10x Cashback: Your Wealth Is Mine

When Jenny had been summoned to her mother's home office, she'd been wary. Not the kind she'd had with Jasmine, where you had to be alert for any hidden attacks. No. This one was a heavier kind.

Why? Because her mother had power. Power to decide the fate of her children. Which was why she'd taken a deep breath and composed herself before knocking.

"Sit." Her mother said the moment she entered and Jenny sat stiffly in the chair, her eyes fixed on the woman who was studying her from across the table. Jenny didn't know what her mother had called her for but judging from the indecipherable expression on her face, it was something serious. Something that had to do with Apex.

After a few minutes, Jenny grew tired of waiting for her mother to speak and crossed her legs as she leaned back in her chair. Maybe Jasmine would've kept her posture and shit but Jasmine was never one for all that.

"Just as I expected." Her mother finally chuckled. "So… impatient."

"I have to be." She replied. "You're the one who taught me time is money. The more time I spend here, the more money I lose."

"Touché" Her mother chuckled before sighing and the atmosphere turned serious.

"Jenny." Her mother said, folding her hands neatly on the desk. "Do you know why I founded Apex Investments?"

Jenny blinked at the unexpected question. But this was one of the questions in which she knew the answer to. "Because you wanted to create a firm that reflected your vision and values. One that could challenge the old guard of Wall Street."

Clarisse smiled, as if she was amused by her daughter's textbook answer. "That's the polished version of the story." She said. "But there's always more to the truth than what we tell the public."

Jenny frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Before I founded Apex, I worked as a hedge fund manager." Clarisse sighed with nostalgia. "It was a good job. Lucrative. The kind of position people kill for."

Jenny listened closely, leaning forward slightly in her seat. This was a story their mother hadn't told them before.

"There was a man I worked with, we'll call him Michael. Michael was ambitious, too ambitious. He had a habit of skimming from the company's profits. Small amounts at first. Bonuses he thought no one would notice. And for a while, no one did."

"He stole from the company, and no one caught him?" Jenny clarified.

A thin smile appeared on Clarisse's face. "The owner noticed. He always noticed. But instead of stopping Michael, he let it continue. Do you know why?"

Jenny shook her head.

Clarisse smiled and her gaze turned distant, as if she was reliving the memories she was telling her daughter. "Because he wanted to see who would follow."

"It wasn't long before others joined Michael. Some took more than others, but they all thought they were clever enough to get away with it. And then there were people like me, who kept their integrity intact."

Those words caused Jenny's brows to rise on her face. Her mother and integrity were not two words she'd ever think she'd see next to each other. Just from that sentence, she could tell that there was more to the story than meets the eye.

"One day," her mother continued, her voice dropping slightly, "the owner called a meeting."

"That was when he revealed everything. Every theft and every scheme was laid bare for everyone to see. He had records, evidence, names. Michael and his followers spent the next several years in prison, and their fortunes evaporated overnight."

"And do you know what happened to the ones who didn't steal?" Her lips curved into a sly smile. "We were rewarded handsomely. Bonuses, promotions, respect. The owner made it clear that loyalty and integrity were the foundation of his company. And we all lived happily ever after."

"I see." Jenny said non-committally. There was definitely more to the story than what her mother was saying.

Her mother leaned back in her chair again, clearly satisfied with her storytelling skills. "Now, tell me, Jenny. What's the moral of the story?"

And here it is. The hidden catch. Instead of trying to puzzle it out, she just gave the safe answer. Her mother would tell her the real answer anyways. "To keep your integrity and do what is right, even when others don't."

Her mother chuckled softly, shaking her head. "No, Jenny. That's the answer the world would want to hear. But it's not the truth."

"The real moral of this story is to never get caught." Her mother's eyes hardened. "Do you think those workers with 'integrity' didn't steal? They did. They just did it smarter. They left no trail, no loose ends. And when the owner brought the hammer down, they were the ones left standing."

"I see." Jenny nodded. "You're saying the ones who succeeded weren't honest. They were just better at hiding it?"

"Exactly."

"So, just to be clear, you're saying the ends justify the means?"

"No." Her mother corrected. "I'm saying the means must be invisible if you want to control the ends."

As Jenny sat there, trying to puzzle out why her mother was telling her all this, her mother stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the perfectly manicured garden below.

Was her mother trying to teach her or trying to warn her?

"Jenny." Her mother said without turning around, jolting her out of her thoughts. "You've managed to put up a good fight with Jasmine for Apex. That's admirable."

Jenny's stomach dropped at her mother's words. Was she about to be consoled and told Jasmine won?

Her mother turned and saw the xpression on her face. "Oh, don't look so troubled." She said, her tone softening slightly. "You're doing well. Better than I expected, honestly."

"Better than Jasmine?" Jenny's mouth moved before her brain even caught up.

"Ha!" Her mother chuckled. "That remains to be seen."

"But why am I giving you this… lesson?" Her mother turned back to look out the window. "Because I want the means of this war to be invisible and only the ends visible to those outside this family. That is why I covered up Jenny's mistake with NovaGen and why I'm about to do the same now."

"I don't understand." Jenny said with a frown.

Her mother turned back and walked to her desk. It was after she took a seat that she finally spoke.

"I know what you all did."