"I knew you would be here," Lola scoffed as she stepped into the room and shut the door.
A victorious smirk curled on her lips as she crossed to the balcony, stopping right in front of Sofia.
The frown on Sofia's face deepened. Nothing good ever came from Lola seeking her out. She was either here to mock her—or to do something far worse.
"What do you want, Lola?" Sofia asked, her tone flat, weary. She only wanted this encounter to end so she could be left in peace.
Lola stopped in front of her, tilting her head the way she always did when she was about to mock. "Leave you alone?" She laughed softly. "Oh, Sofia. I'm your nemesis."
Sofia turned away, but Lola stepped closer, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Did it hurt?" Lola whispered, her smirk widening. "Watching him kiss me? Hearing him say I'm his? It must have killed you inside."
Sofia's throat tightened, but she stayed silent.
Lola leaned in, her smirk deepening. "He chose me, Sofia. In front of everyone. The Alpha heir, the future leader of this pack—he's mine. And what are you? Nothing. Just the spare daughter. The one no one wants."
Sofia's eyes stung again, but she bit down on her lip, refusing to give Lola the satisfaction of seeing her cry more.
Sofia lifted her chin, masking her pain. "Congratulations, sister. You win. You always win. Now, go enjoy your party and leave me the hell alone."
Lola scoffed, shaking her head. "No, sister. I'm not finished with you. I'm about to give you the biggest blow of your life."
Sofia's lips trembled, but she forced her voice out. "Why, Lola? Why do you hate me this much? We're sisters. I loved you. You're supposed to love me back. Sisters are supposed to love each other."
For a moment, Lola simply stared, then her lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"Love you?" Lola scoffed. "Oh, Sofia, I've hated you since we were little girls."
Sofia's body went rigid, her eyes widening.
A big frown appeared on Lola's face. "Do you want to know why? Because back then, you were everything. You were the smart one. The brainy eldest daughter of Beta Stephen. Everyone said you were so perfect. Even Grandma…" Lola's eyes darkened. "She adored you. You were her favorite. Not me. Never me. Even though I was only a year younger, I was always second to you."
Sofia blinked rapidly, shaking her head. "Lola… that's not true…"
"Oh, but it is," Lola cut her off sharply. "I hated you for it. I hated how they looked at you, praised you, wanted you to succeed. You were the golden one. And then… then luck turned."
She smirked. "You started gaining weight. Slowly, you lost that shine. The whispers changed. You went from perfection to a joke. And me?" She touched the crown on her head with a flourish. "I became the beautiful one. The chosen one. The one everyone adored."
Sofia's chest rose and fell sharply as she shook her head. "You could have been happy without hating me," she whispered. "You didn't have to turn into this."
Lola scoffed. "Oh, sister… your suffering makes me happier than anything else ever could."
Sofia's brow furrowed, her chest tight as she stared at Lola spitting out so much hate. Her lips trembled, but she forced the words out.
"I don't understand you, Lola. I gave you everything. When we were kids, I let you have my dolls, my dresses—everything I loved, I gave to you just to see you smile."
She choked on her words, but she didn't stop
"I took punishments for you. When you broke things, I said it was me. When you made mistakes, I let them blame me. Do you remember that? Dad's favorite cup... Mom's favourite bangles… you broke them all, but I took the blame for them."
Her voice cracked, and the tears she had fought so hard to contain finally spilled. "I stayed up late to help you with your lessons when you didn't understand. I was tired, but I still sat with you. I wanted you to do well, Lola."
Her pain deepened. "Every time you messed something up, upset Mother—I cleaned it up. I fixed it. I let everyone think it was me."
She drew a sharp breath, her eyes glassy as they locked onto her sister's smirking face. "And all your secrets, Lola… I never let anyone know. Not once. Even when you were cruel to me, I never betrayed you. Because you were my sister. And I loved you…."
Lola's face twisted with rage. "And that's the problem, Sofia! You're too damn perfect! I hate you for being perfect!" she spat.
Sofia shook her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Her voice came out weak, trembling.
"So my only crime was being a good sister? Loving you while you hated me?"
She turned, ready to walk back into her room, but Lola's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"You're not going anywhere," Lola hissed. With surprising strength, she yanked Sofia back and twisted her so her back pressed against the balcony rail.
Sofia's breath caught. The night air felt colder suddenly.
"Lola, let me go."
But Lola's smirk turned darker, her eyes burning with pure hate. "Do you know when I'll finally be happy, Sofia? When you're gone. When you're dead. Only then will I have everything I ever wanted."
Sofia's eyes widened, confusion flashing across her face. "What are you saying?"
Lola leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper that made Sofia's skin crawl. "And I already have the perfect plan. Tonight, you'll die. And everyone will believe you committed suicide."
Before Sofia could process it, Lola shoved her shoulders, trying to force her over the rail.
Sofia gasped and fought back, her hands gripping the cold metal, her feet sliding against the floor. "Lola, stop! Please!"
They struggled, bodies pressed against each other, their breath coming fast and sharp. Sofia tried to push her away—not to hurt her, only to save herself.
But Lola's heel caught on the edge of the floor. Her smirk faltered as her balance slipped.
"No—!" Sofia cried, reaching out. But it was too late.
Lola's body tipped, and in a blur of silver dress and flying hair, she fell over the balcony rail.
Five stories down.
Sofia's whole body froze. Her hands clutched the railing as she leaned over, staring wide-eyed into the darkness below.
The sound of the party still drifted from the hall, laughter and music echoing, but to Sofia, the entire world had come to a standstill.