Dinner
Ashlyn
My twin sister had officially moved into her new condo and invited me and Marco over for dinner. To my annoyance, Marco agreed right away, too eagerly, if you asked me. But I had no choice. I had to play along, so like him, I accepted the invitation.
I mentally prepared myself to face her. More importantly, I needed to figure out how to make her truly, painfully jealous, especially when she and Marco were so in love with each other, and the thought alone made my blood boil.
"Ash, are you ready?" Marco's voice snapped me back to reality.
"Huh? Yeah, I’m ready. You?" I answered with a smile. I couldn’t let him see that I was out of sorts. I had to play the happy twin sister, nothing more. No suspicion, no emotion, just pure, supportive smiles.
As we drove to her place, Marco suddenly asked, “Where exactly is Ashley’s condo again?”
I almost laughed out loud at how clueless he looked. Was he seriously pretending not to know? Still, I kept my expression neutral and gave him the exact address. The place was easy to find, right off the highway, the main gate in plain sight.
“You go ahead. I’ll just park the car,” he said once we arrived at the building after I helped guide him through.
“Okay, don’t take too long,” I replied cheerfully, then gave him the unit number before stepping out and walking into the lobby. I headed straight to the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.
Just as the doors were about to close, someone rushed in, and to my shock, it was Sandro.
“Ash, where’ve you been?” he asked, eyes filled with familiarity.
“Excuse me... do I know you?” I replied coldly. I couldn’t risk him exposing me, not now. I saw his brows furrow in confusion.
“Wait... Are you saying... you’re not—?”
“You’re probably talking about my twin sister,” I said quickly with a polite smile. “She lives here. I’m just visiting.”
“Twin sister?” he echoed, puzzled. I had never mentioned my twin to him before.
“Yeah, and she’s the one I’m heading up to see.”
“Oh. For a second there, I thought you forgot me again,” he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. I noticed he was carrying something.
“What’s that?”
“Buttered shrimp,” he said with a shy smile. “I made it for Ash. Thought I’d surprise her.”
“What? No!” I blurted out before I could stop myself. His eyes narrowed slightly, curious.
“I mean,” I recovered quickly, “I’m allergic to shrimp, and I’d hate for my sister to feel bad. She knows how much I love seafood, and if she sees that, she’ll feel guilty that I can’t eat it.”
“She doesn’t have to eat it, though.”
“Still,” I said, lowering my voice as if confiding a secret, “she’s really sensitive when it comes to me. She’ll think I’m jealous.”
“Ah. That’s a shame,” he sighed. “I guess I’ll just throw this away.”
Unbelievable. This man, after all these years, after our unclear, unresolved past, was still chasing shadows. We never even had a real relationship, yet here he was, acting like he belonged in our story.
“I’m really sorry,” I said as the elevator doors opened.
“It’s fine,” he said with a shrug, tossing the food into the trash bin beside the elevator.
“Thank you—”
“I’m Sandro.”
“Thank you for understanding, Sandro. I’m Ashlyn, by the way.” We shook hands. He was surprisingly easy to charm and easy to manipulate. Just the kind of pawn I needed right now.
We walked toward the unit together, still making casual conversation.
“You two came up together?” Ashley asked in surprise as she opened the door.
“We ran into each other in the elevator,” Sandro said, scratching his head. “I thought she was you. Then she looked at me like I was a stranger.”
“I never told you I had a twin?” Ashley said, guiding us to the living room.
“Make yourselves at home. I’ll just finish setting the table,” she added, then disappeared into the kitchen.
I glanced around. The condo was clean and minimalist. Everything was in order. But my eyes settled on the closed bedroom door.
Curious.
Did she and Marco have photos in there together? The thought made my jaw clench.
“I’ll go help Ashley in the kitchen,” said Sandro, and I replied with a nod.
Go ahead, enjoy your time with her. Just make sure you claim her completely because, after tonight, you’ll be the only one she belongs to in Marco’s eyes.
I rose from my seat and made my way toward the bedroom door instead. I hesitated, hand hovering above the doorknob, when suddenly the doorbell rang.
I rushed to open it, calling back toward the kitchen as I went. “I got it, sis! Might be Marco.”
“Okay, thanks!” Ashley called back.
I opened the door, and there he was.
“Come in. Ashley’s in the kitchen. She has... company,” I said with a sly smile. “Honestly, I didn’t expect my twin to find a love life this soon. If I had known, I would’ve pushed her to live independently, and she should have been happy for a long time.” I watched his expression shift, something dark flickering in his eyes.
“Marco, is something wrong?”
“Huh? No... nothing.”
“Don’t jinx it, okay? I want her to be happy.”
We walked into the living area, where we had a clear view of the kitchen. Ashley and Sandro were laughing too comfortably.
And I saw it, the tightening of Marco’s jaw, the simmer in his gaze.
Perfect.
That’s it. Be jealous, Marco. Let the thought sink in that she isn’t the girl you think she is. Let yourself believe that she’s moved on. That she’s someone else now. And most of all, remember that I’m the one who’s always been here. Me.
Ashley turned and caught us looking. I smiled sweetly at her, pretending not to notice the weight of Marco’s stare.
But who was I kidding?
Her attention wasn’t on me. It was on Marco. And his... was completely on her.
I took a deep breath.
I had to endure this for now. I was already pregnant. And the child? That was my weapon. I would make sure they never had a moment alone. I would plant the seed in Marco’s mind that Ashley and Sandro were already something more.
And Sandro?
That fool would play right into my hands.