Corruption MxM

Chapter 19

---Benji's POV---

It was odd to realize how much my life had changed over such a small amount of time.

For years, I had felt almost transparent, a ghost ignored by the world as I struggled through life. Parents that were always on the road and hardly had time, hell, parents that barely knew myself or my sister.

With their passing came a new hurdle and yet, an odd, guilty sense of liberation. Everyone had always praised them, because they must be doing a good job if they were capable of having kids and doing their business or holiday trips with little effort, right?

How else could people explain how two adults with two children, each a busy job of their own, could balance both work, vacation and childcare so perfectly.

The perfect couple with the perfect house, perfect children with perfect grades. Their fake imago disintegrated instantly and left people awkwardly leaving the conversation as soon as they realized.

But as soon as they passed, what very little connections they had made and had taken an interest to us, realized that I was the one who managed everything behind the scenes.

Numerous strangers, so called friends from my parents, visited to pay their respects. Several of them didn't even know my parents had children to begin with, had hoped to get something out of their will.

I snorted as I looked out at the gorgeous view of the sunrise glittering across the ocean. Those vultures had descended upon us, trying to weasel their ways into our inheritance, only to find out there was nothing to gain.

The conversations with the notary was awkward to say the least. After all, my parents had ordered me to set everything into motion in regards to life insurances and such.

It was only after proof that there was no pre-existing knowledge of the transpired events, especially so as I had ordered those insurances years before they died, that we received our share.

Almost instantly, everyone who had lingered around for a piece of the pie, disappeared as if by magic. Nobody wanted to be around and be assigned as a guardian to two underaged children.

It had been... rough. Sure we had money from the life insurances, but I wasn't about to splurge through all of it and end up homeless.

And it had been tempting. To live greater than our standing allowed us, to buy us a massive house with a swimming pool, a gym and whatever else our childish hearts desired.

But after years of neglect and emotional abuse, I had known what it took to survive, to stand on our own feet without having to beg for scraps.

So I had put it all in savings, sold our old house and with that money, bought us a small house and took care for my sister. Life had been mundane, average and boring but it was enough of a reward to see my sister flourish into a young lady, to see her happy smile as she went to school.

There had been hopes and dreams. Pondering what the future may hold, how far we could go with the newfound success we had.

I had a job, Dana was living the life she should have since she was born... a life with girlfriends sleeping over, watching chick flicks with them and talk about boys and future mates...

And in a flash, that had all been taken away from me. I had expected to die when they read out my sentence, had anticipated to fall victim to one of the many inmates that had lived on this island.

Even then, my worst fear had been my sister. Hoping that her newfound mate's influence was big enough to keep those corrupted wolves at bay.

I don't know what I would've done if my sister had died, or worse, because of my actions.