elegance. He leaned back in his chair and gave Evelyn a look that felt almost amused, as though he already knew something she did not.
Evelyn took one bite of food and tried to stay quiet.
Then Chase cleared his throat.
“Actually, Mr. Vance, this is a good time to bring up something logistical,” he said. “Chloe and I have been thinking seriously about the podcast. The guest room isn’t really suitable for production. The acoustics are bad, and there’s no room for proper equipment.”
Chloe nodded quickly.
“Chase needs a real space to focus,” she said. “A studio. Somewhere professional.”
Evelyn’s fork stopped halfway to her plate.
She already knew where this conversation was going. She felt it before anyone said it, the way a person senses a storm pressure change in their bones.
Richard did not look at her at first.
He cut his steak, chewed, swallowed, and then spoke with the calm certainty of a man who had never asked permission from the daughter who funded his comfort.
“Evelyn, your room has the best light and the most space,” he said. “You can move your things down to the basement tonight. Chloe and Chase need the room more than you do.”
For a moment, the dining room went strangely still.
Evelyn looked at him, waiting for the laugh, the correction, the sign that he understood how absurd he sounded.
None came.
“Move to the basement?” she asked.
“It’s finished,” Margaret said with a dismissive wave. “Don’t make it sound like a dungeon.”
Evelyn set down her fork.
“My office is in that room,” she said. “I work from there. I pay the bills from there. I pay the mortgage from there.”
Chloe rolled her eyes.
“You always make everything about money.”
That almost made Evelyn laugh. Everything in that house was about money. Her money. They simply hated when she named it.
Richard’s expression tightened.
“Your sister needs support right now,” he said. “You have always been practical. Chloe is creative. Different children need different things.”
Different things.
Evelyn had heard versions of that sentence her entire life.
Chloe needed dance lessons because she was expressive. Evelyn needed to be mature because money was tight.
Chloe needed a new laptop because she was exploring digital media. Evelyn needed to keep using her old one because she was careful with things.
Chloe needed encouragement. Evelyn needed discipline.
Chloe needed room to grow. Evelyn needed to make room.
Before Evelyn could answer, Chloe reached into her oversized designer tote. Evelyn recognized it immediately because she had bought it as Chloe’s birthday gift after Margaret hinted for three weeks that Chloe had been feeling overlooked.
From that bag, Chloe pulled a stack of envelopes.
They were stamped in red.
Collection notices.
She slid them across the table toward Evelyn with a little smile.
“And since we’re talking about support,” Chloe said, “Chase has some debt we need to clear so we can focus on the podcast.”
Evelyn stared at the envelopes.
“We?” she asked.
Chase gave a soft chuckle.
“It’s just a temporary setback. Investments that didn’t pan out.”
Evelyn picked up the top envelope and read the amount.
Twenty-eight thousand dollars.
Her stomach went cold.
Chloe tilted her head.
“Don’t be dramatic. You have savings. It’s not like you
