After my parents died in a car crash, my world collapsed. At the will reading, I learned the family home had gone to my father’s sister, Dina—the aunt who’d always despised me. There was no inheritance left; Mom’s treatments had drained every cent.
Two days later, Dina appeared at the house.
“You’ve got one day to get out,” she snapped.
I pleaded, tears streaming. I had nowhere to go. She didn’t care. While she lounged on the couch watching TV, I shoved my life into bags, heart breaking with every fold.
The next morning, I stepped onto the porch, bags in hand, and froze. A sleek black limousine sat idling outside. I was about to walk past it when the door suddenly swung open, and I heard my name.
I turned—and gasped.
Inside was my father’s old business partner, Mr. Sterling, whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. He looked at my tattered bags and tear-stained face, then gestured for me to get in.
“I’ve been waiting for this day, Sarah,” he said softly, closing the door behind me. Dina’s furious shouting was muffled by the glass.
“What are you doing here?” I sobbed. “My aunt took everything. I have nothing left.”
Mr. Sterling handed me a wax-sealed envelope. “Your parents knew exactly who Dina was. They knew that leaving you the house and money outright would only let her drain your inheritance in court.”
With trembling hands, I opened it. Inside was a deed to a city penthouse and a bank statement showing a balance that made my breath catch.
“The house your aunt claimed?” Mr. Sterling smiled. “Heavily mortgaged. Your father used it as collateral to fund a secret trust for you—untouchable by Dina. In thirty days, the bank seizes that house. She didn’t inherit a home; she inherited a mountain of debt.”
I glanced out the tinted glass. Dina stood on the lawn, triumphantly tossing my remaining clothes into the dirt—completely unaware she was standing on a sinking ship.
“Where to, Miss?” the driver asked.
I wiped my eyes, staring at the city skyline. “Away from here,” I said, voice steady. “And don’t stop for anything.”
