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.
Freshly back in the country, I was like a wild animal, starved for ages. I went out every day, meeting old friends and feasting, vowing to make up for all the food I’d missed over the years. During this time, I didn’t have time to deal with Vanessa. But then, a friend brought her up. “How’s your future sister-in-law treating you? She’s not just anyone, is she?” It was my childhood friend, Jake. His expression and demeanor screamed, *I know everything, but I won’t tell you until you ask.* He’d been like that since we were kids. I shot him a glance and, as he wished, said, “Spit it out already!” He grinned, even more slyly. “That girl is an intern at your family’s company. She barely started, and she’s already got your big dummy brother wrapped around her finger.” I scoffed. “That’s it? You needed to tell me *that*? Everyone knows that. Tell me something I *don’t* know.” Jake didn’t get annoyed. He continued, “But did you know, this girl only had one goal from the moment she joined the company: to snag your brother. Now she’s going around, calling herself the future mistress of the Thompson family, flaunting that status everywhere.” I finally turned to look at him. Jake smugly pulled out his phone and showed me a few screenshots. It was a SnapChat conversation between Vanessa and her girlfriends. 【Ryan is mine. What rich heir? He’s practically groveling at my feet, Vanessa’s feet!】 【Ryan brought me home to meet his parents. The Thompson house is so big! And they have a housekeeper! I *have* to hold onto this.】 【Ryan’s sister is coming home soon. Daughters in these families are always a threat. Once she’s here, I’m going to give her a good lesson.】 *How stupid.* To brag about something like that, she clearly couldn’t keep her mouth shut. I grumbled to myself, then turned back to Jake. “What’s your connection to the person in the screenshots?” Jake gave a cheeky smile. I looked at him disdainfully, but he was quite brazen. “What’s the big deal? It’s a mutual thing, we both got what we wanted. Not like your brother.” But I couldn’t help but keep an eye on Vanessa. From what I observed, though her name meant “butterfly,” her ambition was anything but delicate. She presented herself as a gentle, kind, innocent flower, not fighting for anything, not wanting anything. But in reality, she made sure she wanted for nothing. She manipulated my brother into getting her a permanent position, a promotion, and a cushy department job. From occasionally staying over, she practically moved into our house completely. She was great at playing the victim and charming people. In this house, apart from me and Maria the housekeeper, she had a smile for everyone. She buttered up my parents, her future in-laws, and reeled in my brother, eager to marry him and become the *real* Mrs. Thompson. I was the only one, his sister, she didn’t even bother to pretend for. Maria brought me a late-night snack, and when Vanessa saw it, she demanded some too. But it was already very late; the soup had been simmering for hours. There was no time to make more now, and Maria was about to go to sleep. The moment she heard Maria was reluctant, Vanessa put her hands on her hips and pulled out her “future madam” act again. “What, I can’t even get a bowl of soup made for me? Are you the Thompson family’s housekeeper, or are you here to enjoy yourself? Am I not allowed to tell you what to do?” Maria had no choice but to go make it for her. She was truly this domineering, yet in front of my parents, she constantly yielded to me. I, on the other hand, was too lazy to play along with her childish games and never gave her a pleasant look. This contrast made me seem like the ill-mannered one. I even tried to ask my brother, hesitantly, if he was really going to marry Vanessa. Did he truly know her? Ryan just thought I was acting like a child, saying he would marry her and hoped I’d get along with her. My parents also grew increasingly fond of Vanessa. Vanessa would go shopping with Mom, buying bags. No matter what Mom liked, she’d praise her taste. She made Mom laugh constantly. Of course, she often received gifts from her future mother-in-law. Emotional value exchanged for material value—both were quite satisfied. Ryan, naturally, was happy to see their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship so harmonious. I was the only one in the family who didn’t like her. This disparity became more and more apparent. I actually started to look like the villainous sister. Because of this, Vanessa became even more confident with me. In places my parents couldn’t see, she treated me even worse.
“Little sister’s room is so big. Can I move into this room after your brother and I get married? You’ll be marrying out anyway eventually. I think the light and space here are the best. It would be such a waste if it just sat empty.” It sounded like a question, but her tone was a declaration. She’d had her eye on my room from the start. I glanced at my brother, who was standing nearby. He didn’t say a word. My anger turned into a mocking laugh. “Really? You’re not even married in yet, and you’re already planning to snatch my room? Besides, you’ve already snagged my brother, so why doesn’t he buy you your own marital home? Why do you need to squat in my house?” “Cassidy! Don’t talk nonsense.” Mom heard what I said and walked over. “Vanessa, don’t mind her.” Mom actually turned to comfort Vanessa, then told me, “Is that how you should talk? Apologize to your brother and Vanessa right now.” No way. Even though I realized I shouldn’t have said that, I refused to apologize in front of Vanessa. Vanessa saw Mom siding with her and looked at me with even more triumph. “It’s okay, Auntie. Cassidy is just being moody. We won’t move out; Ryan and I want to stay with you both. I even want to take care of you in your old age.” After giving me a provocative look, she spouted flattering words to Mom. Ryan also played peacemaker, “It’s not Cassidy’s fault. Vanessa was teasing her about switching rooms, and Cassidy took it seriously.” He then turned to me, as if coaxing an unruly younger sister. “Your sister-in-law was just playing with you, don’t be angry, okay?” Mom also kept saying how sensible Vanessa was, and how I’d become so petty. She scolded me for being unforgiving over a simple joke. Seeing that they were actually starting to plan the wedding, I began to panic. I couldn’t let her actually marry into my family. I couldn’t possibly live with this master manipulator. One day, when Vanessa wasn’t at our house, I called a family meeting with Mom, Dad, and my brother. “I disagree with Vanessa marrying into our family.” The moment I said that, Mom, Dad, and Ryan all looked at me. Mom said, “Cassidy, don’t be silly.” Ryan looked unsurprised. “Just as your sister-in-law predicted, you really don’t agree.” *Seriously, she actually anticipated this.* Ryan looked a bit helpless. “Why are you so unhappy with Vanessa? You seem to find fault with her everywhere. When she told me, I didn’t believe it, but I can’t believe you’re making things difficult for her now.” Ryan even looked a little wronged on her behalf. “Cassidy, please, for my sake, stop targeting Vanessa, okay? If you really dislike her, after we get married, I’ll move out so you two don’t have to live together.” It seemed Vanessa had pre-emptively warned Ryan. Any words I said next, he would just dismiss as reasons stemming from my dislike of Vanessa. She was truly cunning. Knowing that anything more I said would be useless, I directly pulled out those SnapChat chat logs between Vanessa and her girlfriends. *Seeing is believing,* I thought. *They have to believe me now, right?* I showed them the screenshots one by one, but Ryan remained unmoved. He barely glanced at them before answering resolutely, “This can’t be something Vanessa said.” I knew he’d say that. I pulled out a full screen recording, showing the account, the real-name verification—everything was recorded. Ryan’s expression finally lost its complete trust in her. He watched carefully, including the voice messages. “You’ll be my bridesmaid on my wedding day.” It was Vanessa’s bragging tone. “I’m about to become the mistress of the Thompson family. Soon I’ll be living the easy life there.” Her so-called best friend replied, “Is this good news on the horizon? Congrats, but being the daughter-in-law of a wealthy family isn’t easy. It’s hard to say if it’ll be a life of luxury or suffering. Good luck to you.” It seemed these “sisters” weren’t truly genuine; one was boasting, the other consumed by jealousy. “Hmph, his parents are easy to fool. They’re getting old too. Once I’m in, they’ll have to listen to me anyway. Only his sister, she always gets in my way. I’ll find a way to kick her out then, so she doesn’t get in my way in our family home. She’s just a girl; she won’t inherit anything substantial anyway. Everything belonging to the Thompson family would be my husband’s! He even told me he’s going to take over the company soon.”
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