Confrontation at the Bank
In the bank's VIP room, Samantha sat beside Harold, who was frantically wiping his neck and face with a handkerchief, clearly looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Across from them, a bank manager and a customer service representative were writing a check at Samantha's request. Once the customer service rep finished, they handed the check to the manager, who then passed it to Samantha.
"Here's your check, ma'am. Is there anything else I can help you with?" the manager asked.
"I'd like to be able to write checks myself, so please transfer the funds from my personal account to the new checking account I just opened," Samantha replied.
"Of course, ma'am. Just write down the amount, and we'll handle the transfer forms," the manager confirmed.
Samantha then turned to Harold and handed him the check. Harold was still visibly nervous, constantly wiping his face despite not sweating. Finally, he took the check and looked at the amount.
"A-alright, everything's settled now. But please don't leave yet, your father is on his way here with your two younger siblings," Harold stammered.
"Okay, I'll wait," Samantha said.
"Blak!" Just as Samantha finished speaking, the door burst open. She turned to see Robert, Melissa, and Derek standing there. Robert's face showed a mix of confusion and anger, while Melissa and Derek simply looked bewildered. Samantha stood up, walked over to Robert, and hugged him.
"How are you, Dad?" Samantha said with a smile.
"Shuuut," Robert pushed Samantha away, breaking the hug. He scrutinized her face.
"You... are you really Samantha?" Robert asked, confused.
"You can see for yourself, Dad. My face looks just like Mom's and Samuel's," Samantha replied confidently.
"But I saw it myself when you were born... Samantha... no, that's not right," Robert mumbled, still confused.
"What about when I was born, Dad?" Samantha pressed, a cynical smile playing on her lips.
"You... you were supposed to be dead," Robert stated.
"As you can see, Dad, I'm not dead. Samuel is the one who died now," Samantha said.
"Th-then why are you only showing up now if you're not dead?" Robert demanded.
"Huh... why only now? You know Samuel was allergic to women, so of course, he was allergic to me too, right? Mom intentionally kept us apart, and what you buried back then wasn't me, but an abandoned baby who happened to die when we were born. Mom told me so much before she passed away from stress," Samantha explained.
Samantha walked past Robert and stood in front of Melissa. "Shuuut," she took Melissa's hand and lifted it.
"S-sister?" Melissa asked, startled.
"See, Dad? I'm not allergic to women (Samantha took off her shoe). In fact, right now, I hate men," Samantha declared.
"Shuuuut," Samantha raised her leg, extending it straight out to the side, right in front of Derek's Adam's apple, who was standing behind Melissa. Derek gasped, instinctively raising both hands.
"S-sister, I believe you, Sis, please put your leg down, please," Derek pleaded, looking pale.
"What do you want, Samantha?" Robert asked.
"I don't want anything. Just don't blame anyone else for Samuel's death. And on the day Samuel died, I heard something interesting from him," Samantha said.
"Huh... you... you could contact Samuel?" Robert asked.
"Of course. Samuel and I have been in touch all this time. If it was by phone, his allergy wouldn't act up," Samantha replied.
"H-hear what, Sis?" Melissa asked.
"Something about his name being cut from the inheritance," Samantha said casually.
Melissa and Derek visibly flinched. Their expressions briefly changed but quickly returned to normal. Samantha noticed all of it.
"So you want to be put in the will? Where have you been all this time?" Robert asked.
"Oh, don't worry, Dad. I'm not asking to be put in your will. I lived with Grandma all this time, and after she passed away three years ago, I've been alone at her house," Samantha explained.
"Eleanor Whitmore... so you were with that woman," Robert said, his face red and hands clenched.
"Shuuut," suddenly Samantha spun, and her leg, still suspended in the air, was now directly at Robert's neck.
"Don't talk carelessly about Grandma," Samantha said coldly.
"Put your leg down!" Robert snapped, his face red.
"Only Grandma acknowledged and loved Samuel. For some reason, only Grandma also didn't trigger Samuel's allergy when he was near her. Grandma always communicated with Samuel and never considered him a family disgrace. I witnessed everything," Samantha said, lowering her leg.
Robert fell silent, his breathing grew ragged, and he looked furious. Melissa immediately put her arm around Robert.
"That's enough, Dad (she turned to Samantha). I'm sorry, Sis, don't provoke Dad. He has hypertension now," Melissa said.
"Hmm, I see. My apologies, I didn't know (huh... I know exactly about his illness, now I should probably leave, let they squirm with their mind and of course, as for now I'm their target, hehe)," Samantha thought, putting on her shoe.
"Um... you should probably go, Sis, but can I have your phone number?" Derek asked.
"Huh... of course not (she turned to Melissa). Where's your smartphone?" Samantha asked, holding out her palm to Melissa.
"H-here, Sis," Melissa said, taking her smartphone from her bag and handing it to Samantha.
After scanning the QR code to add the contact in the messaging app, Samantha returned Melissa's smartphone. Of course, a curious Melissa immediately asked,
"Um... what's your job, Sis?" Melissa asked.
"Me? What about you?" Samantha countered.
"Um... I'm in finance at Dad's company," Melissa replied.
"Okay (she turned and stepped towards the door, then looked back before exiting). My job is the same as Samuel's. The difference is, Samuel was an MMA athlete; I'm an MMA fighter," Samantha said with a smile.
After that, Samantha left Robert, Melissa, Derek, and Harold, who continued to wipe his non-existent sweat in the room. Outside the bank, Samantha stretched her body. Her heart suddenly felt relieved.
"This is the first time I've ever stood up for myself in front of my family... oh, sorry, stood up for Samuel. Now I get it. After Mom died two years ago, Dad became cold towards me. Melissa and Derek immediately became the golden children. My medical expenses were cut off, and I desperately tried to win his favor by working, even as a foreman in a construction company, just to pay back what he'd spent on me. Now I understand that the problem wasn't me; the problem is what kind of person Dad is. Because all this time, my late mom was the one who pushed Dad to get me treated, then when I died, he immediately demanded the treatment money from a family that was clearly innocent, even extorting them. Truly unforgivable," Samantha thought to herself.
As she walked, Samantha began to clearly see what had been happening in her family when she lived as Samuel and have a surely new goal.
"From now on, I'm living for myself. And even if I get cured later, I won't go back there. But Melissa... there's something about her I still don't understand. That's why I gave her my contact. What will she do with my contact in the future, I wonder? From what I saw, she was really angry yesterday when I was cut from the inheritance (she looked up at the sky). For nos, I have to thank Sophia and Emma. Thanks to them, I was able to confront my family faster then I expected, because sooner or later, I would have had to confront my family anyway, hehe," Samantha thought, walking casually.