Myles' POV

“Call the police? You’d really call the cops on your own brother?” Tamara’s voice was dripping with disdain. “We’re just taking the car for a spin. Why are you overreacting? You’re so stingy.”

And with that, she hung up.

I stood there clutching my phone, my whole body trembling.

The store manager stared at me coldly.

“Well?” he asked.

“They said… they’ll return it tonight,” I said softly, unable to meet his eyes.

But his voice instantly rose. “Tonight? Do you even know how much the insurance costs per day for that car? What if something happens out there? Do you know how much the damages could be?”

My knees were beginning to buckle.

“Sir, I swear, I had no idea they would do this.”

“No idea?” he scoffed. “Myles, I’m giving you one last chance. If that car isn’t back before we close tonight, you’re suspended immediately, and you’ll be held responsible for the entire loss.”

“Almost half a million. Can you afford that?” he hissed.

I sat in the office, overwhelmed, frantically redialing their numbers. But every time, it went straight to voicemail, signalling their phones were off.

As the deadline crept closer and closer, I had no choice but to call my parents.

“Mom, something serious happened!” I cried.

“Justine and Tamara… they took a Maybach from the dealership. It’s worth almost half a million!”

But instead of sounding worried, my mom responded as if it were nothing. “It’s just a car. You’re a manager, aren’t you? Besides, the dealership’s full of cars. What’s the big deal if your brother drives one?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Mom! It’s not my car! It belongs to the company! What they did is illegal!” I shrieked.

“Illegal?” she said with a dismissive snort. “We’re family. Why are you being so petty?”

“Mom, I could get fired for this! I could even go to jail!” I explained, hoping she could understand my point of view at least.

But her voice only turned cold. “Jail? You’re so dramatic!”

Then my dad took the phone, his tone sharp and commanding. “Myles, your brother finally found a wife. If your sister-in-law likes that car, what’s the harm in letting her have it? We raised you all these years just for you to turn against us now?”

“Dad, this isn’t about personal feelings. It’s my job. There are rules—”

Yet he cut me off instantly. “Don’t talk to me about rules! The only rule in this house is that sons come first! Who are you supposed to spend your money on if not your brother?”

My hands were shaking as I held the phone.

“Dad, what they did is theft. I can’t cover for them,” I said, wishing it could knock some sense into him.

“Cover for them?” he shouted. “He’s your brother! So what if you cover for him?”

Then he added, “Listen, fix this immediately, and don’t you dare embarrass us by calling the police. If it really can’t be helped, pay the car yourself.”

Pay it? It was almost half a million!

I was stunned in disbelief. “Dad… that’s almost half a million!”

“So what? You make tens of thousands a month, don’t you? Just pay it off slowly,” he said matter-of-factly.

Yet his words stabbed like a knife.

“Dad… I only make a grand a month,” I corrected him.

But he sounded even more annoyed. “A grand? Who are you trying to fool? You’re a manager! There’s no way you earn that little!”

“I swear it’s true! The rest depends on sales commissions. I—”

He cut me off again, this time with a snarl. “Enough! I don’t care. Just handle it. And if you dare call the police on your own brother, then forget about being our daughter. If anything happens to your brother, our whole family will hold you responsible!”

As such, the call ended.

I sat there in the chair, gripping my phone as silent tears streamed down my face.

Myles' POV

Turned out, in their eyes, I was never truly a daughter. I was just a tool, a support system for their precious son.

By closing time, the car still hadn’t been returned.

The store manager walked up to me, looking grim, and asked, “Myles, where’s the car?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

“That’s what I thought,” he said grimly. “As of this moment, you’re suspended. The head office legal is already involved. Be prepared to take full responsibility.”

He then held out his hand and added, “Hand over your employee badge.”

My hands trembled as I unclipped the nameplate from my chest, the one that read "Manager." It had taken me three years of hard work and sacrifice to earn it.

And now, because of someone else’s wrongdoing, I was being forced to give it up.

Once he had the badge in hand, he coldly said, “Pack up your things. You’re done here.”

Across the room, my coworkers stood silently, watching me. Their faces were a mix of sympathy, schadenfreude, and barely contained curiosity.

I lowered my head and hastily shoved everything from my desk into my bag.

As I stepped out of the store, my phone buzzed.

It was a photo of an image of a speeding ticket from Tamara. The red numbers on it screamed out like an insult.

Then a voice message followed, “Myles! This luxury car really is something else. You barely touch the gas, and it just takes off! We went a little too fast, so be a dear and pay the fine for us, yeah? Oh, and by the way, we’re really loving this ride. We’ll keep it for a while. Once we’re bored, we’ll bring it back.”

At that instant, my blood boiled.

They stole the car, and now they wanted me to pay the ticket?

Enraged, I immediately called them.

“Where are you?” I demanded.

Justine answered, his voice hesitant. “Uh… we’re… we’re out somewhere. Myles, don’t be mad. Tamara didn’t mean any harm.”

In much anger, my voice trembled as I replied, “Do you even know what has happened? I’ve been suspended! If you two don’t return that car soon, I could go to jail!”

Silence took over the other end of the line briefly, then his tone suddenly changed. “Well, isn’t this your fault? If you’d just let us have the car in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. And hey, maybe losing your job is a good thing. Before those rich guys at work use you up and throw you away, you should find someone to marry. That way, you can get a decent dowry and help out the family.”

After saying that, the call immediately ended.

It felt like someone had stabbed me straight in the heart.

Used up? That came from my own brother?

I had clawed my way to where I was through sheer effort and hard work. How dare he reduce me to that?

Still clutching my phone, I stood in the cold wind, completely hollowed out.

I didn’t know how long I wandered before I realized I was standing on the bridge that crossed the river.

The wind was strong and biting, slapping against my skin and making my head ache.

Below, the river looked pitch black and endless.

Growing up, I was always told to give way to Justine. The good food, the fun toys—everything was his.

Even after I started working, the money I sent home was turned over to him and his wife to spend as they pleased.

And suddenly, it all clicked.

If they never treated me like family, then why had I been sacrificing for them all this time?

Just as I came to that painful realization, I heard a man’s voice call out behind me.

“Miss! Whatever you’re going through, please don’t do anything stupid!”

I turned to explain that I wasn’t trying to jump, but before I could, my phone rang again.

It was a number I didn’t recognize, but it was local.

After briefly hesitating, I answered.

Immediately, a serious voice came through the line.

“Hello, is this Ms. Myles Schuman? This is the city traffic police. Your brother, Justine Schuman, and your sister-in-law, Tamara Schuman, were just involved in a drunk driving incident and hit someone. They’re claiming the car belongs to you, so we need you to come down and deal with it immediately.”