**Diary Entry**
Six months later, I was taken to an orphanage while my aunt sold my parents’ flat in a shady backstreet deal. It all began when I turned five and was left orphaned. My fathers sister, Aunt Margaret, took custody of me. While my parents were alive, we wanted for nothingthey held senior positions, owned a spacious flat in London, and even a cosy cottage in the countryside. But after they passed, everything changed.
Aunt Margaret already had her hands full with her own daughter, Poppy, and we never got along. Poppy, though younger, mocked me constantly. Aunt Margaret, sweet as pie to strangers, was tight-fisted and shrewd underneath. Not once did she offer me kindness, let alone a warm word.
From a young age, I was expected to scrub floors and wash dishes. No telly, and sweets were bought only for Poppy. Soon, my fathers car vanished. My mothers jewellery and clothes disappeared too, while Aunt Margaret and Poppy dressed finer by the day. They dined out oftennever once inviting me.
As a child, I didnt realise Aunt Margaret had sold everything, claiming the money was for my upbringing. Years later, we moved to her rundown one-bed flat on the outskirts of town. Half a year after that, I was sent to the orphanage, and she sold our family flat.
Adjusting was hard, but I managed. I got a decent education, and after finishing school, I rented a tiny flat and worked as a cleaner at a supermarketthough I was promised a promotion. One day, the owner, Mr. Thompson, came in.
When he saw me, he asked me to his office after my shift. There, he wanted to hear my storywhat my parents had done, how Id ended up here. I told him everything.
He smiled then, saying he remembered me as a little girl. Hed been friends with my parents. Years ago, hed started his own business, built a chain of shops, and was now developing a new shopping centre. Once construction finished, hed need a manager. He offered me the rolebut I lacked the qualifications.
I nearly refused, until he promised to help me train for it. Under those terms, I couldnt say no. The course wasnt easy, but it was interesting. I passed without trouble and landed the jobwith a salary far better than Id dreamed.
Years passed. I bought a two-bedroom flat. Then one day, Poppy turned up at my door. No idea how she and Aunt Margaret found me, but she demanded I let her in and help her get work.
Poppy had no higher education, so I offered her a temp job as a cleaner. Outraged, she refused and rang Aunt Margaret immediately. Down the line, Aunt Margaret screeched that I owed her for raising me, that without her, who knew where Id be? She threatened revenge if I didnt help Poppy.
Mixed emotions churned inside me. All these years, and she hadnt changed a bit. But I had. I wasnt that helpless little girl anymore. I decided thenI didnt need an aunt like her. Or a cousin like Poppy.
