The trouble began the following week.
An envelope appeared in Allison mailbox. Inside was a check for fifty thousand dollars and a note printed on thick expensive paper.
Take the money and stay away from my brother. Do not mistake your good deed for entitlement.
There was no signature, but the tone was unmistakable. Power. Warning.
Allison sat on her worn sofa staring at the check. The amount could repair her roof, pay debts, buy warm coats for winter. Yet something inside her recoiled.
She folded the check, placed it back into the envelope, and decided she would return it.
The next morning she boarded a bus to Northbridge City. Nathan had given her the corporate address. She arrived at a sleek glass tower and asked for the executive office. The receptionist eyed her cleaning uniform but directed her upstairs.
In a spacious office overlooking the skyline, a woman in a silk blouse stood behind a polished desk. Her hair was perfectly styled, her smile sharp as cut glass.
“I am Meredith Porter,” the woman said. “You must be Allison.”
Allison placed the envelope on the desk. “I cannot accept this,” she said. “I did not help your brother for money.”