The Sins We Inherit

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, seemed to make fun of that incredulity. As I opened it, my fingers shook, and the loud, crackling sound of the crisp paper in m

Miss

Wrenford Holdings right away. Pl

and. I could still hear his voice, which sounded strained and full of something I couldn't quite put my

in my head, as if he had been getting me ready for this moment. The loss of him and the mystery of his death had alread

f ink and quality paper. Then I saw it. The signature at the botto

last days, but I never understood why. Evander Wrenford. The name

t was cal

n she could still recall my name. Her mind had been going downhill for months following my father's death, which was never completely addressed. Every day, a little more of

money problems or what really happened when my father fell. But I knew in my heart that he wasn't the man everyone tho

sudden, cutting into my thoughts like a dagger. I

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ed it was the chilly, robotic v

nt." The words repeated in my thoughts, and they felt heavy in my

n did I have? My father had given me nothing-no money, no insurance,

gritted teeth, my voice wav

le world had changed. The job offer: it was no l

y stuff would be difficult, but I couldn't stay in this small apartment any longer. The paint on

know what would happen when I got there, but it felt like a lifeline, even

t back memories of the man I used to know. The man I could never really get to know. He was gone, and all I had were piece

er get the answers I needed? Could I find out what really

nd it was always a stream of confusion. I didn't have time to soothe her just now. After my father died, I

at the flat. The air was colder than I thought it would be when I stepped into the

the apartment door behind me. It was hard to hear what she said: "The W

ped mo

ven recall her own name, but nonetheless her last words to me were about them. The Wrenfords.

ldn't go back now. The Wrenfords were waiting for me.

sleek and big, and it felt like a symbol of power. Even though it was cold, my palms were sweaty. It was so clean and separate from

e marble floors were so shiny that I could nearly see my own reflection. The subtle murmur of people talking and th

n a neatly pressed suit with her blonde hair tucked back securely. She looked like someone who was born into

r heels clicking matched the beat of my racing heart. "This way," she s

portant. Nobody here knew who I was. No one here cared about the weight I was carrying or

, the air changed. I could

ed suit, and his posture was stiff and calculated. When our eyes met across the room, they we

art racing. He was gon

My new office was bare, simple, and tidy. Nothing is out of place, and everything is in its pla

eatly positioned in the corner, almost as if someone had put it there for me to find.

s smile was wide and brilliant in this picture, which was very different from how I remembered him in his last days. Bu

m transactions to signatures, was written in neat, clear handwriting. But the last t

trust a

rote. His accurate,

this coming at all. My fingers hovered on the note. What had my dad been doing? What did he know abo

nd me and turned aro

to my office was there, an

ing okay?"

as I swallowed. "Yes." "

le for a second, but