Page 14 of A Perfect Fit

“Never mind,” I mutter, more so to myself.

“What were you saying?” Mom asks.

I bite my lip. “It’s nothing important.”

You probably wouldn’t care anyway.

Growing up, I envied my peers who were close to their moms. My Asian mother was—and still is—strict and traditional, and it didn’t help that I broke her no dating in high school rule. While I appreciate that we grew up in different generations and countries, I just wish she’d try to understand me more sometimes.

A pause ensues on the other end of the line.

“I have to go to a meeting now, but I’ll see you tonight.” Mom’s tone is softer this time—or maybe I imagined that—and then she ends the call before I can say goodbye.

I guess I’ll have to wait to see whatever news my sister has to share.

An overpowering spicy scent of perfume surrounds me as Ivy, my older sister and golden child of the Curtis-Wong family, props herself in the chair next to mine. She tosses her hair and faces our parents.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone!” she chirps. “Gosh, work was so busy today. I was in back-to-back meetings all day.”

Ivy and I have the same hair color—dark brunette, almost black—and same brown eyes. However, that’s where our similarities end. At five-eight, she’s five inches taller than me, and with her height and sharp cheekbones, she looks like a model.

Unfortunately, outer beauty doesn’t necessarily equate to inner beauty.

“That’s understandable,” Mom says.

I grab a pair of tongs from the oak dining table, serving myself some chicken breast and potatoes.

I ended up arriving on time for dinner, but I have a feeling that if I had showed up fifteen minutes late instead of Ivy, I would’ve gotten a lecture about the importance of punctuality.

“Hope work went well, Ives,” Dad chimes in.

Ivy beams as she helps herself to some salad. “It was good, thanks. How did the Robinson matter go today, Dad?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked.” Dad pauses as he glances around the table, presumably for dramatic effect. “Because the judge ruled in favor of my client,” he says with a wink.

“Fantastic news, honey!” Mom gushes. “All your hard work on that case paid off.”

“A wonderful outcome, Dad!” Ivy echoes.

“That’s awesome, Dad,” I say.

I have no idea what the Robinson case is about, but I know how passionate Dad is about his work, and I’m happy for him.

“Thanks, everyone,” Dad cheerily says. He turns to Mom with a proud look on his face. “Your mother actually has an exciting update, too.”

Mom straightens in her seat. “Well, yesterday, I received an invitation to speak at a panel event at Columbia Law School about cybersecurity in the legal profession.”

Dad’s grin is wide. “You’ll have to send us a recording of your talk.”

“That’s so amazing, Mom,” Ivy adds.

“It’ll be great to be back at our alma mater,” Mom says. “And, yes, the event will be recorded.”

In case it’s not already obvious, I come from a family of lawyers and high-achievers. My mom was an international student from Hong Kong, and she met Dad at law school. Ivy is also a lawyer and attended the same law school our parents did.

Growing up, Ivy would always be winning gold—whether it was school, grades, or extracurriculars—while I was just … there, mediocre and going for copper.

The only exceptions were the few times I beat Jackson at something. Ironically, despite the environment I grew up in, he was the only person who compelled me to be competitive academically.