it from the

wn herself in front of Damian Blackwood's s

out his rivals, about vulnerabilities in his company that only an ou

l. A parrot, repeating lines without under

een with me. He saw her ambition, her

t just walk in, she burst through the door

triumph. "An internship. An advance on my sa

lence, jumped to their feet. They swarmed her

lliant daughter!"

u!" my mother cooed, snatching t

, sitting quietly in the co

voice dripping with contempt.

lips. She wanted to tie up loose ends. She wanted

rtinez has always had a crush on Amy. He's a good, hardworking

ect solution. One less mouth to feed, and a

The air smelled of oil and metal. Leo, his fa

waste time. He

Just give us w

t me, his kind eyes full of concern. My parents

ars he'd scraped together, stuffed in an envelo

ng. I looked at their greedy fac

to my parents. "But I am no longer you

leaving them behind wi

the garage, I finally broke. The tears I' d been

y presence. After a while, he went to the kitchen and ca

o me. "Here. Y

nd perfect. It was the b