SISTERS

All the way home, I couldn't stop smiling.

Every few seconds, I would pull out my appointment letter, stare at it, and read the words again just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE CEO.

Me. Bianca? Unbelievable!

I had applied for a cleaner's position because I knew better than to hope for anything more.

Yet somehow, I landed a job as the personal assistant to the CEO of Claw Dynamics, one of the most powerful companies in the city.

It's scary but…

I hugged the letter against my chest, blinking back tears.

For once, something good had happened to me.

I can't wait to tell my parents.

Maybe they would be proud of me.

That thought alone was enough to make my heart flutter.

Getting home, I took a deep breath before stepping into the house. I was greeted by the delicious smell of food.

My younger sister, Larissa, also an Omega, sat at the dining table with Jay, her Alpha boyfriend, enjoying a lavish lunch.

She was laughing at something her boyfriend had said when she noticed me.

Her smile disappeared.

"Oh, it's just Bianca."

She turned back to her plate dismissively.

"Why are you standing there like someone who has just seen a ghost? Or did you finally realize how stupid you were for applying to Claw Dynamics?"

Her boyfriend glanced at me before returning his attention to his food.

I tightened my grip on my appointment letter.

Larissa had always been like this.

At eighteen years old, she was my younger sister, but she had somehow mastered the art of making me feel like the most insignificant person in the room.

We shared the same parents, the same home, and almost the same face.

But in our family, only one of us had ever been treated like a daughter worth loving.

And it wasn't me.

"Let me guess," she continued, examining her nails. "You failed the interview for the cleaner's position."

She burst into laughter.

"Honestly, Bianca, what were you thinking? Claw Dynamics is one of the biggest companies in the city. They have standards. High standards, even for cleaners."

Her eyes traveled over my body.

"Look at you. Did you honestly think they would hire someone like you?"

Her boyfriend shifted uncomfortably.

"Babe," he murmured, "that's enough."

"What?" She widened her eyes innocently. "I'm only asking a question."

I took a deep breath.

Normally, I would have lowered my head, swallowed my pain, and hurried to my room before she could say anything else.

But not today, because I had a reason to smile.

And for once, I refused to let Larissa take that away from me.

I lifted my appointment letter.

"Actually, I got the job."

She stopped chewing.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"And not as a cleaner."

She slowly put down her fork.

"What?"

I held up the letter proudly.

"I'm going to be the CEO's personal assistant! Oh my gosh, I am so happy!"

I screamed in a high note.

For the next few seconds, nobody spoke. The two of them stared at me with wide eyes.

Then I did something I rarely did in front of my sister.

I flipped my hair.

"Can you believe it? Your big sister is officially a personal assistant now."

I pulled out a chair and sat down, helping myself to some food.

"Oh, food. I missed you."

I had starved myself so I wouldn't look so big before going for the interview, but now I could eat.

"Well, congrats, Bianca," Larissa's boyfriend told me.

"Thanks, Jay. Honestly, I'm still trying to process it. I thought I was going there to clean floors, but apparently, they saw something special in me. It still feels like a dream."

Larissa's face twisted.

"Give me that letter."

I blinked.

"What?" I asked, mouth full.

"I said, give it to me!" she snapped.

Before I could respond, she snatched the appointment letter from my hand, almost ripping it.

Her eyes moved frantically over the page. She went through it many times just to be sure.

I watched as the color drained from her face.

"No."

She shook her head.

"No, this can't be right."

"Be careful with that. I still need it for my job."

"Shut up!"

Her sudden scream made me flinch, and her boyfriend straightened in his seat.

He gently placed a hand on her thigh.

"Babe—"

"No!" Larissa snapped, shoving his arm away. "Don't interrupt me!"

He let out a long sigh, stood up, and picked up his jacket.

"I think I should give you two some space."

Without another word, he walked out. The apartment door clicked shut, and the silence that followed felt unbearably heavy.

Larissa turned back to me, her eyes burning with anger.

"Why you?"

Her voice cracked.

"Why the hell would they choose you?"

I slowly lowered my spoon.

Her eyes filled with tears, but there was no sadness in them. Only rage.

"I am the one who should be working there. I am the one who fits the beauty standards!"

She pointed at me.

"How do you walk in there looking like that, and they give you the position I deserve?"

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Looking like what, Larissa?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!"

She shot to her feet.

"You're fat! You're plain! You don't even know how to dress properly! While I torture myself every single day—worrying if I'm pretty enough, thin enough, dressed well enough. I thought if I looked perfect, everything would finally fall into place."

A sad smile tugged at my lips.

"I'm the one who gets bullied, you know," I said softly. "Ever since we were little, everyone called you the pretty one. The smart investment. The family's pride. I was always the ugly one."

"Because you were the ugly one!" she shot back. "If you weren't so fat, people wouldn't have bullied you. Stop playing the victim."

I lowered my eyes for a moment, trying to steady myself. When I looked back at her, my vision was already blurred with tears.

"I know I'm not what people call beautiful."

"And you know why they bullied you?" she continued, folding her arms. "Because you're fat. And you will never be enough."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"No," I whispered. "They bullied me because they weren't nice people."

She scoffed.

"So you're saying our parents aren't nice people either?"

I let out a quiet sigh.

"No matter what happens… no matter how angry you are with me… my life isn't easy just because I don't cry about it in front of everyone. When I was younger, I used to cry. I used to tell people how much they hurt me. No one cared."

I forced myself to smile even though my eyes stung.

"So I learned to love myself anyway. I accepted my reality."

My voice trembled.

"I still love you, Larissa. You're my little sister. Nothing will ever change that. We just carry different kinds of pain… and I understand why you're frustrated."

"I hate you… I fucking hate you."

She said it with tears rolling down her face and stormed out of the living room.

I stood there alone… staring at nothing. Then I gave a small nod, picked up my appointment letter, and quietly walked toward my bedroom.

The moment I closed the door behind me, the smile I'd been forcing disappeared.

I leaned against the door, pressing my hand over my mouth to stop myself from crying out loud.

A sob escaped anyway.

My shoulders shook as every painful memory crashed over me. Somehow, I managed to reach my bed before my legs gave out beneath me.

I curled into myself and buried my face in the pillow. The tears I had been holding back finally poured out.

I clutched my appointment letter tightly against my chest. Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life.

Instead…

All I could hear were the words that had followed me since I was a little girl.

Unwanted. Ugly. Fat.

You'll never be enough.

Not from strangers—but from my own family.