You’re flawless, you know why? Lucy snapped. Because Im fed up with always being secondbest! In school you were the star pupil, every teacher adored you. At university you graduated with firstclass honours, while I was scraping through resits. At work you keep scooping promotions and bonuses, and Im stuck in the same spot! I want a proper salary and the bosss respect too, understand? I want to be number one myself!
***
Great, another scolding from the higherups, Lucy muttered, slamming her laptop shut and flinging herself back into the swivel chair with a sigh.
Emma looked up from her screen, a wry smile playing on her lips.
So you botched the report, did you? Did anyone pat you on the head for that?
Lucy pursed her lips, turned toward the window, and her cheeks flushed with hurt. Emma ignored the younger sisters sour look and began gathering her things. The workday finally wrapped up; the paperwork was neatly stacked in a folder, the coffee mug was whisked to the sink.
Lucy lingered in a dramatic silence as they trudged down the corridor. Only when the office doors clicked shut behind them did Lucy break the quiet.
You find it easy to laugh, dont you? Youre our perfect one.
Emma exhaled. These arguments had become a stale routine lately. Lucy used to brush off the bosss nagging with a joke and move on; now every sentence seemed tinged with bitterness.
I just do my job well, Lucy. You can too.
Right, of course.
Theyd been in the procurement arm of a large retail group for three years. Emma had landed the role first, and six months later helped Lucy get hers. The sisters had always been close, backing each other up in everything. Their work styles, however, were poles apart.
Emma stayed late, poring over supplier markets, comparing terms from dozens of firms before signing anything. Lucy preferred a laidback rhythm just enough to meet the deadline, then the rest of the day spent scrolling on her phone or chinwagging with the kitchen crew. Emma never judged Lucys more relaxed outlook; after all, everyone has their own pace.
A month ago something that should have been a family celebration happened. Management called Emma into the directors office and offered her a promotion Senior Procurement Manager with a solid raise of £12,000 a year. Emma was startled but accepted straight away. Years of painstaking effort finally paid off.
Lucy hugged her then and congratulated her, but Emma saw the smile fade from Lucys face almost instantly, heard the words tighten. That evening they went to a café to toast the news, yet the atmosphere felt off. Lucy kept steering the chat back to salaries, asking how much more Emma would be earning now and whether shed have to clock extra overtime.
Youre just lucky the bosses finally noticed, otherwise youd still be stuck on the same old grind, Lucy blurted between sips.
Lucky? Emma repeated. I spent two months on that project without a day off.
Sure, right
Six months later Emma was appointed head of the whole department. The news ricocheted through the office like a dropped soufflé. Colleagues shook hands, offered congratulations, and wished her luck. Lucy was the last to approach. She hugged Emma and whispered in her ear:
Congrats. Now youre the top dog around here.
There was no warmth in those words. Emma stepped back, looked Lucy straight in the eye, and saw something cold and alien, like a snake coiled in the corner of the room.
In the weeks that followed, Emmas office life shifted subtly but steadily. At first she brushed off the small changes. Tanya stopped inviting her to lunch. Oliver from the neighbouring department no longer dropped by with a morning cuppa. Colleagues offered dry nods and turned away as soon as she turned. Whispered chuckles and faint snickers trailed her like a shadow. Whenever she turned around, everyone pretended they were buried in work.
Emma was baffled. What had happened? Shed always been open, helpful, eager to share her knowhow. Could a promotion really turn the whole crew against her? She hadnt changed a jot no shouting at juniors, no impossible demands, no stepping on anyones toes.
One evening, as Emma was about to head out, Megan knocked on her office door, looking nervous and shifting from foot to foot.
Come in, Emma called. Whats up?
Megan slipped the door shut and perched on the chair opposite, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Ive got to tell you something. Im really ashamed, but you deserve to know the truth.
Emma set her pen down and gave Megan her full attention. Megan swallowed hard and went on:
Lucys been spreading rumours about you for months now. She tells anyone wholl listen that the ideas in your projects are actually hers, that youve stolen her work, that you only got the promotion because youre a brownnoser. She says you look down on everyone else, that you think were all idiots.
Lucy? Her own little sister, the one shed introduced to the firm, the one shed helped fix mistakes for without any fanfare? Lucy was turning the whole office against her?
You sure youre not mixing things up? Emma asked, her voice tight.
Absolutely. At first I thought maybe I misheard, that it was a misunderstanding. But shes been saying it nonstop, to everyone. People are starting to believe it. You know how fast gossip spreads. Even the most outlandish tales end up feeling real after a while
Emma didnt recall exactly how she said goodbye to Megan before hurrying to her car. The whole ride home was a tumble of thoughts. Why? How? Theyd always been a team. Emma had backed Lucy, defended her, helped her. And now gratitude turned into betrayal.
Lucy opened the flat door, surprise flashing across her face.
Emma? Whats wrong? Something happen?
Emma stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, turned to face Lucy, and met her gaze.
Why? Emma asked, voice cool.
What are you talking about? Lucy retorted, bewildered.
Why are you turning the whole office against me? Why lie that Im stealing your ideas? Why spread those rumours? Emmas tone was iced, detached.
Lucy flinched, crossed her arms, her face suddenly streaked with angry reds.
Did Megan tell you that? she snapped.
It doesnt matter who said it! Answer me!
Dont shout at me in my own house! This is unprofessional! Lucy snapped back.
Im not shouting, Emma. Im demanding an explanation. How could you do this? Were sisters!
Emma took a step forward. In Lucys eyes flickered something Emma had never seen before not just hurt, but a fierce, almost feral spark.
You want to know why? Lucy shouted. Because Im sick of always being second! Always, in everything! In school you were the top student, teachers fawned over you. At university you got a firstclass degree, I barely scraped through resits. At work you collect raises and bonuses, and I sit in the same role! I want a good salary and the bosss respect too, you hear me? I want to be first!
Emma stayed mute as Lucy kept going, her words spilling out like an overcooked kettle.
You’ve always been ahead. Always perfect. Emma brilliant, beautiful, hardworking. And me? Im just a shadow, the useless little sister who always messes things up!
Then you should have worked for it, Emma replied. Put in the effort, not spend the day watching videos or gossiping in the kitchen. You wanted respect? Earn it. Dont try to drag me through the mud for it.
Lucy opened her mouth, but Emma cut her off, turned, and walked out of the flat. The door clicked shut with a soft thud. Tears welled on Emmas cheeks, which she brushed away fiercely. Hold on, she muttered to herself. Hold on.
The next morning Emma handed in a transfer request to move to the companys branch in Manchester. The HR manager raised an eyebrow but signed the paperwork without fuss. Emma was a valuable asset; the firm didnt want to lose her. The transfer was approved within two days.
Lucy heard the news from a colleague, called Emma that evening. Emma stared at the caller ID before answering.
Youre moving? Lucy asked, tone flat.
Yes.
So youre running away then.
No. Im just going where no one will plot against me.
Youre betraying me! Traitor! Sister, youre a disgrace!
Emma said nothing, hung up, and didnt look back.
Three months in the Manchester office flew by. The team welcomed her warmly, projects ran smoothly, and the nightmare that had haunted her in London began to fade. Then, one evening, Megan rang.
Emma, have you heard? Theyve sacked Lucy.
Emma froze, phone pressed to her ear.
What? When?
Last week. She missed deadlines on three contracts in a row, made errors in reports. Management had been tolerating it, but finally they decided to let her go. Without you covering her slipups, everything fell apart. Thats what happened
Emma set the phone down and sat in stunned silence.
The following day Lucy appeared at Emmas doorstep, hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, clothes rumpled. She burst into the hallway and shouted:
Youre happy now! They fired me! You moved just to see me suffer! Did you do this on purpose?
Emma stared at her calmly.
What did I do, Lucy? You had the chance to prove yourself. I didnt block you. What did you ruin?
Its your fault! Youre the one to blame!
No. Youre the one who caused all this. And now, dont expect any more visits to my flat.
Emma opened the front door wide. Lucy froze, unable to believe her sister was actually pushing her out. Emmas stare was cold, resolute. Lucy turned and fled down the stairwell. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.
An hour later Mom shouted into the phone:
Emma, what are you doing? Youre responsible for Lucys dismissal! You abandoned her! Youre selfish! You should have helped, not bolted to another office! Youve ruined our family!
Emma tried to explain the rumours, the betrayal, Lucys own role in her firing but Mom wouldnt listen. She screamed, blamed, demanded everything be fixed at once.
Youve betrayed the family, Emma. Remember that. Its a sin.
A few short beeps sounded from the line
Now she was alone. The family turned away the moment Emma chose to protect herself, the moment she stopped sacrificing herself for Lucy.
Shed manage. Emma had always been strong, and now that strength was more needed than ever.
She opened an email from senior management: a relocation to the capital, a new senior role, a fresh start. If before shed hesitated, now she replied with confidence.
When everyone else turned their backs, there was nothing in this new city to hold her back. Time to think of herself.
Weeks blurred into the chaos of moving. In the new office Emma settled quickly. She didnt look back, didnt try to fit in. Relations with her family stayed surfacelevel, limited to polite holiday cards. But Emma no longer worried. They hadnt loved her deeply anyway; theyd let her go with ease.
