The Adopted Heir, My Fake Sister-in-law's Downfall

I returned from my studies abroad only to find a new woman in our house.

She acted like she was already the future mistress of the Vance family.

She even bragged about how she would put me, the sister-in-law she had never met, in my place.

But no one had told her that my brother was actually adopted.

I am the only true heir to the Vance empire, and even my brother has to walk on eggshells around me.

When my brother picked me up from the airport, my parents were already waiting at the door.

Because of the recent global health crisis, I hadn't been home in a long time.

Everyone was incredibly excited to see me.

I was busy hugging my parents and telling them how much I missed them.

Then, my brother pulled a stranger toward me.

He looked a bit shy as he introduced her. "Sera, this is my girlfriend, Chloe Bennett. She's your future sister-in-law."

He then nodded toward me. "Chloe, this is my sister, Seraphina. You can just call her Sera."

"Nice to meet you," she said with a polite smile, reaching out her hand.

I was still caught up in the excitement of being home.

I gave her a quick greeting and immediately went back to chatting with my parents.

That night, I stayed up late with my mom.

According to her, Arthur met Chloe at one of the branch offices he manages.

She was just an intern back then.

Mom said Chloe seemed simple and gentle, and Arthur was head over heels for her.

They hadn't been together long before he brought her home and announced he wanted to marry her.

I was practically vibrating with excitement for the tea. "And then? Is Arthur really getting married?"

"Your father and I wanted someone from a similar background," Mom admitted.

"But if he's insistent, we won't stand in his way. If he truly loves her, we'll support him."

My mom has always been open-minded, so I wasn't worried about my brother.

However, when I saw Chloe the next day, I realized I had completely underestimated her.

Because of the jet lag, I didn't wake up until late in the afternoon.

I went downstairs to find something to eat.

As I sat at the table, a voice drifted from behind me.

"My, the little sister finally decided to wake up. Your brother has been at the office for hours already."

I felt a string of question marks floating over my head.

I turned around to see Chloe standing there.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, barely believing my ears.

She rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared into her skull.

She crossed her arms and slowly walked down the stairs.

Good grief, she was already acting like she owned the place.

She seemed normal enough in front of my parents yesterday.

But as soon as they were gone, she couldn't wait to give me attitude.

"Who else? Is there a third person in this room?"

Her tone was dripping with hostility.

It was clear I hadn't misunderstood her.

After the initial shock, I actually found it quite amusing.

"I thought you were talking to your reflection. We aren't close, so don't call me 'sister.' I don't have a sister."

I snapped back and turned around to finish my food.

Seriously, Arthur must have been blinded by some cheap perfume to fall for someone like this.

She marched over to me, looking like she was about to explode.

But then, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.

Chloe's face transformed instantly.

She suddenly looked weak and fragile.

Her voice lost its bite and became sickeningly sweet.

"Please don't be mad, Sera. If you don't think I'm worthy of being your sister, I won't call you that anymore."

I was stunned. I didn't realize such textbook fake behavior actually existed in the twenty-first century.

Was she not embarrassed by how fake she sounded?

Just then, my mother and Arthur walked into the room.

Arthur saw Chloe looking like a kicked puppy and rushed over.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked, concerned.

Chloe leaned into him, even forcing a couple of tears to well up in her eyes.

She looked absolutely pathetic.

"It's nothing. I... I mean, Sera doesn't like it when I call her sister. I'll just stop."

She sniffled softly. "I thought it would make us closer, but I guess I just upset her. I didn't mean to."

I was speechless. I've lived for over twenty years, but I've never seen such a drama queen in person.

My mom tried to play peacemaker. "Oh, it's just a small misunderstanding. No need to be upset."

Arthur added, "Sera probably just has a bit of a morning temper. She's still adjusting to the time zone. Don't take it to heart."

He gave me a look and then led the weeping Chloe back to her room to comfort her.

I didn't even need to finish my breakfast; I was already full of rage.

My mom looked at me and asked what happened, but I just told her it was nothing.

I wanted to see what other nonsense this woman was going to pull.

Since I was newly home, I was like a hungry animal.

I spent every day out with my old friends, eating everything in sight to make up for the years I spent abroad.

During this time, I didn't have much energy to deal with Chloe.

But then, one of my friends brought her up.

"How are things with that future sister-in-law of yours? She's a piece of work, isn't she?"

It was my childhood friend, Beckett Sterling.

He had that smug look on his face that said, 'I know a secret but I won't tell you unless you ask.'

He's been like that since we were kids.

I gave him a bored look. "Just spill it already."

He grinned wickedly. "That girl was just an intern at your company. She hasn't been there long, but she's already got your idiot brother wrapped around her finger."

I snorted. "Is that it? Everyone knows that. Tell me something new."

Beckett didn't miss a beat. "Did you know her only goal since joining the company was to seduce Arthur?"

"Now she's going around calling herself the future Mrs. Vance. She's using that title to brag everywhere."

I finally turned my full attention to him.

Beckett pulled out his phone and showed me some screenshots.

They were messages between Chloe and her friends.

I've already got Arthur Vance in my pocket. Rich boys are so easy to tame.

Arthur took me home to meet the parents. The Vance mansion is huge! They even have a maid. I'm never letting go of this.

Arthur's sister is coming back. Sisters-in-law are always a threat in families like this. Once she's home, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind and show her who's boss.

How incredibly stupid. To brag about something like that so openly... she was truly reckless.

I judged her silently in my mind before looking back at Beckett.

"And what's your connection to the person who sent these screenshots?"

Beckett gave a greasy laugh. I looked at him with disgust, but he didn't care.

"It's a mutual arrangement. We both get what we want. Not everyone is as naive as your brother."

I realized I had to keep a close eye on Chloe.

From what I could see, she might be small, but her ambition was massive.

On the surface, she was a gentle little flower who wanted nothing.

In reality, she was making sure she got everything.

She got Arthur to give her a permanent position and a promotion to a do-nothing job.

She had basically moved into our house full-time.

She was an expert at acting vulnerable to get what she wanted.

In this house, she was smiles and sunshine to everyone except me and the maid.

She sucked up to my parents because they were the future in-laws.

She coddled my brother to speed up the wedding.

But with me, she didn't even bother to pretend.

She saw the late-night snack Mrs. Higgins made for me and immediately demanded some for herself.

It was very late, and the soup had been simmering for hours.

There was no way to make more quickly, and Mrs. Higgins was ready for bed.

When Mrs. Higgins refused, Chloe put her hands on her hips and started acting like the lady of the manor.

"Excuse me? Are you saying I can't have soup when I want it? Are you a maid or a guest here? Do I not have the authority to tell you what to do?"

Mrs. Higgins had no choice but to go and cook for her.

Chloe was that arrogant, yet she always acted like she was yielding to me in front of my parents.

I couldn't be bothered to play along with her pathetic acting, so I never gave her a nice look.

The contrast made me look like the difficult one.

I once tried to ask Arthur if he really wanted to marry her. I asked if he actually knew who she was.

He just dismissed it as me being childish.

He told me he was going to marry her and hoped I could learn to get along with her.

My parents were also warming up to Chloe more and more.

She would take my mom shopping and compliment everything she picked out.

She kept my mom laughing and happy.

Of course, she frequently received expensive gifts from her future mother-in-law.

Emotional labor in exchange for designer bagsDthey were both satisfied.

Arthur was happy to see them getting along.

I was the only one in the family who didn't like her.

The divide was becoming more obvious. I was starting to look like the villainous sister-in-law.

Because of this, Chloe became even bolder.

When my parents weren't looking, she became even more aggressive toward me.

"Sera, your room is so spacious. Can we swap rooms after I marry your brother?"

She asked it like a question, but her tone was a demand.

She had been eyeing my room from the very beginning.

I glanced at Arthur, who was standing nearby. He didn't say a single word.

I was so angry I started laughing. "Is that so? You haven't even married in yet, and you're already trying to steal my room?"

"Besides, you've bagged a Vance. Isn't he going to buy you your own house? Why are you still leeching off our family?"

"Sera! Stop that!" My mom heard me and walked over. "Chloe, don't mind her."

My mom actually comforted Chloe before turning to me.

"Is that any way to speak? Apologize to your brother and Chloe right now."

I refused. Even though I knew I shouldn't have said it, I wasn't going to back down in front of Chloe.

Chloe saw that my mom was taking her side, and her expression became even more triumphant.

"It's okay, Mrs. Vance. Sera is just having a tantrum. We would never move out."

She looked at my mom with a fake, adoring smile. "Arthur and I want to stay here and take care of you in your old age."

Arthur stepped in to play the mediator.

"It's not Sera's fault. Chloe was just teasing her about the room, and Sera took it seriously."

He looked at me as if he were talking to a naughty child.

"Your sister-in-law was just joking with you. Don't be mad, okay?"

My mom kept praising Chloe for being so understanding.

She scolded me for being petty and unable to take a joke.

As they actually started planning the wedding, I began to panic.

I couldn't let her marry into my family. I couldn't live with this actress forever.

One day, when Chloe wasn't at the house, I called a family meeting with my parents and Arthur.

"I don't want Chloe marrying into this family."

The moment I said it, everyone looked at me. My mom told me to stop causing trouble.

Arthur didn't seem surprised at all.

"Just as Chloe predicted. You're trying to stop the wedding."

Wow. She actually anticipated my move.

Arthur sighed, looking disappointed. "Why do you hate her so much? You look for any reason to criticize her."

"She told me you were doing this, but I didn't believe her. I didn't think you'd actually try to ruin her happiness like this."