MY SISTER TOOK MY POSITION

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Episode 8

The mansion never slept anymore. Preparations for Roxet’s upcoming union filled every hallway with servants, musicians, and tailors. Laughter and footsteps echoed late into the night, and everywhere Nora turned, she was reminded of her exile.

But what stung more was not the bustle,it was the whispers she overheard when no one thought she was listening.

“Miss Roxet is truly perfect for Mr. Frank…”

“Poor Miss Nora… left behind like yesterday’s news.”

The words gnawed at her, but she kept her chin high. Let them talk. She would not break where Roxet could see.

One evening, as she walked past the study, voices halted her in her tracks. The door was slightly ajar, candlelight spilling into the hall.

It was her father’s voice first:

“Frank has agreed, then? No objections?”

A pause. Then Frank’s voice, low but firm:

“I agreed because you left me no choice.”

Nora’s heart slammed against her ribs. She pressed herself against the wall, barely breathing.

“You’ll understand in time,” her father replied coldly. “This arrangement benefits everyone. Your family gains, ours secures position. Roxet is ambitious ,exactly what Nora lacked.”

Frank’s voice sharpened. “Nora deserved better than this.”

Her breath caught. The words struck her like lightning, filling her chest with heat and confusion.

But her father’s response was final. “Deserve means nothing in this world. Advantage does. You’ll marry Roxet, and that is the end of it.”

The silence that followed was heavier than stone. Nora pressed her fist to her mouth, trembling.

So Frank hadn’t chosen Roxet freely. He had been cornered, forced into silence.

And he had defended her,even when she wasn’t there.

Later, alone in her room, her mind spun. Evelyn’s words, Frank’s gaze, now his defense behind closed doors… everything tangled into something more complicated than she had allowed herself to hope.

Yet, even as her heart fluttered, a chill slid down her spine.

Because if Roxet ever suspected Frank’s lingering loyalty, her sister would not hesitate to destroy her completely.

Meanwhile, in her own chambers, Roxet sat before her mirror, her lips curled in a cold smile.

She had overheard enough whispers, seen enough flickers in Frank’s eyes, to know he wasn’t entirely hers. Not yet.

But soon, he would be.

And if Nora dared to stand in the way again, Roxet would make sure her sister regretted ever being born.