Chapter 1

The day my brother got into a top university, I booked the best hotel in our little rural town and threw him a celebration dinner.

A few rounds of drinks in, he pulled his girlfriend up to stand beside him.

"Sis, that wedding house of yours—hold off on buying it."

I froze for a second.

He went on:

"Trudy Pruitt's parents raised her, and it wasn't easy on them. I want to use that money to buy them a place downtown first. Call it a little something from their future son-in-law."

My wedding-house money, spent honoring his future in-laws.

The relatives fell over themselves praising him. So responsible, so devoted, what a good man.

My mother was grinning ear to ear as she took the girl's hand.

"Our ancestors must be smiling down on us, to bring a child as loyal and good-hearted as you into this family."

The family group chat lit up right after.

"See, a college kid really is different. Thinks big."

"I always said there's no point in girls studying so much. Better to go out and work early, help the family."

"Exactly. If your sister had gone off to college too, where would the money for your in-laws' house come from?"

I looked at the messages praising him, one after another, then at the text the bank had just sent me. Tuition payment successful.

I quietly opened the university's financial dispute page, uploaded my ID and the payment receipt, and in the box for reason for refund, I typed a few words:

"Payer input error. Requesting full refund."

1

The page confirmed the request had been submitted.

Stanley Fox was still going around toasting.

He told that story about honoring his in-laws six times, and every time the relatives clapped again.

Trudy stood beside him, head down, dabbing at the corner of her eye.

"The house my parents live in leaks. The paint's peeling off the walls."

"My dad can barely walk, and my mom still has to go out and run a street stall."

My three aunts sighed and sighed listening to it.

My mother pulled Trudy to the seat of honor and had the server turn the roast suckling pig around to face her.

"Eat up, sweetheart."

"From now on your parents are my in-laws too. The money for the house, our family will pay for it."

Then she looked at me.

"Lucy. You hear me?"

I picked up my glass and took a sip of water.

"I can give the money."

Stanley smiled at once.

"I knew my sister wouldn't be that stingy."

I took paper and a pen out of my bag.

"Write me an IOU."

"Amount, interest, repayment date. All of it, spelled out."

The private room went quiet for two seconds.

Uncle Dwayne Nolan set his glass down on the table.

"Your own brother, and you want a signed note? Is money all you see anymore?"

Aunt Marlene Fox stared at me.

"No wonder you're twenty-eight and still can't get married. What man could stand a calculating woman like you?"

Stanley dropped the smile.

"Sis, I'll be making six figures a year down the line. You think I'd cheat you out of this?"

I pushed the pen over to his hand.

"If you won't cheat me, then sign."

Trudy tugged at Stanley's sleeve.

"Forget it. My parents weren't born lucky enough for this."

The words were barely out when my mother slammed down her chopsticks.

"Lucy Fox, who do you think you're humiliating with a piece of paper?"

"I gave birth to you. Your life and your money come to the Fox family first."

"These thirteen years you've been out earning, was there a single day you weren't carrying the Fox name?"

I put the paper and pen away.

"Fine."

"I'll transfer the money tomorrow."

Only then did my mother's face relax.

"Now that's how an older sister should act."

When the dinner broke up, the bill the front desk read out was four thousand two hundred more than the reservation.

My mother had added two tables on the spot and packed up sixteen orders of lobster to go.

She handed the boxes out to the relatives.

"It's all Lucy's treat for everyone. Take them."

I paid with my card and had the front desk print a receipt.

Out in the parking lot, I canceled the supplementary card under Stanley's name.

His phone plan, his memberships, the installments on his computer, I switched every one of them back to his own account.

A message came in from Stanley.

"Sis, what time tomorrow are you sending the house money?"

"Don't sulk. Trudy's waiting to go look at places."

I sent back one word.

"Okay."

A bank alert popped up right after.

The school hadn't settled the payment yet that day. One hundred twenty-eight thousand dollars had already been returned by the same route.

In the family group chat, the video of Stanley toasting was still racking up likes.

I saved the refund confirmation to my cloud drive.