The Beginning Of It All

Isabella's POV

" It is by the order of this court that Mrs Isabella Murphy has been granted divorce and a settlement of two million dollars, she will also be getting the house that she currently lives in, the house in Carbo and all her cars.

Mrs Murphy will also be getting Fifty percent of the business as part of their marriage agreement, should Mr Murphy wish to buy her out, he should would give her ten million as the business worth is twenty million. " The judge said before he left for his chambers.

I look at my soon to be ex husband as he hung his head with shame, after I caught him in bed with my sister I had no choice but to file for divorce, this was the only way to do this. He feels so bad and I almost feel bad for taking his money.

Then I remembered what Mama always told us girls, "you can't cheat an honest man." She was right about that. 

"You did good baby, this is our biggest score." My mother said sounding proud of me. 

"Yes, we can finally pay off the debt and be free." My sister said.

"We wouldn't even have a debt if you had chosen a good mark, I am getting tired of solving your messes. " My mother said to my sister.

Between the three of us we have all been married at least four times. This was the life we lived. My mama said that there's no place for pretty girls without brains in this world. She said that a woman should learn to use everything as an advantage.

When I was ten, my father died, we were living a grand life back then. My mother was rich but without a job and living a fancy lifestyle, the money ran out, that is when the family hustle started. My mother remarried and two years later she got a divorce.

She then got a divorce settlement of a couple of millions, it lasted for a while but then it ran out. She then married another man, by that time my sister was almost eighteen and I was just sixteen. Even with husband number three, I could see that she didn't love him.

After she divorced husband number three she sat me and my sister down and had a serious talk with us. I didn't think that she would tell us the things she said.

I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It was raining outside and were sitting by the fire place drinking hot chocolate. We were talking about all the things we would do when we moved to the city.

"Girls, come here..." My mother called us. We got up and we went to the couch and sat with her.

"Now girls, I am going to tell you something that your grandmother told me. The both of you have been blessed with my good genes, you are both beautiful young woman, we live a good life but this life comes at a price.

Now you have two choices, you can choose love and spend your whole life with a man who is going to cheat on you because no matter how beautiful you are, men cheat.

Or you can avoid all that heartbreak and use your beauty to get rich. I have been takiy care of you girls long enough and now it's time for you to take care of me. " She said.

"What do you mean Mama?" I asked her.

"It is very simple. You see men think that they run the world simply because they think that we are inferior but I beg to differ, I think that we are the most intelligent people in the world.

We have been living a good life up to now and none of you have had to stress about paying bills, now it's time for you to join the family business, my mother did it, I did it and now it's your turn to do it." She said.

"What do you mean?" My sister asked her.

"Look you are both intelligent girls so I .not going to beat about the bush, we have no money left and I am in debt. The last divorce didn't give me much." She said.

"What do you mean you are broke?" My sister asked.

"I mean that it's time for you both to find rich husband's who will get us out of this financial mess." She said.

"I don't see how a rich husband is going to solve any of this, I mean we should be thinking about getting jobs." I said. I mean that is what people do when they run out of money, they find jobs and pay their bills.

"When I say husband, I mean a rich man who will be dumb enough to marry you without a prenup, in a few months you will divorce him and leave with half of everything he owns." My mother said.

"So we are scamming people now?" I asked her.

"How the hell do you think I have been able to pay for your fancy lifestyles? None of you have any skills, you would be lucky to get a job as a waitress, this is the only way." She said.

I don't think that this is the only solution but I know my mother, arguing with her would be pointless, especially when it involves money, I was sixteen and even then I knew that it was wrong but still I went along with it.

First it was my sister, her first husband was a young man with a good start up tech company, he fell for her and in three months they were engaged, a few months later they got married. The guy was doing well for himself at the time.

I even thought that my sister was really starting to fall for this guy and mama couldn't allow it, she told my sister that love won't pay our bills and sent me in to defuse the situation. My first gig was to seduce her husband. 

Mother orchestrated the whole thing, she made sure that my sister would find us together, I remember how hard it was for me to even kiss the guy knowing that he was married to my sister but I had no choice.

When we were getting all heated for each other I excused myself and texted my mother, minutes later she showed up with my sister and caught us in the act, she filed for divorce the next morning and left with half of everything he owned.

I then realised that this con might just be the easiest way to make money for all of us. When I turned eighteen, it was then my chance and I didn't disappoint. My first husband was a car dealership owner, he was a mark chosen by my mother.

I went in for a test drive and seduced him, by the end of that test drive, he had invited me to dinner the following day. After that day we saw each other everyday for six months before he asked me to marry him.

Mama was so happy when she saw the ring she wanted me to marry him the same day, we didn't but I convinced him to elope and we got married in Vegas, there was no prenup. We were only married for a month when I caught him in bed with a stripper, no thanks to my mother who put together the whole thing.

I got my first million from him. Mother was proud that I had made that much money on my first con. We were able to do that and somehow things went well. No one ever suspected a thing. That was until five years ago.

Mama always chose our marks for us, she chose them because she knew that they would be easy targets. We were all doing well until my sister decided that she wanted to choose a mark for herself. On paper the guy looked great. He was a successful man with a lot of cash.

The plan was going well and they got married, the problem came when we found out that he was not such a good guy afterall. That man was laundering money for some dangerous people. Not only that but he was stealing their money as well.

They killed him before my sister could get anything from him and they left my sister because she said that she would pay them the money he stole if they spared her, not only that Mama and I were dragged into a twenty million dollars debt.

We have spent the last five years trying to pay them up and now with this new divorce settlement, we can finally pay them off and we can go back to living our lives freely.

Even then I knew it in my heart that I wanted more out of life, I wanted to fall in love for real and have a real husband but I knew that I couldn't do that with my sister and mother around. My mother said that it's us three against the world.

"Well now we need a big score girls, someone with enough money to set up us for life." My mother said as she drove us to my house. She moved in as soon as I kicked my cheating husband out.

"Another one so soon? After we pay off the cartel we should be left with enough to at least last us a couple of years." I said.

"No, we are not taking a break, next week we move to New York, I am sure we can find a suitable mark then, I mean one with enough money to last us a lifetime." My mother said.

You see what I meant when I said arguing with my mother was pointless? She always wanted things to be done a certain way and once she gets an idea in her head she won't let it go no matter what. 

We got in the house and I went into my bedroom. I packed up my clothes and threw them in the suitcase. Being here with them was too much for me right now and I needed some space. After we pay off the debt we will have about six million dollars left, after we sell the houses, that's another two million.

Eight million dollars is a lot of money, we can finally stay in one place and have a normal life. We can finally get the chance to fall in love. I am twenty four years old and I have never been in love.

I took off the suit I was wearing for court and I changed into a white silk blouse and black pleather pants, I wore my nude pumps and dragged my suitcase downstairs where my mother and sister where drinking some champagne, celebrating another successful con.

"What's with the bag?" My sister asked me.

"I am going to New York." I said.

"Aren't we all supposed to leave together?" My sister asked me. That was the plan but I feel like I need some time alone for a while.

"We were but I think it's best I go ahead so that I can find us a home to stay at, maybe even find our next mark." I said.

"Good idea baby, don't forget to call the estate agent, we need to sell this place as soon as possible." My mother said.

"I'll call her when I land in New York." I said as I took out my phone and requested an Uber. I went to the kitchen and the house keys on the counter.

"I will call the dealership about the cars." My mother said.

I even forgot that I now have four insanely expensive cars that we also have to sell, cars that will also give us a lot of money. At least I get to keep the jewelry for myself. A few minutes later the cab arrived.

"I'll bring the rest of your clothes." My sister said as I left the house. They are so happy about the money that they didn't even notice that I was not okay. I was getting tired of this life, I didn't want to live like this anymore.

I got in the cab and the driver took me to the airport. I bought a ticket for the next available flight out to New York, it was leaving in an hour, I had to board the plane thirty minutes before the flight, that means that I had thirty minutes to kill. 

I decided on getting some lunch before leaving. I went to a restaurant in the airport and I got myself a table. I ordered a burger and a glass of beer. Both of the things I love that my mother didn't approve of. I had my lunch but not in peace.

I kept on thinking about Steve and how hurt he was that I was divorcing him. He kept on telling me that he didn't know how my sister got in bed with him and that nothing happened with them and the sad part this was that I actually believed him.

My sister has tried many times to make advances and failed all the time, I know that my mother and sister would have done anything to make sure that the divorce happened, I know that they had a hand in this.

Steve was a good guy, he didn't deserve any of this, he made the best mark because he was such a sweet and kind guy. I know that there's a special place in hell for my family. We are horrible people.

My sister is so far into this she's practically my mother now, every guy she meets, she wondered how much she could get out of him. The same as my mother, every guy we meet is a potential mark for us.

I spent the last five years with men I didn't love because I had to pay off a debt that my sister created for us. This con business was supposed to make us rich and now it's draining us.

I don't want to turn out like my mother, I want to be the generation that breaks the cycle, I have to do this for me. I took a deep breathe and made a decision. I was going to pull of our biggest score and when I am done with that, I am going to start a new life, a life away from my family, a life away from everything.

Maybe then I can finally be normal, maybe then I can finally have a life of my own and actually fall in love for real. Maybe then my sister could also finally find the courage to be happy for real. It's too late for mama but my sister still has a chance.

I paid my bill and I took my bag and dragged my language to the plane. I boarded the plane and moved straight to first class. I would have taken a cheaper seat but this was the only one available.