My parents sat quietly while he tore apart nearly every part of my life.
My apartment.
My car.
My career.
My choices.
According to him, I was wasting my potential while everyone else in the family was building something “real.”
He had no idea that, at that exact moment, the biggest business deal of my life was already approaching the finish line.
And he certainly didn’t know that before dinner ended, a $3.8 billion announcement would appear on the television in the next room.
The moment my brother’s face appeared on my phone screen in the reflection of the television, his smirk disappeared.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The turkey had already gone lukewarm when Marcus started.
Thanksgiving dinner was supposed to be one of those rare evenings when everyone put their disagreements aside.
Mom’s best china covered the dining table beneath the chandelier. Dad’s wineglass sat half full beside his plate. The smell of roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and warm bread filled the room.
From the living room, a football game played quietly in the background.
Everything looked perfect.
Until Marcus leaned back and looked at me as though I were the disappointing item on the menu.
“You know what’s embarrassing?” he asked.
He turned his fork slowly between two fingers.
“When people ask what my sister does, I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell them.”
Jennifer, his wife, gave a small laugh without looking up from her plate.
Her diamond bracelet caught the light as she cut a perfect square of turkey.
“You could tell them she makes little videos in her apartment.”
Marcus smiled.
“Exactly.”
I kept my eyes on the cranberry sauce.
Mom shifted uncomfortably.
“Alexandra, honey, we’re only worried about you,” she said. “Thirty-two is still young, but you can’t keep living in that tiny apartment forever.”
Dad finally joined in.
“Your brother owns three properties now. Jennifer’s practice is doing well. They’re building something stable.”
Marcus tapped his fork against his plate.
“That’s the point.”
He looked directly at me.
“Stability.”
I raised my eyes.
“I have a stable income.”
Jennifer’s smile widened.
“From what? Online videos?”
The room went quiet.
Not completely silent.
The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked three times.
Then Jennifer continued.
“You hear how that sounds, right? To actual professionals?”
Marcus exhaled through his nose as though she’d just delivered the perfect argument.
He wore the same expression he used whenever he talked about one of his real-estate closings.
