CHAPTER ONE—THE 2 BILLION DOLLAR SECRET
This envelope is heavy, much heavier than paper carries the weight of a lie inside. This gold embossed voucher states that we have won a week (7 days) of accommodation at Azure Sands Resort, the highest luxury resort located in the Maldives.
“Mark!” I yelled and pretended to be excited, “You’re not gonna believe what I just got!”
Mark walked in with his tie loosened and his face showing the signs of exhausting himself running down a life he could not afford to live. He looked at me and at the envelope.
“What is it? Another bill?” Mark asked.
“No, I gave it to him and told him what was inside. The sweepstakes I entered; we have won a full week, all expenses paid.”
Mark snatched the envelope from me. As he read through the envelope, I watched Mark’s mood change from tired to razor sharp.
“Azure Sands? Do you know how much this is worth? Finally, I get to live the life I deserve!”
At this moment, Mark is only thinking about himself and not us.
I smiled a little bit and told him, “I figured it would be nice for us, and Toby will love the ocean.”
Mark didn’t hear any of that because he was too busy texting. “I’m gonna call Dad and Beatrice. We can’t go by ourselves.”
A chill ran through my body.
He doesn’t know the real story.
Three months ago, my grandfather, who Mark thought was just a local mechanic, left me two billion dollars with complete ownership of everything, including the Azure Sands Resort.
I wanted to keep that a secret to see who he really is.