Chapter Five

Elias had never skipped school before, but she couldn't bear to step into college today with her name and the book still flying around. It was a Friday morning, and she was standing by the doorsteps of her parents' house. 

Elias pushed the front door open a bit, the faint scent of burning coffee drifting out and into her lungs. Since she got her own place, she rarely ever comes back home. But her mother had sounded different on the phone the other day, and that worried her. 

Then, tight voices spilt from the sitting room. 

“…I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. McIntyre, but there’s nothing else I can do,” A man was saying, his tone clipped in the way people speak when they’ve repeated the same bad news too many times.

Her mother’s voice trembled, a sound Elias had never heard from her before, “There must be something. We’ve built this company for twenty-two years. We can’t just… lose everything, ”

The man sighed heavily, “The bankruptcy is final. The creditors have rejected every proposal. Unless you find a private investor quickly, your assets will be liquidated within the month,”

Elias’s breath caught. Bankruptcy? Assets? Liquidated?

Her father’s voice, which was usually commanding, sounded weak, “What about the offshore accounts?”

“Frozen,” the lawyer said flatly, “I’m sorry, Richard. My hands are tied,”

Elias heard the lawyer stand up, approaching the front door.

She panicked, stepping back into the shadow of the hallway just as the lawyer passed by with a briefcase in hand. His eyes slid over her, polite but distracted, before he was gone.

She remained still, heart hammering, the word bankruptcy echoing in her head.

Her parents hadn’t said a word to her about this.

Not one. Was that why they wanted her home? To tell her about this? 

McIntyre Global Import was a prestigious, upper-class, and high-revenue company that her parents had been running for many years. Their family were wealthy and top class, but after hearing this...

"What do we do now?" Elias heard her mother ask. 

"There's nothing we can do," He sighed deeply, "We might just have to start from scratch again. We still have the name. The network. We can just rebuild... just smaller this time, no more big risks,"

"And until then?"

Richard sighed again, "We cut down everything we can,"

Elias heard a faint creak from the stairs, and she peeked further and found Alex standing on the stairs with his hands crossed staring at his parents with the same tense stillness she had on her face. 

So, he was home too. 

Elias's fingers tightened on the doorknob. What now? How was everyone going to cope with this development?

The next words that left her father's tongue had Elias's eyes widening, "We'll have to talk to Elias about dropping out of school when she comes tomorrow," His voice was cold and calm. 

Her mother hesitated, "Richard..."

“It’s the only logical choice. Alex is in his final year, he’s the one with the better shot at restoring this family. She can get a full-time job, help keep the house afloat,”

“She already works,” Her mother said softly, “She pays her own rent, her books,”

“Exactly. She’s independent enough to manage. And Alex needs every advantage right now. She ought to understand,”

The words sank in like shards of glass. Elias had always known they favoured her twin, but hearing it spelt out so easily was a different kind of sting. They were straight out valuing Alex's future over hers, as if she were the unimportant kid or something. 

Her parents never hesitated to make her feel less. 

Before she could stop herself, she threw the door open and barged into the living room.

“Understand what?”

Two startled faces turned toward her, "Elias!" Her mother breathed 

“You want me to drop out of school so Alex can keep playing football? Are you serious?” Elias crossed her arms, boiling with anger.

Her mother’s eyes narrowed sharply at her, “Don’t take that tone with me. This is about what’s best for the family,”

“What’s best for the family? Or what’s best for Alex?” Elias retorted in a single breath, “Because let’s be real, he’s always been your favourite. The perfect son. Meanwhile, I’ve been the one looking after myself since I got here. My rent, my books, my food, I've been making it work without asking you for a damn thing,”

“This isn’t about favouritism,” Her father said, his voice taking on that authoritative edge that now made her want to pull out her hair, “It’s about making sacrifices. You’re capable of getting another chance later, but Alex’s career...”

“Oh, here we go,” Elias let out a hysterical humourless laughter, “Alex’s career. Alex’s future. Alex’s dreams. Do you even hear yourselves? You’ve never once asked what I want,”

“Don’t raise your voice at us,” her mother warned.

“Then stop telling me how I should live my life!” She fired back.

Silence stretched for a beat, and Elias remembered that her brother was also there in the living room and her gaze shifted to his with a bitter expression in her eyes. 

“Of course,” She muttered, her voice trembling with fury, “Standing there like the perfect little prince. Not saying a word while they plan my life away. You’re okay with this, right?”

Alex didn’t answer. His jaw was clenched, and there was a hard expression on his face. 

“I’m not dropping out,” she said with finality, “No matter what either of you says,”

Her father stepped forward, his eyes blazing, “You will do what’s necessary for this family—”

“I already have,” she cut him off instantly, “For years,”

Without wasting another breath, Elias whirled around and walked out the door, slamming it behind her without a care. 

“Elias!” her mother called after her, but she didn’t look back.

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes as she walked down the street, but she didn't dare let even one fall. Her heart was heavy, and she felt deeply betrayed and hurt by the people she called family. She never knew they favoured Alex this much over her, so much as to make her risk her education.

All she's worked for. 

“Elias, wait,” Alex's deep voice called from behind, making Elias even angrier. 

She spun around, “What? Want to make sure I don’t embarrass the family in front of the neighbours?”

Alex stopped in front of her, a frown on his face, “You think I wanted them to say that? You think I’m okay with you dropping out?”

“You didn’t exactly fight for me in there,” she snapped.

“I didn’t fight because you were already going off like a grenade,” he shot back, “One more voice yelling wasn’t going to help,”

“Or maybe you just didn’t want to mess up your golden-boy image,” she said, her voice dripping with accusations.

His jaw clenched, "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I damn well know exactly what this is all about!" She yelled back, a tear slipping down her cheeks, "My college life is already going south. I can't have this too, alright?" She took a step back, quickly wiping away the tear as if she didn't want him to see her cry

"Elias-"

"And I ain't dropping out of school. Not now, not ever. You tell that to mum and dad. It's not my fault the company is now on its knees," She shook her head fervently, putting more distance between herself and twin brother. 

"Listen. I'm not gonna let them push you into dropping out,"

She scoffed in disbelief, "It doesn't matter what you do. I'm not leaving school for any reason. I didn't come this far just to throw everything away because of the same family who neglected me, you hear me?? You just worry about yourself and no one else like always,"

Alex groaned, "You're not listening!"

"There's nothing to listen to!" She grounded out, "I'm going and I'm not coming back to that house till I graduate,"

Alex stared at her this time, allowing her to glare at him. Then, he asked softly, "School wouldn't be conducive for you anymore. Not after the leak. I'm pretty sure that's why you didn't go to school today, right?"

If he was trying to add petrol to the fire burning inside of her, he had very much succeeded in doing that, "I thought we agreed not to talk about that!"

"Tell me, did Kaelen say anything to you about the book?"

Now, that caught her off guard. 

Alex caught onto the way her expression changed subtly, and his eyes narrowed, "He did, didn't he?" 

"And why would Kaelen say anything to me? And if he did, how does it concern you? Like I said before, no one in school knows we are related, and I, for one, would love to keep it that way!"

Alex rolled his eyes, "That's how I would like to keep it too!"

"Then stop poking into my business! You don't see me asking you about the girls you always hook up with, right?"

"Do you plan on hooking up with Kaelen?!" His eyes blazed. 

"I don't have to answer to you!!" She raged, whirling around to walk away from him. 

Alex reached out and grabbed her hand, "I'm warning you again, do not get involved with Kaelen. If he comes to you, brush him off, or ignore him. You can stay in your apartment till everything calms down; it'll pass anyway. You just make sure you and Kaelen have nothing to do with each other,"

Elias rolled her eyes this time, and yanked his arm off her, "Like I said before, it's none of your business!" 

With that, she turned around and walked away from him.