Chapter 2 - The Money Her Mother Left Behind
For a moment, I couldn't understand what Tasha had just said.
I looked at the paper.
Then at the brand-new Highlander sitting in our driveway.
Then at Marcus.
He was still holding the keys.
But his expression had changed.
The confidence was gone.
"Where did you get that?" he demanded.
Tasha flinched.
I stepped in front of her.
"Don't talk to her like that."
Marcus ignored me.
"Tasha, give me the envelope."
She pulled it against her chest.
"No."
It was barely louder than a whisper.
But I had never heard my sister refuse him so directly.
My mother hurried toward us.
"What is going on?"
I held up the bank notice.
"Did you know he used Tasha's money to buy my car?"
Nia stopped.
Her eyes moved toward Marcus.
That tiny movement told me more than anything she said afterward.
"Don't jump to conclusions," she replied.
I felt sick.
"That's not a no."
Marcus approached.
"The money is part of a family financial arrangement."
Tasha shook her head.
"No, Dad."
Her voice broke.
"That money was from Mom."
The word Mom made Marcus visibly uncomfortable.
Tasha's biological mother, Renee Williams, had died when Tasha was eleven.
I knew she had been a nurse.
I knew she loved sunflowers and old soul music.
And I knew Tasha kept a small silver necklace Renee had given her shortly before she died.
But I had never known about the trust.
Tasha unfolded the rest of the documents.
"My grandmother sent these yesterday. She told me to check the account activity."
Marcus's face darkened.
"Your grandmother has no business interfering in our household."
"She was my mother's mother!" Tasha cried.
"Watch your tone."
I stepped forward.
"Stop threatening her."
Our neighbors were beginning to retreat toward their houses.
Nobody wanted to witness what was happening.
My mother tried to lower her voice.
"Let's discuss this inside."
"No," I said.
"Maya, enough."
"You bought me a car using money that belonged to Tasha. I want an explanation."
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"The funds were temporarily used. They will be replaced."
Tasha stared at him.
"Temporarily?"
"Yes."
"You told me there wasn't enough money for my college deposit."
"That was a separate issue."
"How is it separate?"
Marcus looked toward the street.
"You're too young to understand investments."
Tasha laughed.
It was a terrible sound.
Not because she found anything funny.
Because she was realizing that the person responsible for protecting her inheritance might have betrayed her.
"I'm nineteen," she whispered.
"I've been working twenty-five hours a week while taking classes."
Marcus said nothing.
"I skipped meals so I could save money for textbooks."
Her tears fell onto the notice.
"I stopped asking you for help because you always made me feel guilty."
I looked at her.
I knew she worked hard.
But I hadn't known she was skipping meals.
A wave of shame washed over me.
Tasha continued.
"And the whole time, you were spending my mother's money on Maya?"
Marcus suddenly pointed at me.
"This is exactly why I didn't tell you. Look at the trouble you're causing."
I stared at him.
"Me?"
"Yes. You turned a birthday celebration into a public humiliation."
I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You took her money!"
"Lower your voice!"
"No!"
My shout echoed across the driveway.
For seventeen years, I had been taught to respect adults.
To obey my parents.
To never embarrass the family.
But standing there, I finally understood that respect couldn't mean helping someone hide wrongdoing.
Nia grabbed my wrist.
"Maya, you're coming inside."
I pulled free.
"I'm going wherever Tasha goes."
My mother looked stunned.
"You can't seriously choose her over your own mother."
The words hurt more than I expected.
I looked at her carefully.
"Why are you making me choose?"
She didn't answer.
Tasha slipped the documents back into the envelope.
"I need to call Grandma Evelyn."
Marcus immediately stepped forward.
"Absolutely not."
That frightened me.
Not his words.
The panic behind them.
Tasha noticed it too.
"Why not?"
"Because she's been trying to turn you against me for years."
"Then explain the transfer."
Marcus's mouth tightened.
"I already told you."
"No," Tasha whispered. "You haven't."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Marcus looked toward the Highlander.
"Go inside. Both of you."
I shook my head.
"We're leaving."
My mother laughed sharply.
"And where exactly do you think you're going?"
I took out my phone.
"To someone who doesn't think stealing from Tasha is normal."
I called Grandma Evelyn.
Technically, she wasn't related to me.
She was Tasha's maternal grandmother.
But she had always treated me kindly.
Every Christmas, she sent both of us cards.
Every birthday, she remembered my favorite chocolate.
When she answered, her warm voice came through the speaker.
"Maya, sweetheart. Happy birthday."
I almost cried.
"Grandma Evelyn, we need help."
Her voice changed immediately.
"What's happened?"
I looked at Tasha.
She nodded.
I explained everything.
The SUV.
The bank notice.
The transfer.
Marcus's refusal to explain.
Grandma Evelyn remained silent until I finished.
Then she asked one question.
"Is Tasha safe?"
I looked at my sister.
She was shaking, but she nodded.
"Yes."
"Good. Don't argue anymore. I'm coming to get you."
Marcus overheard.
"That woman is not taking my daughter anywhere!"
Tasha lifted her chin.
"I'm nineteen, Dad."
He stared at her.
"I can decide where I go."
For once, she didn't lower her eyes.
Grandma Evelyn told us to wait at the coffee shop.
We began walking.
This time, nobody stopped us.
When we reached the corner, Tasha finally broke down.
She sat on a bench and covered her face.
"I feel so stupid."
I sat beside her.
"Why?"
"Because I believed him."
I wrapped my arms around her.
"He was supposed to protect you."
She cried harder.
I held her until her breathing slowed.
Then I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"How much money was supposed to be in your trust?"
Tasha wiped her cheeks.
"I thought around ninety thousand."
I stared at her.
"Ninety thousand?"
She nodded.
"My mother had life insurance. Grandma said most of the money was put into a trust for my education."
"How much is left?"
Tasha opened another page.
Her hands shook.
I leaned closer.
The account balance was printed near the bottom.
Twelve thousand six hundred and forty-three dollars.
I looked at her.
"What happened to the rest?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then she pointed to a second transaction.
It was dated two months earlier.
Thirty thousand dollars.
Transferred to an account I recognized.
My mother's business account.
And suddenly, the betrayal became even worse.
May you like
Because Marcus hadn't acted alone.
Nia had taken Tasha's money too.
