"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."
