Awkward

My parents put on sheepish smiles and changed the subject. Joseph did not stay long.

Not too long after he was gone, Melanie approached me, the hem of her dress raised. "Seems like I underestimated you. I did not expect you to hook up with a man like Joseph so soon."

I refused to waste my time arguing with her. "Happy birthday, Melanie. It's getting late, and I have to leave."

Melanie darted ahead and grabbed my hand. "But it matters not. You saw the exchange. Dad and Mom love me the most, no matter what you do. You're nothing but a piece of useless trash in our family!"

Her nails were digging into my flesh. The pain was starting to throb, so I pulled my hand free, but she took the momentum and fell back down.

Our parents noticed the commotion. Worried, they hurried over. "Melanie, what happened?"

Melanie held her ankle. With tearful eyes, she looked at her mother. "Yvonne pushed me. I don't know why she did that! She said she'd come after me now that she has Mr. Quigley's support! I'm scared…"

My parents' eyes bulged. Furious, they grabbed everything they could and hurled all of them at me. I covered my face with my hands, but the sharp edges of the barrage cut my arm. My father had thrown a fork at me.

If I hadn't moved fast, that fork would've found itself buried in my eye.

Yet my father was jabbing a finger at me. His voice was trembling. "You bastard! You think you can do anything just because you hooked up with a rich man? You do not get to trample over my house! Get out of my sight, and never come back unless I say you can!"

I was kicked out of the hall. I grabbed my phone and checked the calendar. It wouldn't be too long until Melanie met Jonathan now. All I had to do was wait.

And then I joined the Quigley Group officially. I worked and studied hard just to level up and be a better version of myself.

…

One day, when I was going through the sheets, a push notification rang out from my phone. The headline read, 'Shocking news! The long-lost heir of Landton Group finally found!'

I put my phone down and thought, 'Yeah, guess Melanie's marrying Jonathan soon.'

And my guess was right. Two weeks later, Melanie posted something on her social media. 'Until death do us part, Mr. Landton.' The picture was their marriage license and photos. One was a gentleman, while the other was a sweet lady. Both had happy smiles on their faces.

The Landton Group's official website made an announcement about their heir's marriage soon.

The media's attention was caught. All news outlets couldn't wait to report on the matter. Everyone was wondering who the lucky lady was. Some insiders told them that Melanie and Jonathan had been dating before Jonathan was taken back into the fold.

Their love story became the talk of the town.

It was their wedding day. I got a message from Melanie. 'You're useless and pathetic, Yvonne. I thought I'd let you attend my wedding, since you never had the chance to go overseas. I wanted to broaden your horizon, but Dad and Mom refused to let you attend. They said you'd embarrass them.' She laughed. 'I pity you.'

'I'm now the wife of Landton Group's heir. You can have the best grades this universe has. You can get the best job you can find, but so what? You're nothing but a poor, insignificant insect. You will live under my shadow forever! When I get home, I'll tell Dad and Mom to disown you right away! You'll be a homeless bitch!'

The message only made me smile.

I thought, 'I hope you can still be so smug after tonight, dear sister.'