Approved for Her, Rejected for Me Chapter 03

Approved for Her, Rejected for Me Chapter 03

“Amelia, I know you said you didn’t want these, but you’re not going to be mad if I take them, right?”

I clench my fists so tightly that my nails dig into my palms.

Phoebe casually pulls a blind box from one of the bags and tosses it toward me.

The box hits the floor, and the pieces inside scatter everywhere.

“Maybe I should give you one, just so you don’t run to Mom and Dad later and tell them I’m bullying you.”

With that, she puts the rest of the collectibles into my custom display cabinet.

Sebastian happens to walk by and can’t help but stare.

“Wow, Phoebe. You already have this many? You’re almost catching up to everything Amelia’s collected over the years.”

He glances at the display cabinet and laughs.

“Is this cabinet even big enough? If it isn’t, we can give you half of her collection room.”

Before I can react, he picks up the key to my collection room and hands it to Phoebe.

I rush over and snatch it back.

“No!”

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

“This isn’t even your house, Amelia. Phoebe’s part of this family too. What’s the big deal if she uses some of the space?”

He glances at the key in my hand, “Besides, your name isn’t on the door.”

I grip the key tightly.

That collection room is my secret hideaway, something my parents had built especially for me when I was little.

When I was young, it was filled with my favorite toys.

As I got older, I started collecting limited-edition figures, collectibles, and blind boxes, and the room gradually became my private collection room.

No one goes in there unless I allow it.

Sebastian has always known that.

“Phoebe doesn’t even really like these things.”

I swallow the bitterness rising in my chest and look at him.

“She just wants to compete with me.”

The smile on Phoebe’s face stiffens.

Ever since the day she came to Starfall Pack, she has been comparing herself to me.

Whatever I have, she wants.

And whatever I own, she doesn’t just want a copy of it. She always wants hers to be more expensive and better than mine.

Adrian even buys her almost every matching item from my collection just to make her happy.

My parents are afraid she’ll feel left out, so they give her even more spending money each month than they give me.

Sebastian gives in to her every time, too. Whenever there’s something good in the Pack or in our family, she always gets to choose first.

I get whatever is left.

They always say they’re just trying to take better care of the Omega who lives with us.

But I know the truth.

They are simply taking the love they once gave me and slowly giving it to her instead.

They just refuse to admit it.

“Phoebe, don’t listen to her.”

Adrian walks over, his voice gentle.

“She’s just upset. Don’t let her ruin your mood.”

Then he leans close to my ear and lowers his voice so only I can hear him.

“Amelia, enough. Don’t make me start thinking you’ve turned into someone who throws a tantrum whenever she doesn’t get her way.”

I don’t even know how I make it back to my room.

I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone screen as everything in front of me blurs in and out.

There are already several new messages in our family group chat.

[Adrian: We’re leaving at ten tomorrow morning. Be ready.]

[Sebastian: Finally! No more babysitting the princess. Let’s go have fun and leave her here to sulk by herself.]

Mom and Dad see the messages and ask what happened.

Sebastian quickly tells them about the collection room.

[Dad: We really spoiled Amelia. When we get back, I’m taking that collection room away and giving it to Phoebe.]

[Mom: It’s just a room. I can’t believe she’s making such a big deal out of it. She never changes. Keep teaching her some discipline.]

The group chat fills with nothing but complaints about me and discussions about what surprise they should prepare for Phoebe.

I turn off my phone.

That night, I almost fall asleep through my tears.

When I wake up the next morning, the house is already empty.

They don’t even bother leaving me a decent explanation.

I slowly lower myself onto the couch, my head spinning and my throat painfully tight.

After the nightmares I had all night, I’m probably really sick.

I want to go out and buy some medicine, but when I reach for my wallet, I find that I don’t have a single dollar.

I search the entire house, but I can’t even find a coin.

In the end, I have no choice but to message Adrian.

[Amelia: Can you send me $50? I’m sick and need some medicine.]

It takes a long time before he finally replies.

[Adrian: Submit it to the Pack group for approval.]

Fighting through my worsening discomfort, I open the family group chat and submit the request according to the usual process.

But even by the afternoon, no one has approved it.

Meanwhile, the smaller family group next door is incredibly active.

Pictures keep flooding in. Almost every single one is of Phoebe.

There are photos of her standing by the ocean, eating at restaurants, and standing beside Adrian.

There are so many messages that I can barely scroll back far enough to see them all.

I’m feeling so sick that I finally send a message there.

[Amelia: It’s Amelia. Please send me $50. I’m sick and need medicine.]

The moment I send it, my message is quickly buried beneath new photos and conversations.

No one responds.

By the afternoon, I start running a low fever.

I can’t take it anymore, so I call them one by one.

No one answers.

Much later, my phone finally rings.

For a moment, I think Adrian has finally sent me the money.

But when I open the notification, I see the approval result instead.

My request has been denied.

[Adrian: Phoebe says you don’t need $50 for medicine. Change the amount and submit it again.]

It isn’t until that evening that I submit the request again.

In the end, I finally get it approved.

For $5.