Chapter 3

Dad's lips trembled with rage. He threw the broom, and it hit Ian in the forehead.

Seeing things get out of hand, Mom quickly stepped in to mediate.

"Enough! Everyone, stop fighting. I've been thinking about splitting the cafe business for a while now. Eventually, both kids will go their separate ways. Why not divide the business now and let them both do their own thing?"

Ian looked at Mom with renewed confidence and shot me a smug look.

"See? Mom agrees with me."

Mom turned her gaze to me, her expression complicated.

"After you do an inventory of the equipment in the cafe, you can take half. Your father and I have some savings, so we'll give you the money and equipment to start your own business."

She continued, "I know how much effort you've put into this cafe. But if Ian and Louisa are happy together, as family, we should support them. For my sake, take a step back. Siblings shouldn't fight over something like this."

Ian eagerly agreed. "Right. Mom's right."

Dad waved his hand. "No. Vivian has worked so hard for this business. I'm not going to let her feel like she's been treated unfairly."

Seeing Dad stand firmly with me gave me some comfort.

Mom stepped forward, speaking with finality. "I know this is unfair to Vivian, but Ian's right. The business has to be split."

Dad sighed heavily, looking like he wanted to say more, but Mom stopped him with a look.

They both turned to me, waiting for my response.

Ian's eyes were full of expectation, while Dad's showed concern.

I stayed silent for a long while before agreeing to the plan.

Ian, filled with excitement, said he'd go out to share the good news with Louisa right away.

That night, Ian didn't come home.

In the middle of the night, I was unable to sleep, so I got up to get some water. As I passed by my parents' room, I noticed they were still awake. Their voices were faintly audible.

Mom's tone was serious. "Today, you raised a huge fuss and even hit Ian. But that was just for show, right? You wanted to show Vivian that you're on her side.

"You know Ian is far too proud and isn't capable of succeeding on his own. Now, he's even blinded by Louisa and will probably amount to nothing in the future.

"You don't want them to have separate businesses because you want to make sure Vivian always backs Ian. With her support, even if he fails at everything, he'll always have a safety net and won't have to worry about going hungry."

Her voice was low, but each word hit me like a thunderclap.

My heart shattered.

I held my breath, covered my mouth, and peeked inside.

Dad was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bowed. "You asked the two of them to run separate businesses. It looks like you're helping Ian, but in reality, you're just looking out for Vivian. You don't want Ian to become a burden to her, do you?"

I finally understood. If Ian and I kept running the same cafe, I would always be the one working hard, while Ian could do nothing and still have everything, because I'd never want to take his share, just like what I had done all these years.

My efforts hadn't gone unnoticed by my parents, but they had quietly accepted that I would always be Ian's safety net.

However, Louisa had made Mom change her mind. After all, Ian and I were both her children. How could an outsider take advantage of us?