My father's company lost a senior executive out of nowhere, so he called me back from overseas to steady things. He even set me up with the best office in the building and an antique ornament as a welcome gift.

I had barely started working when a man barged in. He slammed his bag onto my desk, knocking the ornament clean over.

Before I could react, he grabbed me by the collar, yanked me out of the chair, and dropped himself into the leather seat like he owned the place.

"I'm taking this office," he said, lounging back. "Show yourself out and shut the door."

My temper spiked. "This is my office. You need to leave."

He let out a cold, dismissive laugh.

"Your office? Please! Forget this office. The whole damn Neel Corporation is gonna belong to my girlfriend, Violet Neel. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

I frowned.

Wasn't I the one set to take over? Who the hell was Violet supposed to be?

I pulled out my phone and called my father.

"Have you lost your mind, old man? You've got some secret daughter taking over the company now?"

Before I could finish, the guy snatched my phone and smashed it against the floor.

"Who do you think you're fooling, pretending to be the boss's daughter?" he snapped. "Take a good look in the mirror before you team up with your old man to smear Violet!"

I stared at him like he was an idiot. Talking to him felt pointless. I picked up my phone and called security, telling the head to come remove him.

A message from my father popped up.

[Don't go spreading nonsense. You're my only child, and your mom's the only woman I've ever had!]

I let out a sigh of relief.

My father was famous for being completely devoted to my mother. If she so much as sighed, he would act like he had committed a crime.

So this "Violet Neel" was obviously a fake.

"Are you still not leaving?" I said, looking at the man. "You really want security to drag you out?"

He just smirked at me, completely unfazed, and spat on the floor.

A moment later, security showed up.

I explained what happened to the head of security. He looked at the guy, then at me, and hesitated.

"Ms. Franklin, maybe you could switch to a different office."

The man burst out laughing, kicked his feet up onto the desk my father had carefully picked out for me, and started shaking his leg like he owned the place.

"Call whoever you want. Even the cops won't matter. On Neel Corporation turf, everything goes through Violet."

The head of security leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Jim here is just an intern, but his girlfriend, Violet, is the chairman's daughter. Word is Mr. Neel is planning to hand the company over to her soon. We can't afford to cross someone like that.

"This office is right next to Ms. Neel's. Please don't make this harder for us. Just take another room."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

A fake heiress like her really thought she was running the place.

I grabbed Jim Kirk's bag and tossed it onto the floor, then kicked the wheel of the chair. He tipped over backward, sprawled out flat.

"I'm not switching," I said coldly. "If anyone's moving, have Violet come ask me herself. A kept man like you doesn't get to talk to me."

The entire floor went dead silent.

"A new hire actually going against Ms. Neel?"

"She's out of her mind. Doesn't she know Jim is Violet's favorite?"

Jim scrambled to his feet, his expression turning vicious. He waved at the guards, and they grabbed my arms, pinning them behind me. Then he took my hair and used it to wipe off his designer bag.

"You knocking me over is one thing, but throwing my bag is crossing a line. If there's even a scratch on it, you're paying for it with your life. It's time you learned your place. Don't mess with people you can't afford to mess with."

They shoved me out of the office.

People around me snickered, saying I had brought it on myself for picking a fight with Jim.

I swept my gaze across them, cold and sharp. No wonder my father had rushed me back. The place had turned into a complete mess.

I stepped forward and drove my foot straight between Jim's legs.

He doubled over instantly.

"Looking down on people, huh? Forget kicking you out of the office. Even if I threw you out of Neel Corporation entirely, Violet wouldn't dare say a word," I sneered.

"Oh, really?"

A woman's voice cut in from behind me, edged with anger.

The crowd parted immediately, heads bowing as they greeted her.

"Ms. Neel!"

Violet came striding over in sky-high heels and stopped right in front of me, her chin lifted as she looked down on me with open arrogance.

"I personally approved that office for Jim. You got a problem with that?"

I narrowed my eyes, studying her face. She looked familiar, like someone I should recognize, but the name wouldn't come to me.

"So you're Violet?" I said. "If you're going to pretend to be an heiress, at least put some effort into it. Mr. Neel's daughter doesn't even have the last name Neel."

A flicker of unease crossed her eyes, but it was gone almost as fast as it appeared.

Jim rushed forward, eager to back her up. "If the Neel heiress isn't named Neel, what, is she supposed to be a Franklin like you? What a joke!"

I nodded.

"Yes, actually. I'm Mr. Neel's daughter, Riley."

The room went quiet for half a second. Then laughter exploded all around me.

"Neel Corporation is worth billions. You really think the boss's daughter would have someone else's last name?"

"I've seen Ms. Neel riding in Mr. Neel's private car. His personal driver even took her shopping more than once."

"Mr. Neel keeps his family life private, sure, but pretending to be his daughter? That's just shameless."

The whispers poured in from every direction, but I didn't react.

My eyes stayed locked on Violet.

She jerked her head up in surprise at first, then something shifted behind her gaze. By the time she spoke again, the arrogance was back, stronger than ever.

"There's no way you're the real heiress."

She turned to the others.

"Given Ms. Franklin's delusional behavior, she's clearly unfit for her current role. Effective immediately, she's being reassigned to an entry-level position. Her desk will be in the main lobby."

Jim shot me a smug look. "You heard her. Get lost!"

It was almost funny. When you're pushed past a certain point, all you can do is laugh.

A mid-level HR manager trying to demote me? Give me a break.

"In my onboarding file, there's a full medical clearance," I said evenly. "And this position was personally assigned by Mr. Neel. What you're doing breaks company policy."

"Policy?" Jim scoffed. "Violet runs HR! Her rules are the company's rules."

Violet shot me a warning look, lips curling into a cold smile.

"Just because Piers pulled some strings to get you in doesn't mean anyone can walk into Neel Corporation. Demoting you is already me being generous. Keep pushing, and I'll have you thrown out of the company entirely."

Wow. That was some nerve.

In all my years, she was the first person who had ever dared to threaten me like that.

But now, I understood why she wasn't afraid of me.

My father had been overseas nonstop lately, expanding the business. He had handed everything related to my return over to the executive assistant, Piers Ward.

I told Piers to keep things low-key so I could get a feel for the company without people treating me differently. He must've taken that seriously and told no one who I really was.

And since I used my mother's last name, something almost no one knew, Violet never even considered that I might actually be the real heiress. To her, I was just some nobody who got in through connections.

I smiled faintly.

"You want to fire me? Go ahead. But according to company rules, any personnel changes at the manager level or above require the chairman's signature. Aren't you the heiress? Call your dad."

Something sharp flashed in Violet's eyes.

"We follow procedure," she said coolly. "Even I have to submit through the company system."

"Is that so?" I tilted my head, still smiling. "If you won't call, I will."

I pulled out my phone and started dialing, calm as ever. As the line began to ring, the mood around us shifted.

"Wait… How does she have Mr. Neel's number?"

"What if she really is the heiress?"

"She's not backing down at all. She kind of feels like Mr. Neel, doesn't she?"

"If she's real, then who the hell is Violet?"

Right before the call connected, Violet finally cracked. She lunged forward and grabbed my hand, panic flashing across her face.

Everyone around us froze, watching closely. Someone even whispered that she was scared.

I looked at her with a faint, knowing smile.

Violet quickly pulled out her phone and shoved a screenshot of a schedule in my face.

"Mr. Neel's in a critical meeting right now," she snapped. "If you mess up this deal, can you take responsibility for it?"

Jim snatched the phone and turned it toward the crowd, raising his voice like he was putting on a show.

"This kind of private schedule isn't something just anyone can get," he said. "Who else but family would have access? You say you're the real heiress? Then prove it! Stop pretending, you shameless fake!"

Everyone lit up as if they had just been handed proof, excitement buzzing through the room.

I just watched, calm and silent.

This was exactly what I had been pushing for. I wanted Violet to show her hand.

Jim had it wrong. Not only could the family get their hands on the itinerary. The only other person who could…was the driver.

My father's driver was a distant relative from his hometown. He had the same last name, Neel. Violet was his daughter. That driver used to take me to school every day before I left the country.

No wonder Violet looked familiar the moment I saw her.

Of course, no one else here knew any of that. To them, it looked like I had just been exposed.

The crowd shifted completely to Violet's side.

"She's got some nerve, showing up at Neel Corporation with a lie like that! I bet she's been pretending to be the heiress outside, too."

"We had to go through three rounds of interviews to get in here. She shows up out of nowhere and lands a manager role? Please! She probably slept her way in through Piers."

"You're a fraud, a nepotism hire! Get out of Neel Corporation!"

Someone even splashed a cup of hot coffee at me.

The heat hit my skin instantly, sharp enough to make me flinch. It dripped down from my hair, soaking into my white blouse, the fabric clinging just enough to show the faint outline of what was underneath.

I turned toward my office, planning to grab a spare outfit.

Jim moved faster. He rushed in ahead of me and started throwing my things out into the hallway.

Most of it, I didn't care about.

Except for the antique ornament my father had bought at auction for millions. It hit the ground at my feet and shattered into pieces.

I slowly lifted my eyes to Jim. "You'd better be ready to answer for that. That's not something you can afford to replace."

Jim kicked the fragments aside like they were trash, then stepped closer, jabbing a finger into my chest again and again.

"A fake like you thinks she can act tough in front of me? You've already been kicked out of Neel Corporation by Violet. This office is mine now! I can deal with whatever trash is in here. That includes you."

He stressed the word "trash", his tone dripping with contempt.

"But before you get out, you're paying for my bag. One million."

A wave of sharp breaths swept through the crowd. Even Violet frowned slightly.

"Jim, forget it," she said. "If you like it that much, I'll buy you another one."

"Violet, you're being too nice," he shot back. "She'll just think we're easy to push around. That bag was your anniversary gift to me. It's brand new, limited edition, and made of rare leather. I barely even use it. What she did wasn't just throwing a bag; she was stepping all over what we have, trying to humiliate me. You're really okay with that?"

As he spoke, his expression turned strangely dramatic, almost wounded. It was enough to make my stomach turn.

And somehow, Violet bought it.

She hesitated for a second, then nodded, signaling security to shut the floor doors, as if she was afraid I would run.

I glanced at the obviously fake bag on the floor.

Calling it cheap would be generous.

A million dollars? I wouldn't even pay a hundred for it.