Chapter 1

My brother came back from studying abroad for the holidays, and with him came a future sister-in-law.

She was apparently set on making sure I knew my place, this little sister-in-law she’d never met before.

In front of people, she was gentle and generous.

Behind closed doors, she targeted me at every turn.

When I tolerated her, she’d gloat,

“I’m going to be the lady of this house, the future mistress of the Thompson family.”

“You’d better be nice to me, or I’ll have your brother kick you out!”

But I just smiled. No one told her my brother was adopted.

I was the only heir to the Thompson family. Even my brother answered to me.

It was the holiday season, and the airport was packed.

But I still spotted my brother, who was there to pick me up, in the crowd.

When my brother brought me home from the airport, Mom and Dad were waiting anxiously, their heads held high, watching for me.

It had been ages since I’d been home, studying abroad, so everyone was thrilled.

After I chatted with my family, telling them how much I’d missed them, my brother pulled a stranger over to me.

He introduced her to me, a little shyly,

“This is my girlfriend, your future sister-in-law, Vanessa.”

Then he tilted his head slightly towards her,

“Vanessa, this is Cassidy, my sister I’ve told you so much about. Just call her Cass.”

“Nice to meet you.”

She offered me both hands with a polite smile. I was still caught up in the excitement of being home.

I greeted her quickly, then turned back to babble on with my parents.

That night, Mom and I cuddled up, and she told me Vanessa was an intern my brother met at a branch company he managed.

She was apparently innocent and gentle, and my brother was absolutely smitten.

So, not long after they started dating, he brought her home and declared he wanted to marry her.

I was excited.

“And? Is Ryan really getting married?”

“Your dad and I, of course, hoped he’d find someone from a similar background, but if he insists, we can’t say much. If he truly loves her, we’ll let him.”

Mom was always open-minded, so I wasn’t worried about my brother.

But I didn't expect that when I saw Vanessa the next day, I realized I had seriously underestimated her.

Because of the jet lag, I didn’t wake up until late afternoon.

I went downstairs to find something to eat. As I sat at the dining table, eating breakfast, a voice drifted over from behind me, slow and deliberate,

“Oh, little sister is just waking up now? Your brother has already been at work for half the day.”

*Are you okay?* A flurry of question marks floated above my head.

I turned around. It was Vanessa.

“Huh. Were you talking to me?”

I was a little incredulous.

She rolled her eyes so hard, I thought they might pop out.

She walked down the stairs slowly, arms crossed.

Seriously, she was already strutting around like she owned the place.

Yesterday, in front of Mom and Dad, she was perfectly normal. Now, behind their backs, she couldn't wait to give me attitude.

“Who else would I be talking to? Is there a third person in this room right now?”

Her tone held unmistakable hostility. Guess I hadn’t misunderstood her.

After the initial shock, I found it amusing.

“I thought you were talking to someone else. After all, we’re not exactly close. And please don’t call me ‘little sister.’ I don’t have any ‘sisters’ in this house.”

I snapped back at her, then turned to continue my breakfast.

This piece of work... my brother must have been completely blind to fall for her.

She continued walking towards me, looking furious and about to speak, when we heard the front door open.

Vanessa immediately switched faces, her expression soft and vulnerable. Her tone, a moment ago so sarcastic, completely reversed.

“Don’t be mad, little sister. If you don’t like me calling you that, I won’t anymore.”

I couldn’t believe such a classic manipulative snake actually existed in real life.

Didn’t she think it was too fake?

Just then, Mom and Ryan walked in.

Seeing Vanessa’s sad, wronged expression, Mom looked confused and hurried over to ask,

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Vanessa saw Ryan was back and upped her game.

She even managed to squeeze out two tears, which welled up in her eyes, making her look truly pathetic.

“It’s nothing. Cass, ah, I mean, Cassidy just doesn’t like me calling her ‘little sister.’ I won’t do it anymore. I just thought it would make us closer, I didn’t mean to upset her. I’m so sorry.”

I was stunned by her performance. Living over twenty years, I’d never encountered such a master manipulator. What an eye-opener!

Mom tried to mediate.

“Oh, come on, it’s such a small thing. No need to get upset.”

Ryan also chimed in,

“Cassidy is probably just grumpy from waking up. She might still be adjusting to the time difference since she just got back. Don’t take it personally.”

He gave me a subtle look, then put his arm around the pathetic-looking Vanessa and led her back to his room to comfort her.

I didn’t need to eat anymore; I was full of anger. Mom looked at me, asking what happened. I just said, “Nothing.”

I wanted to see what other crap this woman would pull.