Chapter 7

The whipping was so bad that Gigi spent two days in bed. Her phone buzzed with a message. It was the salesperson letting her know that the paperwork for the island purchase had gone through. That remote island was officially hers now. She was over the moon and immediately made a call. The salesperson confirmed with Gigi again, asking, "Are you sure you want to head to the island in the next three days, Ms. Hart?" Gigi had never been more certain in her life. "Yes. I'm sure." The salesperson replied, "Alright, Ms. Hart. We'll be ready to escort you to the island in three days." The call had barely ended when Rylan walked in. "What island?" Gigi quickly put away her phone and changed the subject. "It's nothing, Rylan. What brings you here?" He didn't press further and told her, "You won an award for your submission. The organizers invited you to the award ceremony the day after tomorrow." She had almost forgotten about it until he brought it up. She was great at drawing and had just made it to the finals of a major national competition a month ago. Who would have thought she had won? … On the day of the award ceremony, Catherine rounded up the whole family and insisted on coming to the ceremony to support Gigi. "You're my younger sister, Gigi. We have to be there to witness your big moment." But then her tone shifted as she sighed in resignation. "I wish I could have won an award too, but my health hasn't been great, so I never had the time to learn how to draw. That said, your win feels like mine." Gigi said nothing, but a bad feeling had started to creep in. As the award ceremony went on, it was time to announce the first-place winner. Sitting in the audience, she was sweating bullets. This award meant everything to her. It was validation for her work and recognition from others in the field. The host took out the results, but a look of confusion flitted across his face. He quickly shook it off and carried on with the announcement like nothing had happened. "First place goes to—Catherine." A murmur rippled through the crowd. No one had ever heard that name before, and whispers quickly spread. "Who is Catherine? Is she a fresh face in the industry?" Another person chimed in. "I have no idea. I heard Gigi's 'Sunset' was the one getting first place." It took Gigi a while to snap back to reality. Just as she was about to get up and confront the organizers, Kenny yanked her back to her seat. "Relax. I called the organizer an hour ago and had them give the spot to Catherine. She loves the spotlight. From now on, all your work will be published under her name." Gigi turned around in disbelief, only to see Donovan and Meredith beaming with pride at Catherine on stage. When they finally glanced at Gigi, they dismissively said, "Don't fuss about your sister. It's just an award." Rylan's eyes were glued to the dazzling Catherine, his expression unreadable. Of course, he didn't notice how devastated Gigi looked. In that instant, Gigi felt hollow and cold. Once again, Catherine had stolen the spotlight that was meant for her, and those closest to her had all played a part in it. As the crowd applauded, Catherine thanked everyone, except for Gigi. … At the Hart residence, Gigi went straight to her room and began gathering all her artwork. She also brought out the stuffed toy she had saved three months' worth of allowance to buy, the figurines she had crafted alone in her room, and the old, beat-up clothes she still wore. Then, she carried it all to the living room and tossed it in front of Catherine without saying a word. Catherine was startled. "What are you doing, Gigi?" Gigi motioned at the pile on the floor, her voice eerily calm. "They told me to give you all my work, right? So here it is. Besides the artwork, everything I own is yours now." She glanced around at the familiar faces. A bitter thought flashed through her mind. "You can have Dad, Mom, Kenny, and Rylan to yourself, Catherine. I'm done. Just take everything."