Confronting the Scheming Sister

My boyfriend's younger sister, Ashley Guerrero, was starting college and asked me to pick her up.

I intended to be good to her, but she gave me a hard time right after we first met.

"You'd better break up with Johnny," she said, sizing me up with disdain. "He is going to be a boss someday, and I don't want him to have a girlfriend who works in a coffee shop."

However, I hadn't revealed my family background to her. I chose to find a job and gain experience so that I could manage our family's company in the future.

1

I sat in the passenger seat and watched the scenery fly by out of the window.

"Ashley is a good girl. She got into Alderwood University entirely with her own efforts." Johnny rambled on about Ashley's good points.

We were on our way to pick up Ashley.

She came from a rural area and was admitted to Briarwood's Alderwood University. It was quite an achievement for a girl from a rural school.

Johnny had been telling me how good and sensible Ashley was since yesterday, and I had developed a favorable impression of her.

The flight was delayed by half an hour. Johnny held up a handwritten sign, and his eyes were fixed on the people coming out from the exit of the airport.

"Johnny!" A sweet voice was heard from behind. Then a figure dashed into Johnny's arms. She hugged him tightly.

The woman in front of me wore a floral dress, carried a small white purse, and had a delicate face adorned with a lively hair clip. He looked sweet.

"You didn't even see me, and I had to come to find you," Ashley said with a pout, and her face darkened. Johnny immediately apologized to her.

After a long while, Johnny remembered I was there and quickly pulled me forward to introduce me. "This is my girlfriend, Melinda Pierce."

"Hello, Melinda." Ashley greeted me sweetly and then extended her right hand.

I smiled and nodded while reaching out to shake her hand.

But as soon as we clasped hands, I frowned slightly.

Her grip was tight.

"Sorry, Melinda. I grew up in a rural area, so I can't control my strength well," Ashley apologized, though her eyes showed no hint of remorse.

I took my hand back and glanced at it. It was already turning red.

"Never..." Before I finished my sentence, Ashley had already linked arms with Johnny and said in a sweet voice, "Johnny, where's your car? I'm so tired."

Johnny smiled gently and said it was up ahead. Then he pushed the luggage cart and led Ashley forward.

I followed behind, feeling like a third wheel.

2

By the time I arrived at the car, Ashley was already seated in the passenger seat.

Seeing me standing outside the car, Johnny hesitated for a few seconds and then said, "Melinda, you can sit in the back seat."

I nodded casually and bent down to get in the car.

Johnny breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled as he settled into the driver's seat and drove away.

In the passenger seat, Ashley fiddled with a cute cat ornament in the car, which I had placed in Johnny's car.

"Johnny, when did your taste become so bad? Why do you have such an ugly thing here?" she said disdainfully, tossing the cat ornament to the floor.

The atmosphere froze for a moment. Johnny glanced at me through the rearview mirror and then quickly showed Ashley the lipstick in the back seat. "That's a gift from Melinda for you. You should thank her."

The lipstick was on my left. I smiled and handed it to her. "I wasn't sure what color you'd like, so I got the most popular one."

Ashley took the lipstick from my hand and said flatly, "Thank you, Melinda."

She opened the packaging, glanced at it casually, and muttered, "This color is so outdated."

Her voice was just enough for everyone in the car to hear.

"Ashley," Johnny called her meaningfully.

Ashley immediately put on a smile and said in a sweet tone, "Sorry, Melinda. I tend to speak without thinking, but I don't have any bad intentions." She paused and added, "You might not use these this often, so you might not understand much about makeup. But we should learn to take care of ourselves, especially at your age..."

Her words implied I was both out of fashion and old.

I chuckled and interrupted her, saying, "I'm younger than you."

I had skipped my grades twice in elementary school, so I was two years younger than my peers. So Ashley was a year older than I.

Her expression froze, then she awkwardly turned her head and said, "Well, it's never too early to start taking care of yourself."

I looked at her thick foundation and wondered how she dared to comment on my appearance.

Through the car window, I looked at my skin, which was as smooth as silk.

It looked much better than hers.

3

I'm a sophomore at Alderwood University.

Johnny was already a senior and had started a business with some close friends, so he rented an apartment off-campus.

He was too busy, so I helped with Ashley's freshman orientation.

The sun in August was scorching, and I crouched under a tree for shade, eating an ice cream.

I checked my phone for the time. It was almost the agreed meeting time with Ashley, but she hadn't shown up.

The last meeting with her wasn't pleasant. Ashley had made it clear that she didn't think much of me.

If it weren't for Johnny, I wouldn't bother with her.

Time passed slowly. It was over forty minutes past the agreed time, and Ashley still hadn't shown up. I called her, but she didn't answer it.

I stood up, rubbed my numb legs, and turned to leave.

Johnny called at six in the evening. "Melinda, how could you leave Ashley alone on campus?"

On the other end, I could hear faint sobbing. It was Ashley.

After a quick wash, I headed to the coffee shop.

Ashley had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red and made her look pitiful.

The waiter came over. After I ordered a cup of coffee casually, I met Johnny's displeased gaze.

"Ashley is unfamiliar with the place. You shouldn't have left her alone on campus," Johnny said in a low voice.

I casually placed my phone on the seat and slowly explained, "I waited for her in the scorching heat for over forty minutes and didn't see her, so I left."

Ashley started crying again, saying, "Melinda, you weren't there when I arrived. I know I'm troubling you. If you didn't want to help me, you could have said so. Why did you do this?"

I looked at her and didn't know what to say. She cried as if she had suffered a great injustice.

She was not a little girl at all. Even without me, there were many volunteers there, and she could have asked for help easily.

"Then why didn't you answer my call?" I asked.

Her crying gradually subsided, and she retorted, "I didn't get your call." After a few seconds, she continued, "I know it's all my fault. I shouldn't have bothered you, Melinda."

"You indeed made a mistake," I replied. Then I picked up my phone and was about to show Johnny my call log.

"Enough." Johnny interrupted me and gave me a disappointed look before leaving with Ashley.

I sat there, sipping the coffee that had just been served. I watched Ashley throw me a provocative glance from outside the window.