Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Minds moved in things flunged by b\u00a0<\/p>\n
First, it was the living room\u00a0<\/p>\n
The set of vases Mom loved got shoved into the storage closet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo old fashioned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad didn\u2019t say a word,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then it was Mom\u2019s photo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The frame got moved from the living room into my bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, honey, you keep your mom\u2019s picture in here. Having it in the living room\u2026 it\u2019s just too hard on your dad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad still didn\u2019t say anything\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then came the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One night at dinner, Melinda set down a bowl of soup, smiling like she\u2019d just thought of something brilliant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney, I wanted to run something by you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat place Renee\u2019s mom left her\u2013the apartment, I mean. I was thinking\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I put my fork down and stared at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kept going:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just sitting there empty, Bryson\u2019s twenty\u2013five now. He should be thinking about settling down, starting a life. So I thought maybe\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat house is mine. My mom left it to me.\u201d I cut her off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile froze for half a second, then snapped back into place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetie, I\u2019m not trying to take anything from you. Just let Bryson stay there for now. When you get married, it\u2019ll still be yours, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you making this so difficult?\u201d Her voice lifted slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mom would want that place being used, wouldn\u2019t she? Bryson can look after it for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad cleared his throat. \u201cRenee, Melinda\u2019s got a point-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad. That\u2019s Mom\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad went quiet. After a long pause, he said, \u201cLet\u2019s just eat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The subject got dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A month later. Bryson showed up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood in front of me, a whole head taller, eyes stiding down like he was sizing the up\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, sis. Letting me use your place for a bit isn\u2019t a big deal, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smirked. \u201cYou\u2019re just a student. What do you need a house for? You don\u2019t even live there?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smirk faded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, Melinda cried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sat in the living room sobbing, saying I didn\u2019t see her as a mother, that marrying into this family had been a normu, nowhere to go and it was breaking her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad stood there looking completely lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at me, expression all tangled up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, can\u2019t you just give a little?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. That house is all I have left of Mom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face twitched. He didn\u2019t say anything after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, Melinda made breakfast with red, swollen eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she saw me, she didn\u2019t speak\u2013just sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad kept glancing between us the whole meal, like he wanted to say something but couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This went on for two weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then one day, Dad called me into his office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, I need to talk to you about something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat house. Let\u2019s transfer it into Bryson\u2019s name for now. Just on paper. When you get married, we\u2019ll transfer it back\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me finish.\u201d He cut me off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda hasn\u2019t been sleeping. Her blood pressure\u2019s through the roof. If Bryson can\u2019t get his life together, it\u2019s gonna kill her\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s my problem how?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee!\u201d His voice shot up. \u201cShe\u2019s your stepmother!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him. \u201cMy mother\u2019s dead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
He fraze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long silence, he said, \u201cYou\u2019re signing whether you like it or not. I\u2019m your father. I have the right to handle this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa bought that house for Mom. It\u2019s in my name.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt got put in your name when you were still a minor. Your mom didn\u2019t think it through. Now you listen to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, he walked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three days later, Bryson showed up at my door with paperwork.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSign it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled and shoved the papers at me:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad already agreed. You really think you can do anything about it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just tore the papers in half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face changed. He raised his hand like he was about to hit me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad walked in and grabbed his wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBryson. Don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryson pulled back, glaring at me. \u201cUncle Steve, you see how she\u2019s acting?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me. His eyes were so cold, I barely recognized him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, you\u2019re really disappointing me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, I tried calling Grandpa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was in his seventies, living in New York, health not great.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Mom died, she made me promise not to worry him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone rang and rang. No answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, Dad dragged me to a notary\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melinda and Bryson were already there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The notary asked me, \u201cAre you certain you want to proceed with this transfer?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s hand clamped around my wrist so hard it hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said quietly, \u201cRenee. Do what you\u2019re told.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melinda dabbed at her eyes. \u201cRenee, sweetie, I know this is hard for you. But I\u2019m begging you\u2013just help your brother out this once. We\u2019re family\u00a0<\/p>\n
now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryson stood off to the side, expression dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The notary asked again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad answered for me. \u201cShe agrees.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The house got transferred.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two bedroom apartment my mom left me\u2013from that day on, it wasn\u2019t mine anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
C\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Waited for Answers by Orin Flux 2 Chapter 2\u00a0 After Minds moved in things flunged by b\u00a0 First, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-billionaire-grandpas-secret-weapo-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}