"Godfather, Godmother, can I come home with you?"

"I know you're going on a trip—you don't have to worry about me. I'll be good and stay home by myself!"

"I can house-sit for you and help clean!"

"My parents only gave me enough money for a slow train ticket, and those sell out so fast. I couldn't get one, so I have no way to get home."

"Everyone goes home for winter break. Even the dorm supervisor left. I'm too scared to stay in the dorm alone."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke.

My dad's heart softened. He opened the car door.

"Get in."

Sabina's face lit up instantly. She grabbed her luggage and climbed in.

I wasn't happy about it. She acted like she already belonged here.

But we still had three and a half years of sharing a dorm room ahead of us, so I kept my mouth shut.

Back at the house, Sabina set down her bags and headed straight for the kitchen to wash vegetables.

"Godfather, Godmother, you've had such a long day. Let me make dinner tonight."

She was always like this—so considerate, so eager to help with chores, always offering to massage my parents' shoulders or rub their feet.

My dad loved comparing us.

"Look at Sabina! If you had half her sense, we'd be grateful!"

But the truth was, every time Sabina volunteered to help, my parents never actually let her do anything. She was a guest, after all. How could we make a guest do housework?

Sure enough, the moment Sabina put the vegetables in the basin, my mom shooed her out.

"Go watch TV. Maisie can help me wash these."

I rolled up my sleeves and walked into the kitchen. "Mom, Sabina's offered to cook for us so many times, but I've never actually eaten anything she's made."

"Today's the perfect chance for her to show off her skills. Go rest—I've got this."

I nudged my mom out of the kitchen, then called over my shoulder.

"What are you standing there for? Get cooking."

Only then did Sabina reluctantly tie on an apron.

She actually managed to put together four dishes—all my parents' favorites.

Now they adored her even more.

"Sabina, I can't believe you're only eighteen and already cook this well. My Maisie can barely wash vegetables. She can't even steam rice."

"If you like it, Godmother, I'll cook for you every day."

She shot me a smug glance.

"Maisie, you should learn from Sabina. When we're not home, all you do is order takeout. That's so unhealthy."

"Don't worry, Godfather. I can cook for Maisie from now on."

"Oh, by the way—you're leaving for your trip tomorrow, right?" She sighed wistfully. "I'm so jealous of Maisie. She gets to travel every break. The farthest I've ever been is from home to school."

My dad looked pained. He glanced at my mom. "Why don't we bring Sabina along?"

Before my mom could respond, Sabina's eyes welled with tears of excitement.

"Thank you, Godfather! Can I really go?"

She turned to my mom, hope shining in her face.

My mom's lips parted, then pressed together. "Let me check with the travel agency to see if there's still room."

A few minutes later, she returned. "I'm sorry, Sabina. The agency says the group is full. They can't add anyone else. Maybe next time—we'll take you next time."

Resentment flickered in Sabina's eyes, but she nodded. "Okay."

After dinner, Sabina followed me into my bedroom.

Her voice dropped, turning cold and sharp. "You should have told me sooner about the trip. If you'd told me earlier, your parents would have included me."

I ignored her, grabbed my clothes, and headed to the bathroom to shower.

When I stepped out, my foot slipped on something.

I crashed to the floor right outside the bathroom door.

I clutched my leg, cold sweat beading on my forehead from the pain. "Who took the non-slip mat from the doorway?!"

"And why is there shower gel all over the floor? No wonder it was so slippery!"

Mom helped me up while questioning Sabina. "You moved the mat? And spilled shower gel everywhere?"

Sabina's face crumpled with guilt. "I accidentally knocked over the bottle earlier, so I took the mat to rinse it off."

"But before I could clean up the mess, Maisie came out. I really didn't mean for this to happen."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Maisie, are you okay? I'm so sorry."

Dad supported my weight. "We need to get her to the hospital. That was a bad fall."

The whole family rushed me to the emergency room. After a thorough examination, thankfully nothing was broken.

But my ankle and knee had swollen to the size of steamed buns. I couldn't walk without someone holding me up.

Sabina's brow furrowed with concern. "Maisie's injuries are so serious—she definitely can't go on tomorrow's trip. This is all my fault. Will the tour fee go to waste?"

"Godmother, can the fee be refunded? If not, it would be such a shame for all that money to go unused when no one's going."

I couldn't go anymore, and she was perfectly positioned to take my spot.

Sabina's hint couldn't have been more obvious, but my parents refused to take the bait.

"Then none of us will go. We'll stay home and take care of Maisie."

Irritation flickered across Sabina's face, but she quickly smoothed it away.

"Godfather, Godmother, please go and enjoy yourselves. I'll look after Maisie."

I chimed in. "She's right, Mom and Dad. Go have fun. Sabina and I will be more comfortable here on our own."

After my persistent urging, my parents finally decided to go on their trip.

That left just the two of us in the apartment.

"You sabotaged me on purpose yesterday."

Not a question. A statement.

"Oh come on, I really didn't mean to! Why do you always think the worst of me?" She rolled her eyes. "Godfather and Godmother didn't blame me. Why are you still hung up on yesterday?"

She opened the refrigerator and helped herself to the durian and cherries inside without a shred of hesitation.

"Hurry up and order delivery. I'm starving." She popped a cherry into her mouth. "And order plenty—I invited my friends over. Five of them, and they all have big appetites. Don't be stingy and embarrass us."

"Your friends are coming to my apartment?"

"Yeah, and it's my home too. What's wrong with inviting my friends over?"

I was absolutely livid.

"Excuse me? You're inviting people over without even asking me? This is my home. You're just my roommate. Don't act like you actually live here!"

Sabina shot to her feet. "How is this not my home? I'm their goddaughter now—this is my home!"

"Godfather and Godmother told me to treat this place as my own. They adore me. You're the only one who treats me like an outsider!"

"Sabina, can you seriously not tell the difference between politeness and an actual invitation?"

"Whatever, I'm done arguing. My friends will be here any minute. If you don't want to be around, you can leave."

"This is my apartment—why should I leave?!"

A knock sounded at the door. Sabina immediately went to answer it.

"Finally! I was just about to order food. What do you guys want?"

"I want steak!"

"I want Japanese!"

Five girls poured in—some classmates from other departments, others people she'd met through her part-time jobs.

Sabina grabbed my phone and started scrolling through the delivery app.

"Sabina, that's my phone!"

"I know, I know." She waved dismissively. "Oh, come on, little sis. Your big sister's friends are here—shouldn't you be a good hostess and treat them to something nice?"

I thrust out my hand. "They're your friends. Entertain them yourself. Give me back my phone!"

"It's not going to cost you much. Don't be so stingy."

With my injured leg, I couldn't exactly wrestle the phone away from her.

Sabina tapped away on my phone for what felt like forever, then tossed it back to me.

"Thanks, sis."

I looked at the screen and nearly choked. She'd spent three thousand eight hundred dollars.

"How do you even know my payment password? And spending my money without permission—that's theft!"

"God, do you have to be so dramatic? We're family now. What's the big deal if I spend a little of your money? Besides, Godfather and Godmother didn't give me a red envelope when I joined the family. Consider this you making up for it."

"Joined the family? Did my parents actually agree to that? You're the one who kept calling them that—Mom corrected you multiple times!"

Sabina acted like she hadn't heard a word, turning back to her friends with a bright smile.

"Let me know if you guys want anything else. Don't be shy—make yourselves at home!"

She raided my entire stash—snacks, drinks, fruit—and laid it all out for them. They didn't hold back either, sprawling across the couch, stuffing their faces while hogging my gaming console.

Their noise drilled into my skull until I couldn't take it anymore. I retreated to my room, planning to wait until her friends left before having it out with her. She needed to go.

But evening came, the sky darkened, and they showed no signs of leaving.

I couldn't stand it any longer. I limped back out. "Do you know what time it is? When are your friends leaving?"

They'd trashed the place. Nutshells and crumpled tissues littered every surface.

My head throbbed.

"They're not leaving." Sabina didn't even look up. "They're staying the night."

"Go find some blankets and pillows. Since you're injured, you don't have to sleep on the floor—my friends will take the floor."

So because I didn't have to sleep on the floor, I was supposed to let complete strangers stay in my home? Feed them, house them, wait on them?

I was about to explode when Sabina suddenly draped my thick robe over my shoulders.

"Do me a favor and run downstairs to grab some soy sauce."

"It's the middle of the night! I'm not buying soy sauce!"

Before I could argue further, she shoved me toward the door.

Click.

The door slammed shut behind me. I was locked out.

We had a keypad lock. I punched in the code.

Nothing happened.

She'd bolted it from the inside. The code was useless.

I pounded on the door. "Sabina, open up!"

I knocked hard enough to bruise my knuckles. No one came.

I called her phone. She declined the call.

Fine. I pulled up the home security feed on my phone.

On the screen, Sabina and her friends were doubled over laughing.

"Sabina, you're ruthless! You actually kicked your own sister out. This whole two-hundred-square-meter apartment is ours now!"

Sabina's face glowed with smug satisfaction. "Sister? Please. She's just a stepping stone. Her parents' money, this apartment—it's all going to be mine."

"You're that confident? Are her parents really dumb enough to hand everything over to an outsider? Aren't you worried she'll run and tell them?"

"Let her. I'll just say I didn't hear her knocking and apologize. It'll blow over." She waved a dismissive hand. "You don't know this, but I'm the reason she fell and couldn't go on that trip. They didn't even blame me."

"But didn't you say her mom is still suspicious of you?"

"As long as Godfather likes me, that's all that matters." She smirked. "Worst case, I'll just get myself a new godmother."

They burst into laughter.

My blood boiled. She wanted to inherit my family's money? Replace my mother?

Who did she think she was?

I forced myself to breathe. Then I dialed.

"Hello, 911? Someone has illegally occupied my home."