The narrator, Valerie, grew up in a penthouse with her wealthy parents, who were always absent and emotionally unavailable. Despite their wealth, Valerie was lonely and felt unloved. Her only friend was Peter, the doorman's son. When Valerie was 16, she discovered a secret safe in her parents' office, where she found a birth certificate and letters revealing that she had an older sister, Rayna, who had been kept a secret from her.
Valerie decided to track down Rayna and eventually found her living in a run-down apartment with her five-year-old daughter, Amanda. The two sisters reunited, and Rayna and Amanda moved into the penthouse. However, things took a turn when Rayna started staying out late and eventually planned a heist at the family's hotel, where she was caught and arrested.
Valerie was devastated and felt guilty for bringing Rayna back into their lives. Her parents revealed that they had been trying to protect Valerie from Rayna's troubled past. In the end, Valerie forgave her parents and they adopted Amanda. Valerie went on to open a counseling center and eventually reunited with Rayna, who had turned her life around and sought forgiveness. The story ends with Valerie and Rayna reconciling and embracing each other as family.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator's name is Valerie.
2. Valerie is from Seattle.
3. She grew up in the penthouse floor of a hotel that her parents owned.
4. Her parents were millionaires and owned about a dozen hotels around the world.
5. Valerie's parents were often busy and would shout into their cell phones when she was a child.
6. When Valerie was 5, she asked her dad to read her a bedtime story, but he was too busy and threw the book out the window.
7. Valerie's history teacher, Miss Jackson, was reassigned to a new school after Valerie asked her parents about their family tree.
8. Valerie discovered that she had a sister named Reina who was 16 years older than her.
9. Reina had been kept a secret from Valerie by their parents.
10. Valerie found a hidden safe in her parents' office that contained letters and a birth certificate for Reina.
11. Valerie decided to visit Reina, who lived a few hours away.
12. Reina had a daughter named Amanda who was 5 years old.
13. Valerie and Reina looked exactly alike, except for their eye color.
14. Reina moved into the penthouse next door to Valerie's parents.
15. Reina started working for Valerie's dad at the hotel.
16. Valerie started taking care of Amanda after school.
17. Reina started staying out late and would often leave Amanda with Valerie's parents.
18. Reina eventually stopped showing up at work and would stay out for days at a time.
19. Valerie discovered that Reina was involved in a robbery at the hotel's charity gala.
20. Reina was arrested and taken to jail.
21. The police found that Reina was the ringleader of the heist.
22. Valerie's parents revealed that Reina had a history of trouble and had been in and out of jail since she was a teenager.
23. Valerie's parents had been sending Reina money to support her and Amanda.
24. Reina had lied about wanting to stay in touch with the family.
25. Valerie's parents adopted Amanda and raised her as their own.
26. Valerie forgave her parents for lying to her about Reina.
27. Valerie opened a counseling center for young women after graduating from college.
28. Reina visited Valerie at the counseling center and apologized for her past mistakes.