Chapter 4 - Sisterly Love
By Wednesday, the reality of poverty had firmly hit Megan.
Since she had never held a real job in her life, living entirely off the "investments" Daniel funneled to her from my paycheck, the sudden shut-off of the money tap was catastrophic.
I was staying at a high-end corporate apartment downtown, paid for by my company, while the Arlington house was being prepped for rapid sale.
I was walking out of my office building to grab lunch when I heard the screeching.
"There she is! You thief!"
I turned to see Megan storming across the plaza, her designer heels clicking frantically on the pavement. She looked disheveled, her expensive highlights thrown into a messy bun, her eyes wild with panic.
Security guards at my building immediately stood at attention, noticing her aggressive posture.
"Megan," I said calmly, crossing my arms. "You shouldn't be here."
"You ruined my life!" she screamed, pointing a finger with a chipped acrylic nail at my face. "My car just got repossessed! They towed my BMW right out of my driveway!"
"The BMW I was making the payments on?" I asked mildly. "Yes, I canceled the auto-draft. You're thirty years old, Megan. It's time to buy your own car."
"You owe us!" she shrieked, drawing the attention of passing office workers. "Daniel is family! You swore to stand by him for better or worse!"
"He threw boiling coffee in my face, Megan. The 'worse' part crossed a legal line."
"He barely touched you! You're just a dramatic, selfish bitch who wants to keep all the money to herself!"
She lunged forward, raising her hand as if to slap me.
She never made contact.
Two of my building's security guards intercepted her, grabbing her arms and dragging her backward as she kicked and screamed like a toddler.
"Call the police," I told the head of security quietly.
"You can't do this!" Megan sobbed as they held her, her anger suddenly dissolving into pathetic desperation. "The IRS froze my personal accounts! I have no money for rent! Please, Claire, Daniel won't help me! He said it's my fault you left!"
I looked at her, feeling a strange mix of pity and absolute disgust.
"Daniel throws everyone under the bus to save himself," I told her, stepping closer so she could hear me clearly over the city noise. "You were just happy to ride shotgun while it was my money paying for the gas."
May you like
I turned my back on her and walked into the café, ordering a vanilla latte.
As I waited for my drink, I watched through the glass windows as the police arrived and loaded a handcuffed, weeping Megan into the back of a cruiser for trespassing and attempted assault.
