Sister Said “Skip Easter — My Fiancé Works At Goldman Sachs” — Then His Boss Called
The text came Thursday evening while I was reviewing Q1 financials in my home office.
It wasn’t even a dramatic moment. No thunder. No music cue. Just the blue glow of my monitor, the quiet hum of my standing desk motor, and the familiar smell of stale coffee I’d forgotten to drink because I was three tabs deep in revenue recognition. Claire’s name lit up my phone.
“Rachel, Easter brunch is family only this year. Michael’s parents are flying in from Connecticut. His managing director might stop by. Having you there would create questions. You understand?”
I stared at the message for a long moment.
Michael Chin—Goldman Sachs vice president—my sister Claire’s fiancé of eight months, the man she’d been parading around like a trophy since their engagement party at some overpriced steakhouse in Tribeca.
I typed back. No explanation needed. No hurt feelings performed. Just acceptance.
“Okay.”
My phone buzzed immediately.
“Claire explained about Easter. It’s probably for the best, sweetie. Michael’s family is very established. You know how these finance people are. Dad, your mother, and I think it’s mature of you to understand. We’ll save you some ham.”
I set my phone down and returned to the acquisition proposal from Meridian Capital.
They wanted to buy my fintech company, Payout Analytics, for $340 million, all cash.
The deal would close in six weeks.
My VP of corporate development had been negotiating for three months, and Meridian’s team was flying in Monday morning for final due diligence. Their managing director, Richard Walsh, would personally lead the meeting. There’s a special kind of quiet you develop when you grow up as the sibling everyone forgets to praise.
It’s not humility. It’s not modesty.
It’s a survival posture.
You learn not to hand your heart to people who treat your life like a footnote.
Claire had always been the golden child.
Phi Beta Kappa at Cornell, the kind of detail my mother repeated like a prayer every time anyone asked about her kids. Consultant at McKinsey for three years before moving to a boutique strategy firm.
She made $190,000 a year and never let anyone forget it.
She would say it lightly, like it wasn’t bragging.
She’d mention it when she ordered wine. She’d mention it when she talked about rent. She’d mention it when she asked me what I did, even though she never really listened to the answer.
I was 31, single, no Ivy League degree. Just a state school BS in mathematics and a habit of working until my eyes felt gritty.
From the outside, I probably did look like the family disappointment.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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