He ignored everyone else, making his way straight to me. He kissed my cheek, handed me the flowers, then turned, his gaze sweeping the room.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he said smoothly. Then, after a pause, his voice turned sharp.
“Now… will someone explain why my daughter’s party has turned into a goddamn circus?”
The café erupted.
A dozen voices tried to explain at once. It only took five minutes for my father to piece together the entire story. His face hardened.
Then, slowly, he turned to Emily.
“You,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “have no idea how much you’ve disappointed me.”
Emily flinched. “Dad—”
“No.” His voice sliced through the air like a blade. “You don’t speak now.
You speak when you learn what it means to be loyal to family. But you won’t learn that with my help.”
I reached for the envelope he carried. My fingers slid it open.
Inside? A stack of papers.
His will.
Dad’s voice was calm but firm. “As of today, you are my sole heiress.
I will not reward betrayal.”
A sharp gasp. Emily took a shaky step forward. “You have no right to do this!”
My father turned his back to her.
“And you had no right to destroy your sister’s home.”
Suddenly, there was a silence. A thick, suffocating silence that tasted like victory.
Ryan sat there, stunned. Emily’s lip trembled, her world crumbling.
I exhaled slowly, taking in the moment.
Then, I lifted my glass.
“To new beginnings.”
And as my friends and family raised theirs in return, I knew—my birthday had never felt sweeter.
Source: amomama
