As an office drone who had fought her way from a small Midwestern town into a New York advertising agency,I envied rich people who never had to clock in. When the wealthy Walker family finally found me,I thought I could say goodbye to overtime for good. Instead,they refused to give me money or shares in the family company.All they wanted to give me was love.Lots and lots of love. So I had no choice but to keep suffering through endless workdays and late nights. One night,I came home late again after rushing to finish a project.Lillian,the Walkers’adopted daughter,was sitting in the living room in tears. “Erin,why are you always hiding at the office?Do you hate me so much that you can’t even stand being in this house?” Mr.and Mrs.Walker looked at me with disappointment. “Erin,do you have to treat Lillian like this?She waits up for you every night.She gets so anxious she can barely sleep.” My so-called brother,Kyle,stepped into my path.”This family hasn’t had a moment of peace since you came back.You owe Lillian an explanation.” I stared at the stale family drama playing out in front of me and felt nothing but exhaustion. “How long are you going to keep this act up?” “Can we speed it up?I have a pitch meeting tomorrow morning.” … All four of them fell silent. My phone buzzed again.The client sent over an eighteenth round of revisions,and I nearly blacked out. All I wanted was to go upstairs and collapse onto my bed. I had barely turned away when Kyle grabbed my arm. “What kind of attitude is that,Erin Walker?Is your job really more important than Lillian?” I rolled my eyes.”Obviously.If I don’t work,where am I supposed to get money?It’s not like any of you gave me shares in the company.” All four of their faces changed again. I had disappeared before I turned three.By the time the Walker family found me,I had already been working for two years. When I learned that I was the long-lost biological daughter of a wealthy family,I almost popped open a bottle of champagne on the spot. For Lillian’s eighteenth birthday,the Walkers had given her an eight-figure trust fund and ten percent of the family company. If their adopted daughter had received that much,surely their biological daughter would receive at least as much. But after I completed the identity paperwork,took back the Walker name,moved into the estate,and asked about my shares,they told me they had prepared nothing for me. “Why?”I asked. Mr.Walker gave me a solemn look.”A transfer of equity involves the board and the terms of the family trust.It isn’t as simple as you think.” Right. It had not been complicated when they gave shares to Lillian.It only became complicated when it was my turn. Fine.If shares were out of the question,they could at least give me an allowance. Mrs.Walker refused that too.”Erin,it isn’t that we don’t want to.Lillian hasn’t asked the family for money since she came of age.If we give money to you and not to her,she’ll think we don’t love her anymore.” I nearly laughed from sheer disbelief. Her trust fund could support an ordinary person for several lifetimes,and she collected dividends every year.Of course she never needed to ask for money. If I had all that,I could afford to act above it too. When I said nothing,Kyle spoke coldly.”Money.Shares.Trust funds.Is there anything else in your head,Erin?” “Mom makes cream of mushroom soup for you herself every day.Have you touched it once?Lillian waits for you every night.Have you ever thanked her?” “They’ve both tried to welcome you,but you walk around with a sour face every day.Besides,you were the one who wandered off back then.Who exactly are you blaming now?” He stood on his moral high ground,accusing me of being ungrateful and incapable of appreciating family. I laughed. Kyle’s face went livid.He raised his hand to hit me. “You have no manners at all,Erin.Today,I’m going to—” Before his hand could come down,Lillian rushed over and stopped him. “Kyle,don’t hit Erin!” She looked at me with reddened eyes.”Erin,this is all my fault.I took your place,and I received the shares that should have belonged to you.If you truly want them,I can give them back.” Kyle immediately panicked.”No!Those shares are part of your trust.They’re your security in the Walker family.If you give them to her—” “Great.”I cut him off and smiled at Lillian.”Since you’re so willing,have the lawyers prepare the transfer documents tomorrow.”
Lillian went quiet. Kyle’s expression darkened.“Erin,just because you’re the Walkers’biological daughter doesn’t mean you get to bully Lillian.Those shares belong to her.” I ignored him and kept my eyes on Lillian.”You weren’t just saying that,were you,Lillian?” Her face went pale for a few seconds,but she quickly recovered her usual gentle expression. “Of course not.I’d be more than happy to give them back to you.” “But the company isn’t a private shop.Any share transfer has to go through the board,and shareholders take on legal and financial liability.You don’t have any experience.I’m afraid the directors might make things difficult for you.” Mr.and Mrs.Walker joined in,explaining that the company was controlled by a family trust and any transfer required approval from a majority of the board. I might be their biological daughter,but I had lived away from the family for years and had never been trained as an heir.The board might not accept me. They were all excuses. The board was made up of relatives and Mr.Walker’s oldest friends.If he wanted the transfer approved,no one would oppose him. The four of them talked over one another,acting as if withholding money from me was some noble attempt to protect me.It made me sick. My phone buzzed again. My creative director informed me that even though tomorrow was Saturday,I still had to submit a revised proposal. My nose stung.Every argument I had wanted to make died in my throat. Forget it. Let the whole world burn. I went upstairs,took a shower,and crawled into bed.The moment my head touched the pillow,I finally felt human again. I was about to scroll through my phone when someone knocked on my door. “Erin,are you asleep?”Mrs.Walker called from the hallway.”I warmed up some milk for you.” “No,thanks,”I said automatically. After several seconds of silence,she spoke again.”I’m sorry.I didn’t know you were allergic to mushrooms.You loved them when you were little.When did you develop an allergy?” She sounded almost hurt. The truth was,I did remember a few things about this family. I remembered sitting with her beside the fireplace while she held me,patted my back,and sang me lullabies. At first,I really had hoped they would love me. But then I realized they had already given Lillian all the affection that might once have been meant for me.That was when I stopped wanting it. I still gave in.I opened the door,took the glass,and drank all the milk. I was about to say good night when Mrs.Walker produced another glass from behind her back. “I can’t drink another one.” “This isn’t for you.”She pressed the glass into my hands.”Would you take it to Lillian?What you said earlier hurt her,and she ran back to her room crying.Could you make the first move and give her a way to put this behind her?You are family,after all.” My hands stiffened.With every word she spoke,my heart sank a little further. Finally,I asked,”If I take this to her,will you leave me alone tonight?” She froze,then nodded anyway. I carried the milk to Lillian’s room. When she opened the door,I held out the glass.”Mom asked me to bring you this.She wants you to stop crying.” I clearly remembered waiting until her fingers had closed around the glass before I let go. But the next second,the glass crashed to the floor. Lillian screamed. The broken glass cut the top of her foot.
Her scream brought the other three running. Kyle went for the first-aid kit.Mr.Walker called the family doctor.Mrs.Walker stared at the blood on Lillian’s foot,then snapped her head up at me. “If you didn’t want to bring it to her,you could have said so,Erin.Why did you let go on purpose?” I had barely opened my mouth when Kyle shoved me aside. “Why else would she do it?Lillian refused to give her the shares,so she’s taking revenge!” Mr.Walker’s expression darkened too. Lillian spoke through her tears.”Don’t blame Erin.I was the one who didn’t hold on tightly enough.” The more she defended me,the more the three of them fussed over her. No one noticed the cut on my calf where a shard of glass had struck me. I watched them crowd around Lillian,said nothing,and left. There was nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix. Besides,the next day was Saturday.I still had to work,but at least I could sleep two hours later than usual. I slept until nine before going downstairs. To my surprise,Mr.and Mrs.Walker were still waiting at the breakfast table. I assumed they wanted to question me about the night before.Instead,Mr.Walker said,”Erin,your mother and I have talked.We’ve decided to give you shares in the company.” My eyes lit up,but I immediately grew wary.”Are you serious?” Mrs.Walker nodded.”You didn’t grow up with us.It’s understandable that you don’t feel secure.We also spoke to a family counselor.Love can’t exist only in words.Real security is the clearest way to prove it.” Mr.Walker continued,”Before,we were worried that receiving so many assets at once might cause you to make reckless decisions.Lillian also warned us that people who come into sudden wealth can lose themselves.” I knew it. Lillian had been the one persuading them not to give me anything. Still,they had finally come to their senses,so I decided not to hold it against them for the moment. “How much are you giving me?” Mr.Walker raised two fingers.”Twenty percent.The same as Kyle.” I almost whistled. Now that was generous. A phone clattered to the floor behind me. Lillian stood at the foot of the stairs,her face rigid.Jealousy flashed across her eyes. Mrs.Walker immediately hurried over to support her.”Didn’t the doctor tell you to stay off that foot?If you need something,ring for the housekeeper.” Lillian forced a smile.”Mom,I thought I heard you say you were giving Erin shares.Is that true?” Mrs.Walker nodded. “That’s wonderful.”Lillian’s smile was barely holding together.”I’m only worried that the directors might take advantage of her.” Mrs.Walker waved the concern aside.”She’ll have to face them sooner or later.Once your father and I retire,the company will belong to her and Kyle.” Lillian’s face grew even paler. I was in such a good mood that after breakfast,I returned to my room with renewed energy to finish my design. Half an hour later— All right.The energy was gone. How did the client manage to come up with so many pointless revisions every single time? I cursed silently and kept working.Two hours later,the message I had been waiting for finally arrived. [Thanks for your hard work.We still think the first version was best.] In my head,I called them an idiot. I replied:[Of course.No problem.] After staring at the screen for so long,I went downstairs for a glass of water. When I returned,someone was in my room. Lillian stood beside my laptop with a malicious smile on her lips. “What are we going to do,Erin?” “I think I broke your computer.”
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