Chapter2

The bedroom door opened.

Sebastian came out with his arm around Olivia's waist. Their hair was still damp, carrying the scent of a fresh shower.

It was the body wash I loved most. Now the smell made me want to gag.

They were clearly startled to find me sitting composed in the living room. Olivia stiffened, her fingers tightening around Sebastian's arm.

"Isha… what are you doing here?" Sebastian's voice carried a flicker of unease, but he smoothed it over quickly, slipping back into his usual air of condescension. "Weren't you supposed to be handling the party arrangements?"

I thought of the scene I had watched through the crack in the door—Sebastian kissing Olivia, mocking me as his "perfect backdrop."

"I was waiting for you," I said with a smile. My voice was so steady it sounded foreign to me. "Olivia, you look a little pale. Are you feeling all right?"

Olivia lowered her head, long lashes drifting down, the picture of helpless delicacy. She stole a glance at Sebastian, as if waiting for instructions.

Sebastian gave her shoulder a light pat, then turned to me with an air of generous condescension. "Oh, it's nothing. She twisted her ankle in the room just now. Go take a look at it, won't you? You're her sister. You should know how to take care of people."

I set down my glass, stood up, and walked toward them.

Olivia flinched slightly, as if she were afraid of me.

I crouched down and took hold of the foot she had in a high heel. There was no swelling, no redness—but the moment I touched her, she released a soft, theatrical moan.

"It hurts… sister, it really hurts…" She looked up at me with trembling eyes.

I tilted my head back and met Sebastian's gaze. He was looking down at me with the expression of a man who owns everything—triumphant possession over me, tender pity for Olivia.

He thought I was a fool. He thought I would do exactly what I always did: wait on his mistress without a word of complaint.

"Don't be scared. I'll rub it for you." I spoke softly and pressed my fingers firmly into the acupoint on her ankle.

Olivia sucked in a sharp breath but managed not to cry out, clenching her jaw. She stared at me, eyes full of venom. I winked at her and let a faint cold smile pull at the corner of my mouth.

"There. Walk it off a little and it should be fine." I released her, stood up, smoothed my skirt. "Sebastian, that's very sweet of you—looking out for my little sister like that."

Sebastian reached out and cupped my cheek, the way you'd pat a well-trained pet. "Of course. We're family. As long as you keep behaving, I'll make sure you keep living like this."

Family. What a bitter joke.

I swallowed the urge to retch, gave a compliant nod. "Understood. I'll go to the kitchen and get the champagne ready—guests should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?"

"Go on." Sebastian smiled with satisfaction and turned to walk Olivia toward the sofa. "I knew I could always count on you."

I turned toward the kitchen. The moment my back was to them, the warmth drained from my eyes in an instant.

I looked at the special bottle of champagne waiting in the cabinet—the one I had prepared for tonight's "surprise."

I took it down, fingers trailing slowly over the glass. The liquid inside caught the light in a strange, shifting shimmer.

Sebastian. Olivia. I said their names in silence. Are you ready for your surprise?

Just then, the backup phone in my pocket buzzed. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. A single short message: Everything is in place. Ready to begin whenever you are.