Chapter 7: Epilogues, Shipping Wars, and Sisterhood

Extra: Me and Harrison

We returned to the house hand in hand. Queen Bee dropped her pistachios, Savannah burst out laughing. The Lady calmly grabbed her suitcase.

Me: Some people will never accept Harrison’s house.

Still me: “No problem, we’re all sisters!”

Harrison: Dozens of girls in the house.

Still Harrison: “The front office must be cleared, so must the house. All of you, read this memo—clear my house in three days.”

Me in public: Calm, chill, above it all.

Me in private: Eating pistachios, lying flat, forever a couch potato.

Harrison in public: Gentle, dignified, righteous.

Harrison in private: Cold smile, sulking, childish.

Our daily life: rolling our eyes at each other.

Extra: Me and the House

After firings, rewards, and team shake-ups, only a few remained in the house.

I’d long treated the house as a shelter for pretty girls, so I didn’t care.

Queen Bee got it: “Sigh, a bunch of couch potatoes, no fight. Seven, seven, seven, eight, eight, eight, three with a pair.”

The Lady said: “If there were any fighters, Harrison wouldn’t have kept them. Pass.”

Mariah beamed: “Nine, nine, nine, ten, ten, ten! Won!”

Recently, the Lady rarely joined in. I went to visit.

She hid a small notebook under her pillow.

I drew out an “oh.” “Lady, you read this kind of book?”

“No!” She blushed. “Okay, maybe a little interested...”

I lunged and snatched the book. On the cover: “House Secrets: Harrison and Miss Bennett’s Secret Affairs.”

The Lady twisted shyly. “If it didn’t have your name, it wouldn’t sell so well!”

I was thunderstruck, flipping to the end—“Dreams by S. Riley.”

Savannah, you’ve mastered the art of trend-riding.

Wait! How does a delicate girl write this stuff?

Lady: “She writes normal books too.”

She pulled out “Harrison’s Pursuit: Sweetheart Childhood Crush Comes Home.”

Lady: “Oops, wrong one, again.”

Put it back, pulled out “Women Should Stand On Their Own—How to Copy Miss Bennett’s Get-Rich Story.”

I can’t take it.

You can be my fan leader, you can ship my OTP.

But don’t live like an anti-fan!

I went to vent to Queen Bee.

Queen Bee: “She’s getting bold!”

“Exactly!”

I found a soulmate, venting wildly.

Queen Bee nodded in agreement.

Just then, Mariah’s voice came from outside: “Auntie, I got a new book from Savannah! Hot off the press, not even released yet!”

Queen Bee jumped: “What? Let me see! Is it ‘Harrison’s Hidden Love’ or ‘Miss Bennett Falls for Love in the House’?”

Dang. This world is hopeless.