Chapter 5 - Aunt Marie

Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - Aunt Marie

Jesse was still trying to come up with answers to his questions when he locked eyes with Aunt Marie.

She wore a loose black gown and black platform shoes, walking toward him with an irritated expression. At first Jesse thought maybe she was disgusted to see him again after they’d crossed paths at his mother’s funeral the day before, but he took in his surroundings and realized it wasn’t him. It was the place.

St. Nicholas Hospital was a primary healthcare institution in Astoria, Queens, and according to his mother, Aunt Marie couldn’t stand the smell of hospitals, especially the underfunded, poorly maintained kind.

"Jesse, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" Aunt Marie asked, concern lacing her voice.

Jesse fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Cut the crap, Aunt Marie. You don’t care about me, so don’t pretend like you give a fuck."

Marie looked unbothered by what her nephew had just said, but deep down, her chest tightened.

"I don’t know where you got that from," she said, pausing. "I mean your penchant for cussing. Didn’t my sister raise you better than that?"

Jesse ignored the question and looked past her without a word, distracted briefly by the streak of gray that blended into her brunette hair.

She set her designer purse on the bed and stepped closer. "I came here because I heard my nephew, my late sister’s only child, was in serious condition, and this is the attitude I’m greeted with?"

Jesse furrowed his brows. "How did you even know I was hospitalized? Last I checked, I didn’t make any calls."

"I’m your emergency contact," Aunt Marie said, now assessing his injuries with a clinical eye.

Jesse couldn’t believe his ears. There was no way in hell Aunt Marie’s number had ended up as his emergency contact.

"That’s not possible. There must be a mistake."

"It’s not impossible when your mother is the one responsible," Aunt Marie said.

And just like that, Jesse remembered the day before she died, his mother had asked to see some pictures on his phone. That must have been when she did it.

"But why? She knows I hate you," Jesse said, the words out before he could stop them.

Aunt Marie was stunned for a moment, but recovered quickly.

"Your mother, before she died, made me promise to take care of you. I intend to keep that promise. So now I have to ask, why do you hate me?"

Jesse stared into her eyes, surprised to find she was genuinely asking.

He laughed, then winced as the movement pulled at his stomach. "Aunt, please don’t make me laugh right now. It hurts."

"You don’t know why I hate you? Seriously?" He caught his breath. "Me and my mother lost everything. You and your terrible brothers left us to suffer, and you’re here asking why I hate you. The fact that my mom forgave you doesn’t mean I will."

Aunt Marie took a deep breath, like she was centering herself. "Jesse, I know I did some selfish, self-serving things to you and your mom. But I’m here trying to make amends. I left my house in the middle of the night to be here. This isn’t even visiting hours, but I came anyway. Please, just give me a chance."

"Give you a chance when you and your brothers are trying to take my mother’s house and leave me homeless?" Jesse cut in.

Aunt Marie’s face creased with confusion. "Wait. What?"

"Don’t act surprised. I got served an eviction notice yesterday. Don’t tell me you didn’t know."

But the look on her face didn’t change. She was speechless.

’Wait a minute. Does she really not know?’

[She obviously has no knowledge of the eviction notice,] The system confirmed.

"I can’t believe they went through with it," Aunt Marie finally said. "I told them not to. Not yet, at least."

"Well, it’s certain they didn’t listen. All because of their hatred for my father, they want me out on the streets."

"It’s more than that," Aunt Marie said. "They want the house, you just happen to live in it. Is it spite? Maybe. But it’s more than that."

Jesse’s brows drew together. "Then tell me what it’s really about."

She was quiet for a moment before breaking the silence. "You’re a smart young man. First-class honors from one of the best universities in the country. I think you already know the answer to your question."

It hit him immediately, Astoria was becoming one of the most sought-after parts of New York real estate. The Goldfinches owned up to ten properties there, all apartment buildings, just like the one he and his mother had lived in.

They were likely planning to renovate and jack up the rent.

"I’m not leaving that house," Jesse said. "I’ll fight them for it if I have to."

Aunt Marie shook her head. "How can you possibly fight them? Last I checked, you’re still a low-level employee at Standard and Silk. You don’t have the money, the power, or the connections. But I can help you."

"How?"

"I’ll negotiate on your behalf. We can reach an agreement that doesn’t end with you on the streets." She said it like she believed it would land, but Jesse wasn’t buying it.

He knew exactly how cruel his uncles could be. His mother had pleaded with them more than once, and they’d insisted she knew where her husband was, that she had to suffer for not giving him up.

Jesse took a deep breath, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. "You know what, do whatever you want. I’ll be fine. But there’s a message I want you to pass along to my uncles."

Aunt Marie’s attention sharpened. "What do you want me to tell them?"

"Tell them I won’t grovel. I won’t beg. And I won’t give up that house without a fight."

Aunt Marie looked almost startled by his conviction, though she kept her expression carefully composed.

Just then, a nurse slipped in and leaned toward her ear. "Please, ma’am, visiting hours are long over. We already did you a favor. The patient needs rest."

"No problem. I’m on my way out." Aunt Marie turned back to Jesse. "I’ll come by in the morning. Don’t worry about the hospital bill, I’ll handle it. Good night."

She gave him one last look before leaving, the nurse trailing behind her. They spoke briefly in the corridor before going their separate ways.

Jesse checked his phone. 2:30 a.m.

I know exactly how to make more money tonight, he thought.

Though Jesse had spent most of his life as the doormat everyone around him stepped on, he knew things, plenty of things about the people who’d done the stepping. And tonight, he was about to turn one of those things into an advantage he would exploit the fuck out of.

He scrolled to an app called Lustre, a platform where adult content creators uploaded sexually explicit content and streamed live for fan engagement and, more importantly, money.

Plenty of profiles belonged to pretty women he could have tipped without a second thought. But there was only one he had his mind set on.

A few scrolls in, he found her: @SexyNattyWithAMask. True to the name, she always wore a cat mask on camera.

But Jesse knew exactly who she was.

Andrew Hyland’s fiancée. Natalia Meadows.