In the heart of downtown Chicago, amidst the towering skyscrapers that painted the skyline, an elevator ascended through the floors of a prestigious high-rise building on Michigan Ave. Within its sleek metallic walls were two figures, Meredith and Mary Anne Wellington, fraternal twin sisters bound not by sisterly love but by the shared burden of their father's legacy.
Meredith, the elder by a mere five minutes, exuded an air of entitlement that clashed with the confines of the elevator. Her features, though undoubtedly beautiful, were marred by a perpetual scowl, a testament to her bitter disposition. Mary Anne, on the other hand, possessed a quiet grace, her kindness tempered by the trials of years spent bearing the weight of her sister's resentment.
As the elevator hummed its way upwards, the sisters remained locked in a stony silence. Suddenly, the elevator stopped and an alarm rang. A few minutes later the alarm stopped by the elevator was still at a stand-still. The sisters, in a very discomforting way, tried to avoid looking at each other or even speaking. Periodically, a disembodied voice come through a small speaker on the elevator to assure them that help was on the way, but the promise fell on deaf ears.
Breaking The Tension
It was Mary Anne who broke the tension, her voice hesitant yet resolute. "Meredith," she began, her tone tinged with weariness, "we can't keep avoiding each other like this."
Meredith scoffed, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Avoiding? You're the one who cut me off, Mary Anne. You're the reason we're in this mess."
A heavy sigh escaped Mary Anne's lips as she shook her head, her gaze fixed on the illuminated numbers above the elevator door. "I didn't cut you off, Meredith. I had to protect myself, my family. You were never there when we needed you."
The Farm
The words hung between them, a tangible reminder of the chasm that had widened between them over the years. In their youth, they had been inseparable, their bond forged amidst the sprawling fields of their family's farm.
Their childhood home was a sanctuary nestled amidst acres of greenery, the gentle trickle of the well offering solace in the heat of summer days. It was from this well that their father had drawn the inspiration for Well Water, a bottled water venture that would ultimately shape their destiny.
But where Mary Anne saw opportunity, Meredith saw only entitlement. She reveled in the spoils of their father's success, her fast-paced lifestyle a stark contrast to the simplicity of their upbringing.
Now, as they stood trapped in the confines of the elevator, the echoes of their past reverberated through the silence. For all their differences, they were bound by a common thread, a legacy that neither could escape.