My Sister Mocked Me for Not Having a “Real Job” at a Family Party — So I Quietly Set My Executive Badge on the Table and Let Her Termination Email Explain the Rest

“Maya?” my mother asked gently, concern threading her voice. “Is something wrong?”

Serena didn’t answer immediately.

Her breathing became shallow.

Her eyes lifted from the screen to the badge on the table, then to me, then back to the screen.

“It’s… it’s an HR notice,” she said finally, her voice thinner than anyone in the room had ever heard it. “From corporate.”

The room went quiet again, but this time the silence carried weight.

“What kind of notice?” my father asked carefully.

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