unknown number from the county jail.
I accepted the call and put it on speaker.
"Nadine?" Mallory’s voice came through the line, raspy, terrified, and broken.
"Hello, Mallory," I said calmly, marking a spot on the floor plan.
"Nadine, please... you have to post my bail," Mallory begged, weeping openly into the phone. "They put me in a holding cell with twelve women! The food is disgusting! They took my phone, my condo, everything! The IRS froze my accounts! I don't have a dime!"
"That sounds difficult," I replied, my tone devoid of emotion.
"Nadine, I'm your sister!" Mallory screamed, her voice cracking with pure panic. "Mom and Dad are in federal prison! The neighbors are suing us! The media is outside my condo! You have to help me! You're rich! You sold the building for millions!"
"I don't have millions, Mallory," I said. "I have a business lease and a very strong legal team. And even if I had $100 million, I wouldn't spend ten cents to get you out of a jam you built yourself."
"You did this to us!" Mallory shrieked. "You were always jealous of me! You were jealous because Mom and Dad loved me more! You were jealous because I was the pretty one, the favorite one! You couldn't stand seeing me happy!"
I set my pen down and leaned back in my chair.
"Jealous?" I asked softly. "Mallory, for thirty years, I watched Mom and Dad turn you into a helpless, incompetent monster. They gave you everything, taught you nothing, and convinced you that the world owed you a living. While you were driving cars you couldn't afford and stealing money from retired old men, I was building a skill set that made me untouchable."
Silence fell over the line, save for Mallory’s heavy, ragged breathing.
"I was never jealous of you, Mallory," I continued. "I pitied you. Because I knew that the moment Mom and Dad ran out of money to shield you, you would crumble into nothing. And look at you now. You're thirty-one years old, sitting in a jail cell, completely incapable of surviving on your own."
"Nadine... please..." Mallory whimpered, her arrogance entirely gone. "Don't leave me here..."
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"Actions have consequences, sister," I said. "You spent your life taking. Now it's time to pay."
I pressed the red button, disconnecting the call.
