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00:00Hi, I'm Jules, fasten your seatbelts, because my story is wild.
00:07But before I start, please like and subscribe, because MSA is giving $10,000 to one lucky
00:13winner.
00:14Crazy, right?
00:15Be sure to spread the word, too.
00:16My grandfather owned a bunch of shoe factories, so we were really rich.
00:21He wasn't around anymore, but Dad always said he was a great man, and we owed everything
00:25to him.
00:26We had all the luxuries in the world.
00:28Growing up, Mom and Dad made sure I stayed grounded.
00:31I turned out to be a pretty good kid, if I dare say so myself.
00:34I always helped out people around me, was respectful to teachers, and didn't travel
00:38much in our private jet to reduce my carbon footprint.
00:40My parents were proud of me, and life was great, until I turned 17 and this new girl
00:45Amanda joined our class.
00:47Amanda was a scholarship student, which meant that she was exceptionally bright and also
00:52extremely poor, which didn't sit right with the kids in my school.
00:56I constantly made comments on her clothes and looks, but Amanda didn't care.
01:00Instead, she worked hard, was always top of our class, and barely paid any attention to
01:05what people had to say.
01:06I was in awe of how mature she was, and even tried talking to her, but she never responded.
01:11Then one day, I was on my way home when I saw her struggling with her bike in the parking
01:15lot.
01:16Hey, is there a problem?
01:17Someone punctured my bike tires.
01:19I'm late for work, and I can't lose out on a day's pay.
01:22This is such a mess.
01:23I can drop you.
01:24Are you sure?
01:25Yeah, no problem.
01:27That's how Amanda and I finally had our first conversation.
01:30She told me she was an orphan and lived in a foster home nearby.
01:33She was just 17 and working two jobs to support herself.
01:36You're the bravest person I know.
01:38I'd love it if we could be friends.
01:40Aren't you too rich to be friends with someone like me?
01:42What does that have to do with anything?
01:44Amanda smiled, and since then, we became inseparable.
01:47We'd go to the movies and the mall together, and no matter how much I tried, Amanda would
01:52never let me pay for her.
01:53But the more Amanda and I got closer, the less time I got to meet my other friends.
01:57So when a friend of mine invited me to her birthday, I couldn't say no.
02:00I even invited Amanda, but she refused.
02:03Your friends look down on me.
02:04Some of them have made fun of me to my face, and the ones who haven't still make it obvious
02:09enough.
02:10They can be a bit silly, but trust me, they aren't so bad once you get to know them.
02:13We can buy you a nice outfit and do some makeup on you, and you'll be lovelier than ever.
02:18No one will make fun of you after that.
02:19And what if I don't wear fancy clothes or paint my face with makeup?
02:23Your friends can make fun of me then?
02:24That's not what I said.
02:25You just called me poor and ugly in ten different languages, Jules.
02:29I did not!
02:30I just said that if you dress differently for a party, maybe you wouldn't stand out
02:34like a sore thumb and fit in better.
02:36And once they get to know you, they'll like you.
02:38Watching the hurt look on Amanda's face made me instantly regret my words.
02:42Then you should be with people who fit in, not a sore thumb like me.
02:46Amanda, I...
02:47But Amanda just turned around and left.
02:49Over the next few days, I tried apologizing to Amanda a million times, but she just refused
02:54to talk to me.
02:55I really missed Amanda.
02:56So one day after school, I decided to visit the cafe she worked at, but she wasn't around.
03:01And when she didn't even show up at school the next day, I got really worried.
03:05I asked the teacher, and she told me Amanda was on her way to school, but she got hit
03:09by a car and had an accident.
03:11I panicked and rushed to the hospital to see her and found a lady sitting by her bedside.
03:16She told me she was Amanda's foster mom, and that apart from a few broken bones and
03:20a mild concussion, she was okay and would recover soon.
03:23That's a relief.
03:24I'm Jules, by the way.
03:25Oh, Amanda's told me about you.
03:27I was surprised she'd made a friend.
03:29You see, she came close to being adopted a few times, and she got her hopes up, but it
03:34never went through.
03:35I think she's afraid of getting close to anyone.
03:37She has no relatives at all?
03:39She tried finding them, but didn't have much luck.
03:42Maybe you can help.
03:43You come from an influential family, right?
03:45It would be a dream come true for her.
03:47I thought about it.
03:48Maybe if I found her family, Amanda would finally see that I'm her friend and she'd
03:52have a real home, too.
03:53So I left my email ID with Amanda's foster mom and asked her for all the information
03:57she had on Amanda and her parents so we could start tracing her family.
04:01She mailed everything to me soon, and I gave the documents to Dad.
04:04He promised he'd look into it, and a few days later, he came back with shocking news.
04:09Jules, I don't know how this is possible, but Amanda is your second cousin.
04:13What?
04:14It was shocking to me that my grandfather had an older brother who was Amanda's grandfather.
04:18And even more shocking was that she was poor because my grandpa stole her grandfather's
04:23share of the wealth, which had led to the two families breaking ties.
04:27After the dispute, Amanda's grandfather left town and changed the family name.
04:32I guess that's why after her parents' accident, no one was able to trace anyone related to
04:36Amanda.
04:37So Grandpa was a thief and a liar?
04:40You told me he was the nicest man you've ever known.
04:42It's what I believed.
04:44I didn't know about any of this till I started looking into the matter and consulted the
04:47family lawyer.
04:48I swear.
04:49Well, we can't change the past, but we need to tell Amanda the truth now.
04:53We can't do that, Jules.
04:54You know I'm running for mayor.
04:55What if she leaks this information to the media?
04:57I can't afford such a big scandal and have people think our business has been built partly
05:01on stolen wealth.
05:03So we'll just let her rot in a foster home?
05:05That's when Dad suggested that he could adopt Amanda and take care of her like family, but
05:10I had to promise to keep his discovery a secret.
05:12I just wanted Amanda to have a better life like she deserved, even though I didn't feel
05:16good about keeping the truth from her.
05:18I agreed.
05:19And the next day, Dad went to the hospital with me and spoke to Amanda and her foster
05:22mom about adopting her.
05:24Amanda was shocked at first, but she eventually agreed, and a week later, she came home with
05:28us.
05:29I was just helping her unpack when she walked over to me.
05:32Jules, thank you.
05:33I never expected to find a home, and to have you as my sister is a blessing.
05:38Does that mean you've truly forgiven me?
05:40Duh, obviously.
05:41Eventually, Amanda and I made up, and we became closer than ever.
05:45She helped me with my studies, and I took her shopping.
05:47I was glad to have Amanda around, but as time went by, I started noticing a shift in her.
05:52She was suddenly a lot more outgoing and outspoken.
05:55She burned all of her old clothes and bought an entirely new wardrobe.
05:59At home, she'd pass orders to the servants all day long, and at school, she walked around
06:04like she owned the place.
06:05This one time, Amanda's ex-foster mom came home to visit her, and Amanda refused to calm
06:10down.
06:11I came all this way just to see you.
06:12I don't want to stay in touch with anyone from my old life, and I'm pretty sure she's
06:16here for money.
06:17That's not fair, Amanda.
06:19She was there with you the whole time during your accident.
06:21I think she genuinely cares for you.
06:23I've been in more foster homes than you can count, Jules, and the one thing I know about
06:28these so-called foster moms is that all of them are greedy leeches.
06:32Now, move aside.
06:33I'm watching the new MSA video, and it's literally the most gripping series of all time.
06:38It's about these two sisters who go around conning people.
06:41I'm learning so much from it about family and sisterhood.
06:45Amanda was unrecognizable, and I hated this side of her, but my parents didn't seem to
06:50mind at all.
06:51In fact, they'd grown really fond of her and were really impressed with how smart she was,
06:56especially Dad.
06:57At first, I thought he was just being nice because he felt guilty, but then he asked
07:01her to join his campaign for the upcoming mayor elections.
07:04Amanda was managing his social media, finances, speeches, everything, and I just felt invisible.
07:10I wanted Dad to see that I was equally capable, so a week later, during one of his campaign
07:15dinners, I decided to start a conversation at the table.
07:18So, elections are almost here, huh?
07:20Everyone must be so nervous.
07:22Actually, I'm not nervous at all.
07:24I'm sure Dad will win.
07:25That's because I have you to look after the campaign.
07:27No, Dad.
07:28You're the true genius.
07:30The way you spoke about our city's economy and its complex ecosystem of interconnected
07:35factors blew my mind.
07:37Yes, Dad!
07:38Love that journey for you.
07:40But as I was saying...
07:41Oh, and when you spoke about the devastating effects of poultry on our environment, I was
07:45so moved.
07:46Same.
07:47But, you know, in the orphanage, we woke up at 6 to collect chicken eggs, and sometimes
07:52these chickens would just run all over the place, tossing their eggs around.
07:55It was so difficult to chase them, put them back in their cages, and get these eggs.
07:59I'm having flashbacks.
08:00That's really sad.
08:01But can you shut it for a second so I can talk?
08:04Jules!
08:05What's wrong with you?
08:06Can't you see Amanda's crying?
08:07And can't you see I'm trying to say something, and she keeps butting in with her sob stories?
08:12Which makes zero sense, by the way.
08:15You don't know.
08:16You were there.
08:17And before I could say anything else, Amanda ran to her room, and Dad went behind her.
08:22And all the guests were looking at me disapprovingly.
08:25Amanda and I didn't speak after that.
08:27And with time, I only grew more distant.
08:29I started staying away from home, got in touch with my old friends, skipped school, and went
08:33out partying.
08:34For the first time in a long time, I felt included.
08:38But soon, my grades started getting affected.
08:40And when I failed some major tests, Dad was not happy.
08:44I can't believe you failed.
08:45Look at Amanda.
08:46She had nothing growing up and turned out so smart.
08:49Why can't you be more like her?
08:51Because I'm not her dad.
08:53I know you feel guilty that Amanda lost her part of the property because of Grandpa, but
08:57why are you overcompensating so much?
08:59Get a grip, dude.
09:01I don't know what's gotten into you these days.
09:03You're grounded.
09:04I wanted to argue more, but Dad got a phone call and left.
09:07I was still sulking in my room when I got a call from one of my friends about a party.
09:11And I decided to sneak out after dinner.
09:13But later that night, when I came back home, I found Amanda waiting for me in my room.
09:17Well, hello there.
09:18Oh my god, you scared me.
09:19What are you doing here?
09:20Waiting for you, of course.
09:22So, how was the party?
09:23I hope you had fun because it's the last time you're going out.
09:26Once Mom and Dad find out that you disobeyed them, they'll ground you for life.
09:30Don't you think you're taking this too far?
09:32You know, you're not actually part of the family, right?
09:34My parents felt sorry for you and took you in.
09:37Then why do I feel such a strong connection to your dad?
09:40Actually, he kind of looks like my dad.
09:42I've only ever seen one photo, but the resemblance is uncanny.
09:46She had a really strange expression on her face.
09:49It must be a coincidence.
09:50Are you sure about that?
09:52Yeah.
09:53What else?
09:54Amanda just shrugged and turned away.
09:56But for some reason, I felt really uneasy.
09:59I couldn't sleep the whole night.
10:00And the next morning when I woke up, Amanda was gone.
10:03Her room was empty.
10:05Her clothes were gone.
10:06And it looked like she never even lived here.
10:08I immediately called her, but it went straight to voicemail.
10:11I called Dad, but he had no idea either.
10:13The entire week, we searched for Amanda everywhere.
10:16I tried calling her friends, her old foster mom, even the orphanage she once lived in.
10:20But no one had any idea where she was.
10:23I'd almost lost hope when one morning, I woke up to loud banging noises.
10:27I went downstairs and saw Dad and the servants holding the main door to stop people from barging in.
10:33What's happening?
10:34Who are these people?
10:35I'll tell you later.
10:36Just go to your room and call the police.
10:37Cops arrived within minutes and got rid of the crowd, after which Dad explained everything.
10:42He told me how Amanda had found out the truth about her grandfather
10:46and told the media how my family's wealth was built by stealing from her family.
10:50She also accused us of hiding the truth from her, so we didn't have to give her anything.
10:54It's a huge scandal, Jules.
10:56Amanda is suing us, and I have to step down for my candidacy, too.
10:59Those people out there were reporters trying to get more information.
11:03But how did Amanda even know?
11:05Our family lawyer had given me a file with all the property dispute papers and a bunch of pictures, and it's all missing.
11:11Amanda had access to my office, so I guess she must have stolen it.
11:14But I don't get it.
11:15We were nothing but nice to her, and she stabbed us in the back.
11:18Dad, we should have told Amanda the truth.
11:20Maybe then she wouldn't have told the media.
11:22Now we have to face what's happened.
11:24The next couple of days were a mess.
11:27Dad and Amanda fought each other in court,
11:29and eventually it was decided that Dad would have to part with one-third of his property.
11:33I didn't care about the property, but what hurt me the most was that Amanda didn't talk to me.
11:37Not even once.
11:38Time went by, and my parents and I eventually recovered from the loss.
11:42I never heard from Amanda again, but she was always there in the back of my mind.
11:46Soon after, I moved out for college and decided to join Dad's shoe business.
11:50I was in Bora Bora for a vacation when I heard a familiar voice.
11:53I always knew you were a beach bum.
11:55Amanda?
11:56What are you doing here?
11:57How have you been?
11:58Remember I told you about that Khan sister MSA video?
12:01That inspired me to check this place out, and I fell in love with it.
12:04So I opened a small sushi place, and life's good.
12:07I'm happy to hear that.
12:08Listen, I don't know what to say or how to apologize, but I'm really sorry for how things turned out.
12:14I'm sorry for not talking earlier.
12:16I was excited about getting adopted and getting attention.
12:19It hurt when my relatives lied to me.
12:21And you were my friend, too.
12:22I lied to protect my dad, but that was wrong.
12:25Our family's actions are unforgivable, but we're still related.
12:29I want you in my life.
12:30I think I'd like that, too.