“No.”
Two workers climbed out and began unloading office furniture.
Desks.
Chairs.
A conference table.
Adrien glanced at Brianna.
“First team meeting is Monday. Eight-thirty.”
“I’m not working here.”
“That’s your choice.”
Mom looked at me.
“You’ve ruined your sister’s life.”
“I sold my house.”
I held her gaze.
“She still has her job. You still have your daughter.”
“You’re done,” Dad said.
His voice dropped.
“You are out of this family.”
For years, those words would have terrified me.
Standing in Grandma’s driveway, they didn’t.
I looked him directly in the eyes.
“Promise?”
A few houses down, Evelyn Foster had joined the neighbors.
“Margaret would be proud of you, Jasmine.”
Mom turned sharply.
“Proud of this betrayal?”
“Proud that her granddaughter finally stood up for herself.”
Evelyn’s voice carried easily across the sidewalk.
“We all saw how you treated her.”
Mom’s face changed.
The thought that Grandma’s neighbors had noticed what happened inside our family seemed to bother her almost as much as losing control of the house.
Then more cars arrived.
Brianna recognized one of the people getting out.
Vanessa Hart.
A member of Northstar’s leadership team.
“What are they doing here?”
“Site inspection,” Adrien said.
Vanessa approached.
“Brianna, I didn’t expect to see you. Getting an early look?”
Brianna swallowed.
“Yes.”
Then Vanessa saw me.
“Jasmine. Good to see you.”
We shook hands.
“Adrien mentioned you’ll remain our residential tenant. I’m glad you’re able to stay in your grandmother’s house.”
Mom stared.
“You know her?”
“We’ve met,” Vanessa said. “Jasmine also did consulting work for our finance department before joining full-time. Excellent work.”
Another detail my parents had never bothered to ask about.
I had spent months consulting for Northstar before I accepted the permanent position. I had built my own professional relationships.
No family connection had given me those.
Dad looked at me.
“You really have been planning this.”
“I’ve been planning to survive you.”
Adrien stepped forward.
“Mr. and Mrs. Holloway, the sale is complete. Jasmine made a lawful decision about property that belonged to her.”
Mom looked toward Brianna.
“What about our daughter?”
Adrien paused.
“Which one?”
Nobody answered.
He continued.
“Brianna will report here for scheduled meetings. Jasmine will remain here under her lease. Professional boundaries will be respected.”
Vanessa looked at Brianna.
“Any harassment involving our tenant becomes an employment matter.”
“She’s my sister.”
“The sister whose inheritance you were pressuring her to give up?”
Brianna’s face tightened.
Dad called the entire arrangement extortion.
Camille finally lost some of her patience.
“No. It’s consequences.”
Mom glared at her.
“You’re supposed to be neutral.”
“I am.”
Camille looked at my parents.
“Margaret specifically excluded both of you from authority over this property.”
My attention snapped toward her.
“What?”
Camille turned to me.
“Your grandmother was concerned they would pressure you after her death. She wanted the will written clearly enough that nobody could pretend there was ambiguity.”
For a moment, everything else disappeared.