I Bought The Bank You Faked

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The day I accompanied my brother to look at his new house was the first time I met his fiance. She was a wealth management elite, fresh off a stint in Europe, or so the family legend went.

She looked me up and down, her body physically blocking the doorway of the luxury condo, her face twisting into a mask of pure disdain.

"Youre the delivery driver, right? Don't come in. Youll track dirt all over my new hardwood."

I froze. The air in my lungs went completely still.

My brother, Justin, let out a nervous, scraping laugh and tried to smooth it over. "Wendys been living overseas for a long time. Shes just blunt. Don't take it to heart, Margot."

I didn't want to make a scene. I truly didn't. I turned on my heel, ready to walk away and let them have their moment, but her voice drifted through the open door, laced with a casual, devastating cruelty.

"Look at her. Shes built like a twig. If she was actually just delivering food, that would be one thing."

She paused. I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"But you have to wonder about the girls who do those late-night deliveries. The ones who bring themselves right to the customer's door."

"It's just dirty."

My footsteps stopped. A quiet, hollow laugh slipped from my throat.

I didn't leave the building. Instead, I turned and walked straight down the hall to the developers sales office.

"The wire transfer I authorized an hour ago for the down payment," I told the agent. "Cancel it. I want a full refund."

1.

"Ms. Ellis, are you entirely sure?" The agent looked panicked, his fingers hovering over his keyboard. "If we terminate the contract now, there's a two percent penalty fee."

He swallowed hard. "That's roughly ten thousand dollars."

Hearing the number, I just smiled.

"That's nothing."

"I would rather set that money on fire than let her have a single dime of it."

The agent stared at me, dumbfounded.

I didn't offer another word. I turned and walked out.

Just as I rounded the corner into the grand lobby, I spotted Justin and Wendy.

Her voice wasn't a shout, but in the echoing marble foyer, she made absolutely no effort to hide it.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Justin. If you hadn't shown me how serious you are by putting my name on this deed, I never would have agreed to marry you."

My brother stood there, staring at the floor, mutely adjusting the straps of her designer shopping bags on his shoulder.

Seeing him cower, she let out a cold little scoff.

"You know the kind of clients I deal with at the bank. High-net-worth individuals. Old money. If we're being honest, your family background is entirely beneath me."

She paused, and the temperature in her voice dropped.

"Especially that sister of yours."

"A grown woman, running around dropping off takeout? God, its humiliating just to admit I know her."

Justin didn't say a word. His silence was the fuel she needed to keep burning.

"She's not going to latch onto me, is she? Because I'm telling you right now, do not expect me to use my network to get her a real job."

"I'm closing a massive portfolio deal next week. It's my ticket to Managing Director. At a critical time like this, I cannot have your sister dragging down my image."

Justin nodded eagerly, like a dog begging for a treat.

"No, no, of course not. I promise, she won't bother you."

I stood in the shadows of the alcove, perfectly still. My heart was a slow, heavy drum in my chest.

Wendy, feeling entirely victorious, kept going.

"I've seen plenty of girls like your sister when I was abroad. Trust me. Nine times out of ten, that 'gig work' she's doing is a front. These delivery girls"

She laughed. It was an ugly sound.

"Who knows what beds they're crawling into at night"

She looked up. And she saw me.

The air in the lobby turned to glass.

I looked right back at her, a faint smile playing on my lips.

"Why'd you stop? Please, keep going."

"What happens at night?"

Justins face drained of color. He immediately stepped between us, his voice sharp and defensive. "What kind of attitude is that? Have some respect. Can't you even say hello to your sister-in-law?"

I kept my eyes on him. I didn't move an inch.

Wendy recovered quickly. The viciousness vanished from her face, replaced instantly by the polished, condescending mask of a concerned relative.

"Don't be mad at me for being blunt, Margot. I'm only saying this for your own good."

"If you weren't Justin's sister, I wouldn't waste my breath." She sighed softly, playing the martyr. "Look, I know you didn't finish your graduate degree. I know you're desperate for cash. I get it. You don't have the kind of professional pedigree I do."

"But a woman has to have boundaries. Selling your body is going to ruin this family's reputation."

I let out a harsh bark of laughter. I opened my mouth to tear her apart, but Justin grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

"Enough, Margot. Wendy is treating you like family. She's bearing her soul to give you advice."

"Don't be a brat."

I looked down at his hand on my arm. A sudden, overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over me.

I didn't know if Wendy was bearing her soul.

But I did know that my wonderful, perfect older brother had absolutely no heart at all.

2.

Seeing Justin take her side, Wendy puffed up with renewed confidence.

"Whatever. I understand. A multi-million dollar condo is something most people will only ever look at from the sidewalk. It's natural for you to be jealous."

"This place is going to be in my name. I can't wait to start decorating"

Right at that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out. A notification lit up the screen.

Dear Ms. Ellis, your real estate deposit refund has been processed. Total amount credited: $4,900,000.

I swiped the notification away, locked the screen, and slipped the phone back into my pocket.

"Alright," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "Enjoy the new house, you two. I hope the move-in goes smoothly."

I turned and walked out the glass doors.

That evening, I had barely stepped out of the shower when my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Get over here right now!" she shrieked.

The moment I unlocked the door to my mother's house, before I could even take my shoes off, she lunged at me, digging her nails into my forearm. "Wendy loves the condo! Go back to the developer right now and wire that money!"

Before I could process the demand, Justin stood up from the sofa, his face dark with anger.

"What the hell was your problem at the sales office today?"

"It was your first time meeting Wendy, and you intentionally try to humiliate her?"

I stared at him, letting the silence stretch until it became uncomfortable.

"I humiliated her? She looked me in the eye and called me a whore, Justin. Did you conveniently go deaf?"

He scowled, waving a hand dismissively. "She lived in Europe for years! They're direct over there. Stop being so dramatic!"

"Besides, so what if she gave you a little tough love? She meant well!"

I felt a cold smile stretch across my face. "I'm being dramatic?"

"Fine." I locked eyes with him.

"Since she loves the condo so much, you guys can buy it yourselves. Why are you asking me for the money?"

Justin's face flushed a deep, ugly red. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

My mothers face hardened into the familiar, terrifying mask of disappointment. "How dare you speak to your brother that way?"

"Justin is the man of this house! He is the foundation of this family! Is it going to kill you to defer to him for once?"

A laugh clawed its way up my throat.

"Why is he always right?"

"Why am I always the one who has to bleed for him?"

My mother's voice turned to ice. "Because a family needs a man to hold it up!"

"What good is relying on a girl? You'll just leave us anyway."

I looked at her. I didn't say a word.

It was a script I knew by heart. I had heard those words for years.

When my dad was dying, they said the family needed a caretaker. They forced me to drop out of college. Later, I clawed my way back, finishing my undergrad purely on merit scholarships, working until my bones ached.

Then my dad passed. I was accepted into a fully-funded Master's program in the UK. I thought I had finally made it. I thought the nightmare was over.

But I didn't go. Because they went into my bank account, drained the four years of savings I had bled for, and used it to bribe recruiters and buy expensive networking club memberships to secure Justinthe golden boya cushy corporate job.

When I found out and screamed at them, my mother said the exact same thing she was saying now.

What's the point of a girl reading so many books? A family relies on its men.

They broke my wings, forcing me to abandon my education and plunge into the workforce just to survive.

I stood in the hallway, looking at the two of them. I opened my mouth to fight, to scream, to demand justice. But the fire went out. It was just exhausting.

I nodded slowly.

"I have to go back to work."

I turned to leave. Justin chased me to the doorway.

"Look at your goddamn attitude! You make a few bucks and suddenly you think you're better than us?"

"Running around all nightGod only knows what shady things you're actually doing!"

3.

Early the next morning, having pulled an all-nighter, I had barely fallen asleep in my own apartment when my bedroom door was shoved open.

My mother stood in the doorway, her face stormy.

Justin and Wendy were right behind her.

Wendys eyes immediately darted to a jacket hanging on the back of my chair.

"I knew it. I wasn't seeing things."

"That was her last night."

I pushed myself up on my elbows, my head throbbing, squinting at them. "Excuse me? Do you not know how to knock? How did you even get in here?"

Wendy let out a derisive snort. "Your apartment. Right. Sounds so independent. We all know a man pays for this."

Justin stepped forward and threw his phone onto my duvet.

"Is this you?"

The screen was lit up. It was a blurry, zoomed-in photo taken in a dimly lit, high-end restaurant. Crystal wine glasses, dark wood.

I was sitting in the center of a table, surrounded by a group of older men.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my mother beat me to it, her face pale with horror.

"Is that you?"

I nodded slowly.

"Yes, but that was last night at"

Wendy cut me off, her voice triumphant.

"I told you! I told you both, and you didn't believe me! Margot Ellis, you are a disgrace to the concept of the modern, independent woman."

I just stared at her, genuinely disoriented.

"I was there for work."

Wendy sneered. "Oh, right. You were there to"

She leaned in, her eyes gleaming with malice, and over-enunciated the word.

"work."

I was so angry I actually laughed. "Are you implying that anyone who goes to a fine dining restaurant is doing sex work?"

"Because you were clearly there too. So what does that make you?"

Justin stepped in, vibrating with irritation.

"How dare you compare yourself to Wendy? She has a European pedigree. Shes a wealth manager. It's completely normal for her to entertain clients at places like that."

"But you?"

I looked at him. I really looked at him. And the laughter bubbled out of me again, quiet and sharp.

"You're right. I could have had a European pedigree, too."

"Care to remind everyone why I didn't get to go?"

My mother slammed her hand against the doorframe.

"Enough! How many times do I have to say it? Why does a girl need a fancy degree?"

I stared her down. "Then why did Justin insist on marrying a woman who has one?"

My mother's expression darkened. "That is entirely different. Justin is marrying a woman to bring prestige into this family."

"You are eventually going to be married off. You are an outsider."

The room went dead silent.

I didn't say anything else. There was a physical weight on my chest, pressing down so hard I could barely breathe.

Seeing my face shut down, my mother softened her tone, adopting a manipulative cadence.

"Look, whatever you're doing, just go to the developer today and transfer the money for the condo."

"Don't drag your brother down when he needs you most."

I didn't answer.

They took my silence as submission, turning and filing out of my apartment.

As the front door clicked shut, I could hear the faint murmur of my neighbors in the hallway. My mother had left the door open just long enough.

"I had no idea Ms. Ellis was in that kind of business"

"It has to be true. Her own family just said it"

I sat alone on the edge of my bed. Slowly, my hands uncurled from the fists they had formed. I fell backward onto the mattress.

The ceiling was perfectly, blankly white. My mind was a chaotic storm.

For so many years, I had bled myself dry, working to the bone to prove my worth to this family. To prove I belonged.

And all it bought me was one word.

Outsider.

4.

I turned off my phone, packed a duffel bag, and drove up the coast for two days. I needed to breathe. I needed to stop caring.

A few days later, the moment I walked back into the city and switched my phone on, my mother called.

I braced myself for a screaming match, but to my surprise, her voice was sickeningly sweet. "You're back. Come to dinner. We're celebrating."

Against my better judgment, a lingering, pathetic sliver of hope made me go.

When I pushed open the door to the private dining room at the restaurant, my mother beamed.

"There she is. We were just waiting for you."

Justin offered a strained, awkward smile. "Look, I was out of line the other day. I apologize. We're family. We air things out, and we move on."

Wendy chimed in, flashing a practiced, glossy smile. "Don't be mad at me, Margot. You know I'm just too honest for my own good. Water under the bridge, right?"

I sat down, watching their terrible community theater performance with a blank expression. I didn't say a word.

People who want nothing don't act this nice.

Sure enough, before the appetizers even hit the table, Justin couldn't hold it in anymore.

"So, Margot, about the house situation"

I put my water glass down. The clink was loud in the quiet room. "I don't have the money."

Justin's face tightened, but he forced the smile back onto his lips.

"I know you're still upset. It's fine. We actually thought about it."

He paused, clearing his throat.

"We don't need the new condo."

"We'll just take your apartment."

I stared at him. For a second, I genuinely thought I had misheard him. "Excuse me?"

He spoke with the casual entitlement of a prince demanding a peasant's harvest. "We talked it over. Your place is huge. It's a complete waste of space for a single woman."

"Just transfer the deed to us, and we'll use it as our marital home."

I let out a slow, dark chuckle. "And where exactly do I go?"

My mother jumped in, completely unfazed.

"You can just rent a studio somewhere! It's not a big deal."

"It's not like you have a real career tying you to that neighborhood."

I laughed out loud. I couldn't stop.

Justin's face instantly turned thunderous.

"If you consider us family, you won't make this difficult for us."

I leaned back in my chair, the laughter dying in my throat, replaced by a glacial calm.

"Absolutely not."

Wendy, having suppressed her true nature for an agonizing ten minutes, finally snapped.

"Forget it, Justin! I wouldn't live in that apartment anyway. God knows what kind of filth has been in it!"

I nodded agreeably.

"You're right. You shouldn't live in my apartment."

"You're a strong, independent woman with a European pedigree, aren't you? Buy your own."

Her face froze.

The next second, her gaze snapped toward the hallway outside the open door of the private room. Her eyes lit up like floodlights. "Oh my god, what timing. That's the Managing Director of my bank branch."

She turned back to Justin, vibrating with excitement. "He told me he's introducing me to a massive new client today."

"Once I close this portfolio, we can buy whatever house we want."

Justin practically puffed out his chest. "Exactly. That's my girl. She's got real talent."

"That European education really pays off. Even the Director worships her."

My mother piled on, shooting me a look of deep disgust. "Look at you. You have no idea how to navigate the world. When your brother and Wendy are wealthy and successful, you're going to come crawling back."

Wendy tossed her hair, looking at me with pure venom.

"Well, some of us actually have to rely on talent."

"Unlike others."

I didn't say anything.

At that exact moment, the Managing Director stepped into the private room.

Wendy shot up from her chair, her face contorting into an eager, sycophantic grin. "Director! It's so"

The man didn't even look at her. He walked right past her extended hand and stopped dead in front of my chair.

"Ms. Ellis!"

His voice was breathless with respect.

"That massive corporate deposit we discussed last weekdo you have an idea of when you might want to finalize the paperwork?"