Chapter 2

2

My grandmother had lived in this small town her whole life. To her, three million dollars wasn't just a number―it was an impossible fortune.

She had never faced such a vicious scene. Her face turned pale, and her voice trembled.

"Sianna told us her work was confidential and she couldn't call. You all agreed to that back then!"

Mrs. Chislett sneered.

"Confidential? Tell me, what kind of job forbids a phone call for three years?"

"I... I don't know. Sianna said she signed a non-disclosure agreement. She couldn't say a single word."

My grandmother looked pained. Before I went into the mountains, I had indeed signed strict protocols. Even my family couldn't know the details. We only communicated through vetted letters. She knew I was safe, but not where I was or what I was doing.

Mrs. Chislett used this as a weapon.

"Confidential? It sounds like a pathetic excuse to me! What's so secret about carving wood? I bet Sianna was just working as some low-paid apprentice in a dusty factory. She was too embarrassed to come home!"

The neighbors nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. Everyone around here knows a bit of woodworking. Why the secrecy? She was probably just making table legs in some sweatshop."

Some of them even started to snicker with contempt.

Mrs. Chislett tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at us.

"Honestly, your granddaughter is an idiot. She used to be the most talented girl in town. Her embroidery was legendary. People used to beg for her designs. But no, she had to go study ancient books and wood carving. She threw her life away!"

"On the other hand, my Waylan might not have been a scholar, but he's smart. He's a millionaire now. He's living the dream."

Waylan soaked in the envious stares of the crowd. His grin was so wide it almost reached his ears.

He had always been overshadowed by my reputation when we were younger. Now that he had finally "made it," he couldn't wait to rub it in.

"Grandma, I heard Sianna was coming back, so my mom and I came to settle this. Where is she? Is she too ashamed to face the neighbors as a lowly carpenter?"

"We aren't heartless. Just sign the papers and pay the three million. Then we can all move on."

I finally understood. They wanted me back then because they thought I'd be famous and rich. Now that they thought I was a failure, they wanted to dump me and extort a fortune at the same time.

Unfortunately for them, they had picked the wrong day to play this game.