You’re flawless to us, she whispered, eyes bright with something uncanny.
Do you want to know why? Emily snapped, the words spilling like startled birds. Because Im tired of always being secondbest! In school you were the top of the class, every teacher sang your praises. At university you graduated with firstclass honours while I scraped by on retakes. At work you climb the ladder, collect bonuses, while Im stuck on the same rung! I crave a high salary and the respect of the bosses, understand? I want to be first too!
***
Great, another scolding from the manager, Emily muttered, slamming her laptop shut and flinging herself back into the swivel chair with a sigh that seemed to echo through the offices beige walls.
Charlotte looked up from her screen, a faint smile curling her lips.
So you made that mistake in the report, didnt you? Were you expecting a pat on the head for it?
Emily pursed her mouth, turned toward the window, cheeks flushing with wounded pride. Charlotte ignored the sour look and began gathering her things. The workday finally dissolved; documents slipped neatly into a folder, a coffee mug clattered into the sink.
Emily stayed silent, a statue as they trudged down the hallway toward the exit. Only when the doors of the glassfronted office fell shut behind them did the younger sister speak again:
You find it easy to laugh. To you, Im perfect, arent I?
Charlotte exhaled slowly. These arguments had become a familiar refrain. Once Emily would brush off a managers criticism with a joke and move on; now every remark tasted of bitterness.
I just do my job well, Emily. You can too.
Of course, I know.
They had both been in the procurement department of a major trading firm in London for three years. Charlotte had been hired first; half a year later she helped Emily get her foot in the door. The sisters had always been close, supporting each other through everything, yet their approaches to work diverged dramatically.
Charlotte stayed late, poring over supplier markets, comparing terms from dozens of firms before making a decision. Emily favoured a more relaxed pacegetting the minimum done by deadline, then drifting on her phone or chatting in the breakroom. Charlotte never judged Emilys different outlook; each had their own way.
A month earlier, the company called Charlotte into the managers office and offered her a promotion: senior procurement manager with a substantial raise in pounds. She was startled, then accepted without hesitation. Years of meticulous effort finally bore fruit.
Emily hugged her and offered congratulations, but Charlotte noticed the smile fade quickly, the words feel strained. That evening, they went out to celebrate in a cosy café, yet the atmosphere was offkilter. Emily kept steering the conversation toward salaries, asking how much more Charlotte would now earn, how many overtime hours shed have to swallow.
Youre lucky the bosses noticed you, otherwise youd be stuck on a flatrate paycheck, Emily said, halflaughing.
Lucky? Charlotte echoed. I worked on that project for two months without a day off.
Right, of course, Emily replied, the smile thin as paper.
Six months later, Charlotte was appointed head of the whole department. The news rippled through the office like a sudden chill. Colleagues shook her hand, offered wellwishes. Emily was the last to approach, wrapping an arm around her sister and whispering, Congrats. Youre brilliant now.
There was no warmth in those words. Charlotte turned, met Emilys gaze, and saw something cold and alien glinting therelike a snake coiled in the shadows.
In the weeks that followed, office life shifted subtly but inexorably. Small things changed: Rebecca stopped inviting Emily to lunch, James from the adjacent team no longer dropped by with his morning brew, colleagues offered curt nods and turned away. Whispers and muffled giggles fluttered behind Charlottes back; everyone pretended to be buried in work the moment she turned.
Charlotte wondered what had happened. Shed always been open, helpful, willing to share knowledge. Had the promotion altered how people treated her? She hadnt changedno yelling at subordinates, no impossible demands, no sabotage.
One evening, as Charlotte gathered her things to leave, Sophie slipped into her office, trembling at the door.
Come in, Charlotte called. Whats wrong?
Sophie shut the door gently and sank into the chair opposite, her face a map of embarrassment.
I need to tell you something. Im ashamed, but you deserve to know the truth.
Charlotte set down her pen, eyes fixed on Sophie. Sophie swallowed hard.
Emily has been spreading rumours about you for months. She tells everyone that the ideas in your projects are actually hers, that youre stealing her work, that you only got the promotion because of cronyism and flattery. She claims you look down on us, call us fools.
Emily? The younger sister she had helped into the firm? The one whose work she had quietly corrected behind the scenes? Emily was turning the entire office against her?
Are you sure? Youre not mixing things up? Charlotte asked, voice tight.
Absolutely. At first I didnt want to believe it. I thought maybe it was a misunderstanding. But she repeats it constantly, to everyone. People start to believe it. Gossip spreads faster than fire, and eventually you begin to accept it
Charlotte left the office that night without really knowing how shed arrived at her car. The drive home was a haze of tangled thoughts. Why? Why now? They had always been together. She had supported Emily, defended her, corrected her mistakes unnoticed by others. And now gratitude felt like a phantom.
Emily opened the front door, surprise flashing across her face.
Charlotte? Whats wrong? Something happen?
Charlotte stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, turned to meet Emilys eyes.
Why?
What are you talking about?
Why are you turning the whole office against me? Why lie that Im stealing your ideas? Why spread those rumours? Charlotte said, voice cold, distant.
Emilys shoulders trembled, her face splashed with bizarre colours.
Did Marcy tell you?
Who cares who said it! Answer me!
Dont shout at me in my own house! This is personal!
Im not shouting, Emily. I demand an explanation. How could you do this? Were sisters!
Emily stepped forward, eyes flashing with something Charlotte had never seenrage? Hurt? Something altogether other?
You want to know why? Emily roared, the words tearing through the cramped kitchen. Because Im sick of always being second! In school you were the star, teachers adored you. At university you earned a firstclass degree, I barely scraped through retakes. At work you get promotions and bonuses, while Im stuck here! I want a high salary, the bosses respect, understand? I want to be first too!
Charlotte remained silent. Emily pressed on, relentless.
You were always ahead. Always perfect. Charlottesmart, beautiful, hardworking. And me? Im just a shadow, a foolish little sister who always messes things up!
Then you should have worked harder, Charlotte replied evenly. Put in the effort, not spend time watching videos at your desk or gossiping in the kitchen. You wanted respect? Earn it. But dont drag me through the mud for it.
Emily opened her mouth, but Charlotte cut her off, turned, and walked out of the flat. The door clicked shut behind her, tears streaming down Charlottes cheeks, which she brushed away with fierce resolve.
The next morning Charlotte submitted a transfer request to a branch in Manchester. HRs head raised an eyebrow, then signed the paperwork without fuss. Charlotte was a valuable employee; the company didnt want to lose her. The transfer was approved within two days.
Emily learned of it from a colleague, called that evening. Charlotte stared at the name glowing on the screen before answering.
Youre moving? Emily said, tone flat.
Yes.
So youre running away, then.
No. Im just going to a place where you wont plot against me from behind my back.
You betray me! Traitor! Sister, youre a
Charlotte hung up, silence filling the void.
Three months in the Manchester office flew by. The team welcomed her warmly, projects flowed smoothly, and the nightmare that had haunted her began to fade. One night, Sophie called.
Charlotte, did you hear? Theyve sacked Emily.
Charlotte froze, phone pressed to her ear.
What?
Last week. She missed deadlines on three contracts, made errors in reports. Management gave her many chances, but finally they let her go. Without you covering her mistakes, everything fell apart.
But I didnt
Sophie: you patched her errors for years, quietly. When you left, the cracks appeared. Emily couldnt cope without your safety net.
Charlotte put the phone down, sitting in the quiet of her flat.
A day later, Emily appeared at Charlottes doorstephair dishevelled, eyes reddened, clothes rumpled. She burst into the hallway, shouting:
Are you happy now? Theyve fired me! You moved just to ruin me! Did you do it on purpose?
Charlotte watched, expression steady.
What am I to blame, Emily? You had chances to prove yourself. I didnt stop you. What did you ruin?
This is your fault! You!
No, its you who caused this. Forget the way back to my flat.
Charlotte opened the door wide. Emily froze, unable to believe her sister was actually pushing her out. Emily turned and fled down the staircase, the door slamming shut with a deafening bang.
An hour later, their mothers voice crackled over the speakerphone.
What are you doing? Youre responsible for Emilys dismissal! You abandoned her! Youre selfish! You should have helped, not run off to another office! Youve ruined our family!
Charlotte tried to explainabout the rumours, the betrayal, how Emily herself had driven the situation to the endbut her mother shouted, blamed, demanded immediate restitution.
Youve betrayed the family, Charlotte. Remember that. Its a sin.
The line hissed with a final, cold tone.
Charlotte was left alone. The family had turned away the moment she defended herself, the moment she stopped sacrificing for her sister.
She would manage. Charlotte had always been strong, and now that strength was more necessary than ever.
An email appeared from senior management: a promotion to the headquarters in Birmingham, a new role, a fresh city, a new life. If before she hesitated, now she answered with confidence, drafting her acceptance.
With everyone turned against her, nothing in this town held her back. It was time to think only of herself.
Weeks blurred into the frantic bustle of moving. In Birmingham, Charlotte settled quickly, refusing to look back, refusing to adapt to old expectations. Family ties frayed to polite holiday cards. She no longer felt the sting of neglect; they had let her go so easily.
Now, in the glow of a new office, she walked forward, the dreamlike weight of past arguments drifting like mist, the surreal logic of sibling rivalry fading into the soft hum of a fresh start.
