I always used to think my sister hated me. At least that was the easiest thing to believe, especially when it painted me as the confused one and her as the cruel one. It was the version of the story that made it easy to move on without digging deeply into the past.

It was less painful than way.

But memories resurfaced in my mind without warning.

I was eight years old when I first realised how much I made my parents proud. It wasn’t a lavish moment, it was just a school event, a small award ceremony where I had been won the science fair. I still remember holding the certificate tightly in my hands as I searched the crowd for familiar faces.

That was when I saw them, my parents. They had a proud look on their face and that stayed with me for a long time.

“You did so good Sophie,” my mother said , pulling me in a tight hug that felt warm. “We always knew you were so brilliant.”

My father nodded, patting my shoulder. “Keep this up and I know you’ll go far in life.”

I remembered how these words settled within me and made feel seen and important. I wanted to hear those words again, so I kept trying. I studied harder and worker longer hours. I pushed myself past my limit, chasing that same look on their faces.

And every time I succeeded, they praised me relentlessly, reminding me of how special I was.

At the time I didn’t this too much of it and I didn’t notice what was happening around me. It wasn’t long before I realised that I wasn’t the only one standing there, Crystal was there too.

I remember one specific evening, I had gotten the highest score in my class and my parents decided it was worth celebrating. The dinner table was set with food and laughter, as well as music filled the air as they talked about my future.

“I just know you’re going to do incredible things Sophie,” my mother said, her eyes filled with pride. “I can already feel it.”

I smiled shyly, soaking in every word.

Across the table, Crystal sat in silence. She hasn’t done poorly on her exams. She had passed just fine, but no one asked her about it.

It was like she wasn’t even there.

At the time I didn’t think it was a problem. I was too caught up in the attention and focused on the praises to notice anyone else. But I remember glancing at her for a split second.

She had a blank expression on her face and her gaze was fixed on her plate as she pushed the food around slowly. There was something in her eyes that was distant, something I didn’t understand back then.

But I do now.

“Can you believe this, you don’t even try at all,” my dad said, his eyes fixed on Crystal.

She didn’t look up. She just kept her gaze fixed on her food like she was used to getting talked to like that.

We were teenagers at the time and there was already significant distance between us. It happened slowly at first. Our conversations got shorter, and her responses to me were colder. There was tension between us and we didn’t bother addressing it.

Until one day, if finally broke.

I had just received another word, a bigger one. I had won an international English contest and my parents were more than thrilled. They talked about it endlessly and even called relatives to celebrate.

That was when Crystal snapped.

“How is it that you barely even try but you get everything.”

Her voice was sharp and it cut through the air in a way that shocked me. I remember turning to her slowly, my eyebrows furrowing.

“What are you talking about?”

She laughed, but it was void of humour. “Of course, there no way you would see it. Just how much are you caught up in your head?”

“See what?”

“This,” she pointed towards the countless rows of awards hung on the wall beside my bed. “This whole thing. You get praised for every single thing you do, but me...” she trailer off, shaking her head as if she was holding herself back from saying something.

“But that’s not true,” I said quickly. “You’re just–“

“Just what?” she cut in her eyes locking on to mine with an intensity that made my knees buck. “I’m just not good enough?”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“But I know that’s how you think,” she said, her voice quieter now. “I know that’s what mom and dad thinks too.”

“That isn’t fair Crystal,” I insisted, frustration creeping up my skin because none of this was making sense to me. “You know I worked hard for everything I have.”

She scoffed. “And I didn’t?”

The question filled the air, making me uncomfortable. I didn’t have an answer because the truth is, I had never really looked at her.

“I knew it, that’s the problem,” she said after a while, her voice turning cold. “You don’t even se me, none of you do.”

Her words hit me hard, and I didn’t know what to say to her. Maybe that was where I messed up, because after that, things changed completely. We stopped talking and the distance between us only widened to an extent where it was irredeemable.

Soon, we pretended like we didn’t even exists in each other’s lives.

The memory faded slowly, pulling me back into the present and I was painfully aware of the heaviness in my chest. I sat in my office, staring blankly at the screen in front of me. I hadn’t read a single word for the past few minutes because my mind was elsewhere, stuck between the past and the present in a way that made everything unclear.

She was back and I had seen her last night.

I exhaled slowly, leaning back on my chair as memories from last night rushed into my mind. Damian was sitting across us, looking at her in a way that seemed familiar.

I had seen it, but couldn’t bring myself to do anything.

I didn’t confront them, or walk over. I just went home and sat on my bed in utter silence. Damian came back later than night and I didn’t bring it up. I didn’t even ask him anything, and didn’t question why didn’t tell me how the meeting went.

My fingers tightened at the edge of my desk as frustration settled within me.

Why hadn’t I said anything?

A part of me knew the answer to that question. I was scared of the truth.

The sound of my phone buzzing on my desk jerked me away from my thoughts. I took a glance at the screen and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Damian’s name flash across it.

 I hesitated for a bit, before answering the phone.

“Damian?”

“I need you in the conference room,” he said firmly. “Now.”

He was as cold as he usually was when we were at work. I brushed it off, concern flooding my mind.

“Why? Is everything okay?” I asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“Yes, just get here now.”

The call ended before I could say anything else. I dragged the phone away from my ear and stared at the call log. It wasn’t unusual for him to call me in for meetings like this. But there was something about his tone that felt off.

Without thinking too much, I grabbed my tablet and made my way out of the office. I headed towards the main conference room and once I got there, I saw that few people had already gathered, the sound of their conversation buzzing softly in the air.

Damian was seated at the head of the table, his brown hair permed in a way that made him look professional. He didn’t look at me when I walked in. Those blue orbs didn’t even spare me a glance and that tiny detail made my chest tighten.

I ignore it and took a seat, placing the tablet in front of me. There was a hint of anticipation on everyone’s face and I could see the curiosity in their eyes. That only made unease grow within me.

“Thank you all for attending this meeting on short notice,” Damian finally spoke up, his voice echoing across the room. “I wanted to announce that there will be an important addition to out leadership team.”

I frowned, exchanging a brief glance with one of my colleagues, before switching my gaze back to Damian.

“A new addition?” someone asked.

Damian nodded. “Yes. Seeing the kind of direction the company is heading, I believe it is necessary to bring in someone that can help strengthen out position in the business market, and push us further ahead of our competitors.”

There was a short pause that was long enough to allow tension build within the room. And then, the door open. Everyone stopped murmuring and turned their eyes go the glass door.

My breath caught in my throat when a familiar figure stepped into the room with so much confidence.

It was Crystal.

She looked exactly how I remembered. Poised elegant, her wavy platinum blonde hair framing her heart shaped face in a way that made her look flawless. Her gaze travelled around the room before settling on me, and in that moment, something flickered in her eyes.

And then a smile curled up her lips.

“Everyone,” Damian continued. “I would like you to meet our nearest team members.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of the tablet as a harsh sinking feeling settled in my chest.

“Crystal Whitmore.”

My older sister.

I didn’t even realise I had stopped breathing until my chest began to ache.

What was she doing here?

First, I see her with my husband, and now she was here?

So why was she standing here, in my company?

“I have decided that she will be the new vice president of the product development department.”

For a split second, I thought I had misheard him. The words didn’t settle in my mind properly and I turned to look at him, searching his face for some kind of sign that told me all of this was some kind of mistake.

How was she the vice president, while I was just a mere team member?

My ear began to ring as the realisation slowly settled in my mind. I had built this company from scratch. But now, someone that didn’t even know how this company started was going to be in a position higher than me.

Around me, the room roared with applauses and murmurs of approval. But to me, everything sounded distance, like I was hearing it from underwater. My eyes trailed back to Crystal, just to see her now her head slightly to express her gratefulness.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she looked like she belonged here and somehow, that made everything worse.

I turned my eyes back to my tablet and the meeting continued. Everything went by in a blur. Words were spoken, positions and responsibilities were discussed and I even nodded my head when necessary.

But nothing really registered in my mind.

Every now and then, I would feel Crystal’s gaze on me. I didn’t look at her however. I couldn’t bring myself to.

By the time the meeting ended, I felt like a huge weight was pressing down against me. Everyone began to stand, some clustering around Crystal, eager to introduce themselves to her.

I stayed seated for a while, hands pressing against my tablet as I tried to steady my breath. Then, I moved.

My eyes found Damian immediately as he moved towards the door, already being pulled into another conversation with a colleague. I didn’t want to wait, I just couldn’t.

“Damian,” I called out to him.

He paused, glancing at me before muttering something together main in front of him. He stepped away and I didn’t give him a chance to say a word as I turned and walked out of the meeting room, trusting that he would follow me.

I didn’t stop walking until I reached a quieter space in the hallway. The moment I heard his footsteps behind me, I turned to him, questions I had been holding back in the meeting finally making their way to the surface.

“What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing?” I asked, crossing arms over my chest.

His eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t even do that with me,” I said, shaking my head as I took a step closer to him. “Do you want to pretend like this is normal? Crystal being here? As vice president?” my voice cracked despite my efforts to keep them steady. “You know how my relationship with my sister is. Why didn’t you tell me first?”

His jaw tightened. “Look, this was a business decision Sophie.”

“That doesn’t even answer my question,” I scoffed, frustration welling up inside of me. “How did you even meet her? I haven’t even seen her in years, so how did she suddenly become the best candidate for a huge position?”

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite grasp. But it was gone within a millisecond, and replaced with the familiar controlled look he always had.