Out of nowhere, Carina broke into a smile. She got out of her chair and walked over to me, taking my hand in a show of familiar intimacy.

"See? I knew you had potential! But the higher-ups might not even bother reading the proposal if it came from you. Here's what I think we should do. Let's put my name on the proposal, and I'll take it to Mr. Scott myself.

"Once the deal is closed, I'll arrange a promotion for you and make you a manager," Carina declared.

Her expression made it seem like this was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I couldn't help but feel pretty exasperated by that. Few in this world could be this brazen about stealing someone else's credit.

I hurriedly nodded, making myself seem flattered by her offer. "Thank you for looking out for me, Ms. Lewis."

The self-satisfied Carina patted my hand and said, "That's all. You can go now. Oh, the company is organizing a cocktail party to welcome Mr. Scott this evening. You should come as well."

That caught me off guard. "You want me to attend the party? But I don't have anything to wear to a cocktail party."

Carina eyed me scornfully. "Who said you'd be attending as a guest? You can help the catering crew with the serving. Remember not to embarrass me."

I lowered my head, my eyes flashing coldly.

She wanted me to be a server, huh?

So be it, then. We were going to see who would end up humiliated this evening.

…

The cocktail party was held at the city's top luxury hotel. Only the wealthy and powerful were in attendance.

Dressed in an ill-fitting, black-colored server's uniform, I moved through the crowd carrying a tray of drinks.

Not far away, Carina had her arm looped through John's as she pealed with laughter. The so-called couture gown she wore was actually just an outdated castoff she'd dug out from some random vintage shop.

John, who was already balding despite not even being in his 50s, kept his lustful gaze fixed on Carina. "I'm counting on you this evening, Carrie. As long as you bag Mr. Scott, once we offload that project, we'll be set for the rest of our lives!"

Carina leaned against his shoulder and laughed coquettishly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Hammond. You know what I'm capable of. Mr. Scott may have a nasty temper, but a man's a man. What man isn't happy to have some fun outside?"

I was passing right by them with the tray of drinks in hand when I caught the tail end of her deplorable words. I stumbled on purpose, and a glass of red wine tipped right onto Carina's secondhand couture gown.

Carina shrieked and shoved me away. "Are you blind! Do you know how expensive this gown is? You wouldn't even be able to pay me back if you auctioned yourself off!"

I hit the floor hard, scraping the palms of my hands. But I scrambled back up immediately to offer a flustered apology.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Lewis! I didn't mean to do it… I just lost my balance…"

The surrounding guests gestured toward us and whispered among themselves.

Looking pretty livid, John grabbed my arm and snarled, "Do you know where we are right now, you clumsy buffoon? Get the hell out of here now!"

Carina stared at the wine stain on her gown, her body trembling with rage. She grabbed me by the collar and hissed through gritted teeth, "You did this on purpose, didn't you, Bailey? Admit it! You're just jealous I get to be the center of attention this evening, right?"

I fervently shook my head, tears pooling in my eyes. "That's not true, Carrie! We're best friends. Why would I do something like that to you?"

"Shut up! Who are you calling your best friend, huh? Who do you think you are?" Carina flung me aside before turning to John.

"Mr. Hammond, I know for a fact that Bailey Scott here is known for her sticky fingers at the office. I suspect she didn't come here to help at all—she came to steal!"

John instantly caught on and bellowed, "Security! Seize that thief!"

Several security guards rushed over immediately and grabbed me, pinning my arms in place on both sides.

As I struggled to break free, I shouted, "I didn't steal anything! How can you detain me like this?"

Snorting, Carina walked over and eyed me. "Why not? As the head of the project management department, I'm your boss, and you're just one of my workhorses. This isn't over yet, Bailey."

Just then, someone opened the ballroom doors.

Dalton walked in, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit and flanked by a team of bodyguards. His arrival drew everyone's attention.

Carina's eyes lit up. She swiftly put on a pitiful expression and hurried forward to greet him.

"You're finally here, Mr. Scott. I'm so sorry about this. There's a thieving employee here causing trouble right now. I sincerely apologize for the disruption to your evening."

Dalton stopped in his tracks. His gaze cut through the crowd and landed on me, who was being restrained by the security guards.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if considering something.

The atmosphere in the ballroom froze over.

When Carina saw Dalton looking at me, she assumed he was put off by my disheveled appearance and doubled down on her performance.

She walked up to me and, without hesitation, kicked me in the knee. "Get on your knees and apologize to Mr. Scott at once, you shameless thief! And tell us who sent you! What confidential information are you trying to steal from us!"

The kick sent me staggering, my knees slamming hard against the marble floor. The loud thump made everyone in the ballroom shudder, but no one dared to stick up for me.

Meanwhile, John hurried over to Dalton with a sycophantic smile on his face. "I apologize for the embarrassing display, Mr. Scott. That woman is Bailey Scott, a lowly clerk working at our company.

"We've just uncovered that she has stolen the company's key confidential data to sell to our competitors. Not only that, but she also snuck into the cocktail party to try to steal your valuables! The police are almost here. We can't let a criminal like her walk free!"

Carina chimed in, her tone cloying, "Bailey has always been sneaky and dishonest, Mr. Scott, even back when we were in college together. I got her a job at the company out of the kindness of my heart.

"But not only is she not grateful for my help, but she's constantly jealous of me, too. She even wants to climb into your bed! I think she must've spilled wine on me earlier just to get your attention."

The more she spoke, the more worked up she became, as if it'd been proven that I was a depraved criminal.

"You're done for now, Bailey! Get ready to spend the rest of your life in prison. This is what you get for going against me!" Carina snarled into my ear, low enough that only the two of us knew what she said.

I was on my knees, my head bowed and my shoulders trembling slightly. In everyone's eyes, I seemed completely helpless.

Soon, a few uniformed police officers entered the ballroom. The officer in the lead asked, "Who called the police?"

John immediately came forward. Pointing at me, she said, "Arrest her, officer! She stole confidential data from the company, and I have the evidence!"

He eagerly pulled out a USB drive from his briefcase and held it out to Dalton with both hands, hoping to take credit for doing a good job.

"Here's the evidence of her theft, Mr. Scott. It's also the data for the project we've been preparing to collaborate on with you. Please check for yourself. I promise that all of us at Lumina Corporation are nothing but loyal to you!"

Standing to the side, Carina lifted her chin high, her face brimming with triumphant arrogance. She looked down at me in contempt, as if she could crush me underfoot at the very next second.

But Dalton didn't take the USB drive. With both hands in his pockets, he eyed John for a moment before chuckling, the sound jarring in the silent ballroom.

"Mr. Hammond, did you just say that she stole your company's confidential data?"

John hastily nodded. "It's true! Everyone here saw it, too, right?"

Dalton's smile slowly faded, his gaze turning sharp as he looked at John and Carina. Then, he walked over to me. Under everyone's shocked stares, he bent down a little and stretched his hand out to me.

"Isn't it cold on the floor? If you're done with your performance, it's time to get up, my dear sister."