The moment Lily's phone rang, she glanced down at the screen. She pressed the receiver to her ear with one hand, covering it with the other, before slowly walking toward the window.
I caught a faint trace of joy in her voice as she spoke. "Ross has agreed. He said as long as you work hard, the house won't be a problem."
The next day, I swallowed my pride and asked a former school friend for help. He agreed to introduce Finn to an assistant position.
When I shared the news with Lily, her face lit up with a smile, and I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction in my chest. The sight of her so happy filled me with warmth.
Two days later, I was having a quiet dinner with my wife when my phone vibrated incessantly with calls from my friend.
His voice was full of frustration, but he managed to calm himself before speaking. "Ross, I'll tell you the truth. That brother-in-law of yours is nothing but trouble. I gave him an assistant job, but he's acting like I've hired a goddamn king. He insisted I drive him to work, and when I didn't agree to it, he laid his hands on me. I'm done with him. You handle him however you want."
Before I could even apologize, the line went dead.
And then, just as I was about to process what had happened, a loud, hurried knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
Lily moved quickly to open it.
Finn burst in, full of energy as usual. He didn't even let me speak before he exploded, "Sis, you wouldn't believe that crap job Ross found me. He doesn't even treat me like a brother-in-law. How did you even fall for such a useless man?"
He barged inside, complaining without any gratitude. His entitled attitude struck me like a slap in the face.
Without a second thought, he sank down onto the sofa, his legs carelessly crossed over the coffee table in front of him. He looked entirely at ease, as if he owned the place, completely disregarding any kind of decorum.
I wanted to scream at him, to tear into him for his lack of respect, but I forced myself to hold back.
Lily looked at me, annoyance creeping into her voice. "Ross, why didn't you find Finn a decent job? You should've known better." She shot me a glare, as though I was the one who'd done something wrong.
She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a drink for Finn, smiling as she handed it to him.
That was it. I couldn't hold back anymore. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked.
"Do you know what Finn did?" I snapped at her. "He asked the boss to drive him to work, and then he hit his boss when he got upset."
Finn barely reacted, still lounging with his legs up. He leaned back casually like a spoiled child. "What's the problem? I made him drive me to work. What's the big deal? Yeah, I hit him—hell, I want to hit you too."
Lily stood frozen, unable to say anything, her expression distant. It was like she was shutting herself off from all of this. She didn't even seem to care.
I was about to charge at Finn and give him a piece of my mind, maybe even knock some sense into him, but before I could move, Lily stepped forward, wrapping her arms around my waist, holding me back.
Finn, clearly enjoying the spectacle, grinned widely and made a face at me, relishing my fury.
Lily's patience snapped. She turned to Finn her voice rising sharply. "Finn, don't push it. Do you know how hard Ross has worked for you?"
Finn shrugged nonchalantly, like it was all a joke to him. "I don't care. I never asked him to help me."
With that, he stood, brushing past her, heading straight for the guest room without another word. He didn't even look back.
I stood there, speechless, staring at Lily with a bitter laugh. "So this is the brother you're so proud of."
Her face flickered between a pale blush and a sharp whiteness, unsure of what to say, as she stood rooted to the spot, silent.
She stammered for a long moment before finally speaking, "Maybe Finn's gone too far today. You're his brother-in-law, try to be more understanding."
"Tsk," I scoffed.
I pushed past her, heading for the door, grabbing a lighter and a cigarette, eager to escape the suffocating tension.
Lily didn't stop me. She probably thought I needed a moment to cool off, to get away from it all.
