3: 3

Still sulking, I demanded my brother tell me what was going on.

Nolan steered with one hand and reached over with the other, brushing my forehead in that spoiling way of his.

Then, in a low, unhurried voice, he told me everything that had happened at home while I was studying abroad.

It turned out that after I went overseas, the family had attended a charity gala the firm put together.

There was a girl there who came to represent everyone from the poor district at the fundraising event. That girl was Joy.

Mom and Dad heard she'd gotten top marks in every subject and earned a place at a good college, but her family had no money to send her. And since she was about my age, it stirred their sympathy, so they had my brother start sponsoring her.

From the day the family began sponsoring her, she started coming around all the time.

She knew I existed, the daughter of the house, so whenever Mom was missing me, Joy would loop her arm through Mom's and stay by her side, keeping her cheerful.

One thing led to another, and Mom's heart softened even more, until she simply let Joy move in.

"Let me be clear, this part has nothing to do with me. Mom's just always been too soft-hearted, and that Joy is far too good with her words. After graduation, Mom pointed out that Joy's major lined up perfectly with the firm, so she brought her straight in."

"As for the rumors she spreads at work, I actually spoke to her out of respect for her feelings and told her to put a stop to them herself. But it always ends up going nowhere. I've talked to Mom and Dad too, but the moment Joy sweet-talks her, Mom's heart melts for her all over again."

For a moment I didn't know what to say. I thought it over and let out a sigh.

"Never mind. If it makes Mom happy, that's fine. It's just a few more chopsticks at the table. But one of these days I'll have a talk with her, make her understand that a person has to be honest."

The second I said that, I caught my brother giving me a strange look. Then he shook his head.

"All right, don't lecture Mom either. Of the two of us, you're the one most like her. A sharp tongue and a soft heart."

I pursed my lips and said nothing.

So when soft-hearted me got home and found my sweet pink princess bedroom already taken over by someone else, every one of those saintly little notions got smashed to pieces.

4: 4

Unbelievable. She didn't just steal my identity, she took over my room too.

All those guest rooms, and she had to sleep in my bed.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

There's only so much a person can stand.

So I spent a few hours clearing my room out.

As for Joy's things, I packed every last one and dumped them in the guest room farthest from mine.

I thought I was being pretty generous, honestly.

I didn't throw her luggage out the front door, so she was getting off easy.

Once I was done, I lay down on my freshly made bed and slept for a while.

Half-asleep, I heard a shrill scream.

No question about it. Joy was back.

I watched her without a flicker of expression, savoring that instant of panic and confusion on her face.

A moment later, once she'd recovered, she started demanding answers at the top of her voice.

"Bailey?! What are you doing in my house, sleeping in my bed? Wait, where are my things?"

Right on the heels of Joy's shrieking came Laurence.

"You?! What are you doing in Joy's house? This is breaking and entering, do you understand that?"

"Oh, I get it now. Did you go digging into me? Bailey, we're over. All these years, I never imagined you still hadn't moved on. I'm a son-in-law of the Farley family now. We're worlds apart, don't you know that?"

Hilarious. I hadn't said a word yet, and the two of them had already decided I was some outsider who'd broken in.

I couldn't be bothered to explain much, but just to knock this Laurence off his self-absorbed high horse and cure that baffling sense of superiority, I fired back:

"Laurence, the smartest decision I ever made in my life was leaving you. And this family doesn't want you here, so go back to wherever you crawled in from."

Laurence flushed with fury, the finger he jabbed at me trembling.

"Who do you think you are?! This is Joy's house, and I'm Joy's boyfriend, her future husband! What right does an outsider like you have to throw me out?"

"Right? Let me tell you exactly what right she has. Bailey is my own sister, and your so-called girlfriend is a charity case we sponsored. You two are the outsiders here!"

When Joy heard my brother say that, her eyes rolled back like she couldn't take it, and she fainted dead away.