Stolen Prize Money

When I found out I'd won an $80,000 European vacation for two as a graduation prize, my Aunt Janice showed up at my house with my cousin, Kelsey Whitmore, who had always loved taking advantage of other people. "Elise, your dad's in poor health and can't fly. Why don't you give the trip to Kelsey and her husband? You'd probably get lost traveling on your own anyway. We won't take it for free. We'll give you a nice cash gift." Kelsey and her husband, Travis Connelly, had just gotten married and couldn't afford a honeymoon. My hands shook with absolute fury as I crumpled that meager 200 bucks in my fist. An $80,000 prize, and she expected to take all of it with a few casual words? I smiled, pushed the cash back toward her, and shook my head. "No, Aunt Janice. If my dad can't go, I can cash in the prize instead. Besides, Travis makes over $30,000 a month. Surely he can afford honeymoon tickets." Aunt Janice and Kelsey left with dark expressions. Half an hour later, Kelsey flooded the family group chat with celebration emojis. "Ticket redeemed! Thanks for the generous gift, Elise. I'll enjoy this luxury European honeymoon on your behalf." Aunt Janice tagged both my father and me. "Elise is such a thoughtful girl. She gave her European vacation to Kelsey." I was about to expose the lie when I heard my father talking on the phone in the next room. "That's right. Transfer the reservation to Kelsey. Elise and I both have a fever, so we can't go..." My heart went cold. While I was in the shower, my father had gone through my phone and stolen the redemption code. If he was willing to sacrifice his own life just to please his relatives, then I was done trying to save it. Chapter 1 I pushed open the door to the next room. My father, Wayne Whitmore, was covering his mouth, laughing into the phone. "Don't worry, Kelsey. Your uncle's got this. I already sent you the redemption code, so hurry up and register it. "I'll talk to Elise. What does a girl like her know? She probably wouldn't even know where to find the baggage carousel after landing. Letting her go abroad would just embarrass us all. "Exactly. Giving you that ticket for your honeymoon is putting it to good use." I walked over with a cold expression and snatched the phone out of his hand. The call screen was still lit. My father jumped, startled, and sprang up from the bed. "What are you doing? You don't even knock before coming in? Where are your manners?" I ended the call and tossed the phone back onto the bed. "So while I was in the shower, you went through my phone, stole my redemption code, and sent it to Kelsey? Did you even ask me, Dad?" My father didn't look guilty in the slightest. Instead, he lifted his chin and glared at me as if he were completely in the right. "I'm your father. I gave you your life. You think I don't get a say over one lousy ticket? "When Aunt Janice and I were little, she used to carry me on her back. Back when the family was poor, she saved the only piece of cornbread for me. I owe her for that for the rest of my life. "Besides, instead of letting you take that ticket and go show off on some pointless vacation, it might as well go to Kelsey. At least it won't cost the family anything." At the words "go to Kelsey", it felt as if a knife had lodged in my throat. Years ago, when my mother needed chemotherapy for stomach cancer, my father had taken the only $30,000 our family had left and given it to Kelsey to study abroad. He said Aunt Janice's family had it hard, and they couldn't let Kelsey's bright future be ruined. In the end, my mother endured the pain and rage until it killed her. Now he was the one with severe heart disease. The doctor said he needed bypass surgery by the end of the month at the latest. To save up for his surgery, I had been working three jobs a day for years, running myself into the ground. I'd won the European vacation by filling out a survey while working a flyer promotion at the mall. After I won, the only thing on my mind was how to cash it out to pay for his treatment. How could I possibly leave him behind and go traveling on my own? I took a deep breath and forced down the anger burning in my chest. "Kelsey is already twenty-nine. If she wants to impress her in-laws by pretending she's wealthy, why should she get to do it with what's mine?" Chapter 2 My father flew into a rage and smacked me across the forehead. "Watch your mouth! Family is family! "Aunt Janice already said that as long as Kelsey has a glamorous honeymoon, she'll earn her place in Travis's family. "Travis owns a building materials company. Once Kelsey comes back from Europe, she'll be living the life of a wealthy wife. If they let a little money slip through their fingers, it'd be enough to support you for the rest of your life. "You ungrateful brat! You don't understand a thing about how the world works!" Just then, my phone chimed. Aunt Janice had sent a voice message to the family group chat. "As a younger brother, Wayne really knows how to look after me. "Elise, thank you for giving Kelsey the trip. You're single anyway, so the ticket would've gone to waste. When Kelsey gets back, I'll have her bring you some chocolates from Europe." The rest of the family quickly chimed in. Duane: "Wayne handled this well. Elise's being a good daughter, too." Pamela: "Exactly. It's only one trip. Elise's still young. She can earn the money to visit Europe herself someday." I let out a cold laugh and typed into the group chat. "If that's how everyone feels, then my father's surgery costs $320,000. There are four of your households, so how about each of you chips in $80,000?" Then I sent another message. "Kelsey, you stole my redemption code without my permission. You should be grateful I haven't called the police. "I thought your husband was the rich heir who gives you $30,000 a month just for spending money. Why can't he even afford an $80,000 honeymoon? "You have thirty minutes to cancel the booking. After that, don't blame me for what happens next." The chat went completely silent. Three seconds later, Aunt Janice called. The moment I answered, her scream nearly burst my eardrum. "You little brat! What the hell do you think you're doing? Your father already promised Kelsey the trip, and now you're trying to take it back? Not happening! "Wayne has listened to me his whole life. If you dare go back on this, I'll disown him as my brother. "He'll be so furious it'll kill him, and you'll spend the rest of your life as the daughter who drove her own father to his grave!" My hands trembled with anger. She knew perfectly well how serious my father's condition was, yet she still threw around threats like that. Did she care about his life at all? "And besides, Kelsey already registered the redemption code under her name. It's too late to cancel now. We're family. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame us when you're the one crying later." I turned to look at my father. To my disbelief, he nodded eagerly and spoke into the phone. "Janice, don't be angry. Don't waste your breath arguing with this stubborn girl. I'll handle it. She's my daughter. She can't possibly defy me." The last shred of hope inside me shattered. I hung up, then immediately called the travel agency. "Hello. My name is Elise Whitmore. I'm the prize winner. My ID number is... "My redemption code was stolen. I want the prize frozen immediately." The customer service representative remained polite. "Certainly, Ms. Whitmore. We've verified your prize information. "To freeze the reservation, you'll need to bring your original ID to one of our branch offices in person. If you complete the process before ten o'clock tomorrow morning, we'll be able to cancel the booking. After that, the authorization will be considered valid." I ended the call without sparing my father another glance. Back in my room, I reached for my ID, which I'd hidden. It was gone. My heart sank. I searched every corner of the room. My passport was gone too. I spun around. My father was leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile. "Looking for your ID? Your Aunt Janice knew you'd make trouble. While you were in the shower, I didn't just take your phone. I gave Kelsey your ID and passport, too." Chapter 3 "Kelsey said the travel agency needs the original documents to complete the registration. She's just borrowing them for a few days." The blood drained from my face. "You stole my ID? What if she uses it to borrow money from loan sharks? My father frowned impatiently. "Stole? Don't be ridiculous. She's family. What's wrong with letting her borrow it? When did you become so selfish and coldhearted? "She's your own cousin. You think she'd hurt you? Just stay put. Once Kelsey gets back from her honeymoon, she'll return everything." I stared at his sallow, puffy face. Was this really the same father who'd carried me through the mountains all night when I had a high fever as a child? No. That man was gone. The person standing in front of me now was nothing more than a fool who'd been manipulated into sacrificing his own daughter for someone else's benefit. My phone buzzed. It was a message from the hospital. "Ms. Whitmore, we'll only be able to hold the bed until tomorrow afternoon. If the payment still hasn't been made by then, we'll have to give it to the next heart patient on the waiting list. Please let us know as soon as possible." I looked down at the message. Then, without another moment's hesitation, I dialed 911. "Hello. I'd like to report a burglary. Someone broke into my home and stole my identification documents and other valuable property." My father's eyes went wide. Like a madman, he lunged at me and slapped me across the face. Smack! Half my face went numb instantly. "You ungrateful brat! Who gave you permission to call the police?" The phone flew from my hand. It smashed into the wall, the screen exploding into a web of black cracks. "How dare you call the cops on your own aunt? Have you lost your mind? How did I end up raising such an ungrateful daughter?" "Have you even thought about what people will say if my own relatives get arrested? Are you trying to kill me?" The force of the slap sent me crashing to the floor. The corner of my forehead slammed into the glass edge of the coffee table. Warm blood seeped between my fingers and dripped onto the floor. My father stood there trembling. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand again. Ding. The family group chat suddenly exploded with notifications, and my backup phone lit up nonstop. Kelsey had sent three crying emojis, followed by screenshots showing that her hotel reservation had been successfully booked and was nonrefundable. [I already booked the hotel! It cost nearly $30,000! I don't know what happened, but Elise canceled my trip. All my money's gone!] I frowned. The travel agency had clearly said cancellations had to be handled in person tomorrow. Kelsey continued flooding the chat. [If you really won't let me go, I can pay you cash instead. But after what you've done, how am I supposed to face my mother-in-law or Travis] [It's too late to buy new tickets now. The airline has already blacklisted me!] The chat exploded. [You'd sabotage your own cousin? Have you no shame?] [Exactly! Kelsey only gets one honeymoon. You're deliberately making her look bad in front of her in-laws!] My father grew even angrier. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking as though he were about to collapse. The next second, someone pounded on the front door hard enough to shake the house. Kelsey burst inside like a whirlwind. She ripped the imitation luxury handbag she'd just bought off her shoulder and hurled it at my face. "You brat! What the hell is wrong with you? My mother-in-law was already looking at me differently! Give me that trip back right now, or I swear I'm not leaving until you do!" Aunt Janice stormed in right behind her. She dropped onto the couch and immediately burst into loud, theatrical sobs. "Oh, heavens, just let me die! I practically raised my little brother with my own two hands! I cleaned him, fed him, did everything for him. I'd have been better off raising a stray dog! "Wayne! I don't care what it takes! If Kelsey doesn't get that trip or compensation today, I'll smash my head against the wall and die right here in your house!" At first, I'd wondered how the travel agency could have processed everything so quickly. But watching the two of them put on such a perfectly rehearsed performance... I immediately understood everything. Chapter 4 I slowly got to my feet and wiped the blood from my forehead. Then I opened the screenshots Kelsey had posted in the family group chat. "Kelsey, that's a pretty convincing Photoshop job. Next time, at least line up the pixels." She'd always been like this. As a child, she'd lied to get extra food. As a teenager, she'd conned people out of cosmetics. Then she started lying to her boyfriends. I could accept that she'd taken my trip. What I wouldn't accept was her trying to make me reimburse her for expenses she'd never incurred. Whether the trip was canceled or not, she'd already decided to bleed me dry. I wiped the blood from my forehead, ignored everyone in the room, and headed upstairs. The moment I stepped into my bedroom, my phone chimed. It was a text alert from my bank. [Your account ending in 8845: $50,000 transferred at 10:15 p.m.] I stared at the number on the screen. That was my payroll account. It was money I'd scraped together for my father's surgery fund by working three jobs a day, skipping medicine whenever I got sick, and never allowing myself more than the cheapest meals. I spun around and ran downstairs. Aunt Janice and Kelsey were already gone. My father sat on the couch, leisurely sipping his tea. Hearing my footsteps, he lazily lifted his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that? Everything I do is for your own good. Janice says any random man in Europe is part of the upper class. "Once Kelsey gets to know a few people over there, I'll have her introduce you to a rich boyfriend. Then you'll get your chance to go abroad too." He blew across the surface of his tea. "You need to think about the bigger picture." It turns out that when a person reaches the absolute limit of despair, they laugh. I burst into laughter. I laughed until tears mixed with the blood running down my face. The sound unsettled my father. He awkwardly rubbed his nose. "What are you laughing at? A young woman shouldn't act like a lunatic." He kept lecturing me, but I couldn't hear another word. I shoved him aside and grabbed my backup phone. I'd been ready to let everything go because he was still my father. But he'd actually conspired with outsiders to steal my money. If I didn't send every last one of them to jail, I'd be doing his life lessons a disservice. Half an hour later, the police moved quickly. They intercepted Kelsey in the VIP departure lounge at the airport just before her flight to Paris. Even in the mediation room at the police station, dressed head to toe in designer labels, she sat there rolling her eyes in contempt. "Elise, are you really that desperate? It's only a little money. Did you seriously have to call the police? Go explain everything to the officers so I don't miss my flight tomorrow morning." Her husband, Travis, had also been brought to the station. He looked completely bewildered. "Kelsey told us her cousin gave us the trip as a wedding gift. Our whole family was incredibly grateful. There has to be some misunderstanding, Officer." A few moments later, my father came rushing in, drenched in sweat. "My daughter's just throwing a tantrum." He hurriedly pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tried to offer one to the officer, but the officer pushed his hand away. "So what exactly happened? You're the complainant's father, correct?" I calmly recounted everything from beginning to end. The officer frowned and turned to my father. "Is what your daughter said true?" My father immediately waved his hands. "Officer, don't listen to her nonsense. She didn't even want the prize! And the $50,000 was money she agreed to lend us." "This is a family matter. She's only doing this to make life difficult for me. She's trying to drive me to an early grave." Watching the pained expression on his face, even the officer frowned and looked back at me. "Your father says you agreed to it. Do you have any evidence that anything was stolen?" I pointed to the wound on my forehead, still bleeding, but before I could speak, Aunt Janice gave a dismissive snort. "What evidence could there possibly be? Officer, you don't know this girl. "Elise has always been coldhearted with a terrible temper. If you ask me, she's got serious anger issues. Just like her mother. Poor all her life, and with that personality, no man will ever put up with her." She rolled her eyes before turning to me with a fake smile. "Be a good girl and listen to your aunt. When Kelsey gets back, I'll have her introduce you to a handsome foreign boyfriend." My phone chimed. [Payment Received: $200.] "I've sent you another $200. Go buy yourself something nice." I looked at the pathetic $200 transfer. Then I looked up at the smug grin spread across Aunt Janice's face. In that instant, I understood. When my mother had been driven to her death, Aunt Janice hadn't just stood by and watched. She'd been one of the people who pushed her over the edge. I'd been saving that money for my father's surgery. But if he believed his own life was worth so little, then I wasn't about to sacrifice mine trying to save his. I let out a cold laugh. "$200? You'd better save it. You'll need it to buy toiletries in jail."