My Sister’s Secret System Picked the Wrong Victim Chapter 04

My Sister’s Secret System Picked the Wrong Victim Chapter 04

I stepped out of the kitchen and back into the hotel lobby.

Relatives started arriving one after another.

Uncle Mike pulled up in his black SUV, dressed sharply in a suit.

Aunt Linda came straight from her shift at the bank, briefcase still in hand.

Cousin Jake showed up in casual clothes after finishing his shift at the police department.

Everyone settled around the table, loud and cheerful.

Dad stood up and raised his glass.

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate Chelsea! She just got her acceptance letter and a scholarship from Ravenwood State University, the first major college acceptance in our family!”

Everyone clapped.

Uncle Mike clapped Chelsea on the shoulder.

“Don’t forget us once you make it big, Chelsea.”

Aunt Linda smiled.

“Chelsea’s always had her head on straight. Great grades, and she already knows what she wants to study. We’re all so proud.”

Cousin Jake chimed in.

“That’s awesome. Ravenwood State has a solid program too.”

Every eye at the table turned to me.

Mom sighed.

“Don’t even get me started. A month’s allowance gone in days, and then she lies about it going missing.”

I kept my head down, fingers digging into the tablecloth.

Chelsea sat beside me, the corner of her mouth curved up, basking in the attention.

Uncle Mike waved a hand.

“Alright, alright. She’s still young. She’ll learn.’

Then he grinned.

“Back in my day, I worked two summer jobs just to afford a used car. Kids have it easy now.”

He turned back to Chelsea.

“You’ve clearly got your head screwed on right, though. Keep that up in college.”

Chelsea smiled sweetly, her voice soft as honey.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Mike. I will.”

The comments came in fast.

[Wow, the whole family’s dragging her while hyping up Chelsea. My blood pressure is rising just reading this.]

[Chelsea’s eating up every second of it.]

[Josie has the best poker face in the world. I would’ve flipped the table by now.]

The wine kept flowing.

The dishes kept coming.

Then the waiter brought out the last course.

“Alright, everyone, time for soup. This is the house specialty,” Dad announced.

One bowl for everyone.

Nobody skipped it.

I picked up my own bowl and took a sip.

It tasted exactly the same as always.

But I knew that from this moment on, nothing would ever be the same.

Aunt Linda set her bowl down, dabbed her mouth, and smiled.

“Chelsea and Josie are both about to head off to college. We should give them something as their

elders.”

Uncle Mike nodded.

“Right. I already got it ready. Ten thousand dollars each, for both of you. A little graduation gift.”

The second he said it, something flickered across Chelsea’s face.

She quickly dropped a piece of rib into my bowl, her voice syrupy-smooth.

“Josie, don’t just drink soup. Have some meat too.”

I knew exactly what she was up to.

I nodded and put the rib in my mouth.

Chelsea watched my throat, saw me swallow, and only then did the corner of her mouth curl up,

satisfied.

The comments floated by.

[Oh no, Chelsea’s trying to pocket the ten grand Uncle Mike just sent too.]

[Good thing Josie was already prepared for this.]

Uncle Mike finished the transfer and looked up at me.

“Josie, did it come through? Ten thousand.”

I checked my phone.

The balance hadn’t moved.

I shook my head.

“Didn’t get it, Uncle Mike.”

His face darkened.

“That can’t be right. I definitely sent it.”

Aunt Linda muttered beside him.

“Josie, you’re not lying again, are you? You’re old enough to know better…”

Mom and Dad shot me the same suspicious look.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Uncle Mike had already pulled his phone back out and refreshed

the app.

His smile froze.

“Huh?”

He frowned.

“Why is my account empty?”

Aunt Linda pulled out her own phone, her face going white.

“Mine’s gone too. Hundreds of thousands. All of it.”

Cousin Jake moved even faster, already on the phone with his bank’s fraud department.

“I need an emergency review. My account balance just disappeared.”

In the chaos, Chelsea grabbed her own phone in a panic, meaning to check if her money was still

there.

Her fingers froze mid-motion.

The comments floated by.

[She just found out! Her account is suddenly loaded!]

[Look at her face. She looks like she wants to crawl under the table.]

[But she can’t say anything. The second she does, the whole system is exposed.]

Chelsea’s head snapped up.

Her gaze swept past everyone else and landed directly on me.

There was terror in her eyes.

Suspicion.

A fear she wasn’t ready to confirm.

I set my bowl down and met her eyes.

I smiled, curling my lips, and mouthed the words slowly, just for her to see.

“Happy graduation. Like your gift?”