When the Fairytale Ends by Dwan Abrams

Jonathan in the rearview mirror and asked, “Have you thought about what you want to major in?”
    He grinned, revealing a chipped tooth in the front of his mouth. “I wanna major in finance.” She was impressed until he said, “Somebody’s gotta help Cheyenne manage all of that money she’s gonna get when she graduates from school.”
    Shania’s eyes bucked, and she almost ran off the road. She wouldn’t be surprised if smoke tendrils were escaping her nose. Her fingers dug into the steering wheel as she navigated the car to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes, causing everyone inside to jerk forward. She placed the car in park. Whipping her neck around like a scene from the horror movie classic The Exorcist, she looked Jonathan straight in the eyes.
    Without blinking, flinching, or smiling, she said, “I know that you and Cheyenne are married. I get that. But there’s one thing I want to make perfectly clear.” She held up her index finger to express her point even though she really felt like sticking up the middle one. “I’m the executor of my parents’ estate. That means Cheyenne doesn’t get a dime without my approval. I don’t know what Cheyenne told you, but she will not receive all of the money in her trust until she’s thirty-five years old. So, if your whole purpose for eloping was to get her money and run, you can forget that.”
    Cheyenne gasped. “Why would you even say something like that, sister?”
    â€œBecause you know it’s true!” Shania hit the steering wheel and rolled her eyes. “When he saw you, he saw dollar signs, and you know it.”
    She knew that her statement about Cheyenne not receiving all of the money in her trust until she turned thirty-five wasn’t completely true. She really said it for shock value. The truth of the matter was that their parents had left them $2 million; each parent had a million-dollar life insurance policy. Her parents had planned their estates so well that they even had a mortgage pay-off in the event of their death, so Shania and Cheyenne didn’t have any mortgage payments. Their house had been paid for.
    Because Shania was the oldest, she had control of the money. In her parents’ will, they left instructions for the money to be divided equally between the sisters. Since they didn’t want to risk the girls losing the money, they put stipulations on the distribution. Shania received $400,000 right away, because she had met the age requirements. She received $200,000 more when she turned twenty-five, and another $200,000 payment on her thirtieth birthday. Her final payment would be received in three years, on her thirty-fifth birthday.
    Shania used some of her money to start a catering company, Eat Your Heart Out. She remodeled her basement and turned it into a commercial kitchen. In the seven years that her company had been in existence, she had become quite successful. She catered everything from private parties to weddings to corporate events. With her company consistently turning a profit, she hadn’t needed to spend any more of her inheritance money. Instead, she invested in land, real estate, bonds, and CDs to diversify her portfolio.
    As for Cheyenne’s portion of the money, Cheyenne received a $200,000 distribution check when she turned eighteen. A portion of her money went toward her college tuition, books, and a Honda Accord. Most recently, they used some of her money for the deposit on her apartment and furniture. The rest of the money went into their family trust, from which Cheyenne received a monthly stipend to help with living expenses. Because of that, she didn’t have to work. All she had to do was focus on her studies. She’d receive the rest of her money in equal installments at ages twenty-two, twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five.
    Feeling relieved to have gotten that off her chest, Shania faced forward and