There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and Emily’s brother snorted. I ignored it.
“I, uh, had something for you guys.”
I set the envelope in front of them.
“Just a little help on the condo. 6 months rent fully covered.”
The table went silent.
Emily looked shocked. Her parents exchanged glances.
Josh. He stared at the envelope, then laughed. Not a small laugh, like fullon amusement.
“Dude, seriously?”
I blinked. “What?”
He picked up the envelope and waved it mockingly.
“I mean, this is great and all, but if you really wanted to make a difference, maybe throw in a year. Who knows? Maybe then you’d actually make the guest list.”
The entire table chuckled. A few nervously. One of Emily’s cousins went, “Oof.”
My heart dropped.
I smiled.
Not because it was funny, but because in that moment, everything crystallized. Every favor, every dollar. Every time I bailed him out and got nothing but silence in return, it all snapped into place.
I wasn’t family to him. I was leverage, an ATM, an accessory.
So, I smiled, reached across the table, and calmly took back the envelope.
Josh raised an eyebrow.
“What are you doing?”
I leaned in slightly, placed a single sheet of paper in its place, and said, “Actually, you have 30 days to move out.”
He froze.
“What?”
I turned the page toward him so he could read the header.
Notice of lease termination.
Then I glanced at Emily’s stunned parents and added, “I own the building.”
The silence at the table was deafening.
Emily’s face went pale. Her dad sat down his wine, his mouth slightly open. Josh stared at the paper like it was in another language.
“You’re evicting us?” he said quietly.