I replied to the comment, “This necklace is mine. If you don’t believe me, I can show you the certificate and purchase records to prove it.”

Lily quickly fired back, “Certificates can be faked. Who are you trying to fool with your ‘bought it at an auction’ story? Have you even set foot in an auction house? You broke loser!”

The situation became tense, but her claim about being the Anderson family heiress caught my attention.

The Anderson family’s heiress?

Since when did my dad have another daughter?

Just as I was trying to make sense of it, my boyfriend sent me a message.

We work at the same company, so he must have seen everything unfold.

I assumed he was reaching out to comfort me, but when I opened the message, my heart dropped.

“Emily, I can’t believe you would stoop so low just to show off. Stealing from someone else? I’m so disappointed in you. We’re done.”

He didn’t know about my real identity, so I could understand why he wouldn’t believe I could afford something as extravagant as this necklace.

I hurried to send him a message to explain, but when I hit send, it wouldn’t go through.

He had blocked me.

Frustrated, I rushed to the office to clear things up, only to walk in on him hovering over Lily, fussing over her like she was fragile.

“James, what do you think you’re doing?!”

I shouted angrily, stepping forward to confront them.

But James Lucas shoved me back, looking down at me with an icy expression.

“The kind of woman I despise the most is someone who’s shallow and vain like you. From now on, we’re nothing to each other. Stop trying to cling to me.”

Then he turned to Lily, his expression softening as he gazed at her, his voice dripping with affection.

“Lily, I’ve liked you since the day we met. I just never had the courage to tell you. But after seeing Emily treat you like this, I can’t hold back my feelings anymore.

“Lily, I like you!”

The colleagues who had gathered around started cheering, crowding around Lily like she was royalty. She soaked up their attention, clearly enjoying herself.

“Mr. Lucas and Lily are such a perfect match. They’re like a prince and princess straight out of a fairy tale.”

“That gold-digger must be losing it right now. She tried to flaunt her way to the top and ended up losing a great boyfriend. Bet she’s seething.”

Lily smirked at me, tilting her chin up as she spoke in a mocking tone.

“Miss Anderson, I suggest you return my necklace, apologize to me, and leave the company. Otherwise, when my dad steps in, he won’t let you off so easily.”

“I didn’t steal anything, so why should I admit to it?”

I had no idea why Lily was so determined to accuse me of stealing her necklace, but I wasn’t about to let anyone slander me.

Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, Lily slammed her phone onto the table.

“All the evidence is right here. Are you still going to deny it?”

On her screen was a surveillance video clearly showing me walking into Lily’s office and leaving with a bag in hand. The remaining evidence consisted of the diamond certification and a selfie of Lily wearing the necklace.

The timestamp on her photo was even earlier than when I received mine.

“I never would have thought Miss Anderson, who comes across as so independent and capable, would turn out to be a thief behind the scenes.”

“Everyone should double-check their valuables. Don’t let her take something without you noticing.”

“You can protect yourself from outsiders, but it’s the ones closest to you that are the hardest to guard against!”

As my coworkers gossiped endlessly and Lily stood there with a smug expression, I finally spoke up.

“That was a file James asked me to grab from her office. I put it in a random bag to carry it. If you don’t believe me, ask James yourself.”

James, hearing his name pulled into the mess, immediately denied it, waving his hands in protest.

“I never told her to grab any files. Even if she did, why use a bag? Sounds more like a cover for stealing the necklace.”

“You—!”

I was furious at his shameless lies. He had clearly told me to get the files, and now he was not only denying it but also accusing me of theft!

I couldn’t believe I had once begged my dad to promote him to Vice President. How blind I had been to trust someone like him.

“You’re making baseless accusations!”

James folded his arms, a sly smile spreading across his face.

“Emily, do you have any proof that I told you to grab those files? My advice is to apologize to Lily now, or this is going to get a lot worse for you.”

Lily stepped forward, slipping her arm through James’s with a triumphant look.

“The evidence is all here. Miss Anderson, are you still refusing to admit it? I hate using the Anderson family’s power to pressure people, but your behavior is truly disappointing.”

“Mr. Lucas, if an employee is dishonest and refuses to take responsibility, I think my father would be more than happy to see you fire her. I’ll even put in a good word for you with him afterward.”

James jabbed his finger in my direction and yelled angrily.

“Emily Anderson, you’d better confess and leave quietly. Mr. Anderson is the company’s largest shareholder. One word from him, and your career in this industry will be over!”

I let out a cold laugh, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Where did this imposter come from, daring to call herself the Anderson family’s heiress? Funny, I didn’t know my dad had an illegitimate daughter!”

Lily’s face turned crimson with anger, and she raised her hand, ready to slap me.

Just then, a deep voice interrupted, “Who here is Miss Anderson?”

I rushed forward, but just as I did, my phone started ringing.

“Sweetheart, the bag I ordered for you last month has been delivered to your office. Make sure to sign for it!” Before I could respond, my dad hung up in a hurry.

At that moment, an employee from the luxury brand, Diane, approached with a beautifully wrapped gift box and asked, “Excuse me, are you Miss Anderson from Anderson Corporation?”

I nodded and reached out to take the box, but a hand suddenly shoved me aside.

“Miss Anderson, they’re asking for the heiress of Anderson Corporation. What does this have to do with you?”

Lily stood there smugly, facing the employee, and gestured for him to hand the bag to her.

The employee, clearly caught off guard by the situation, hesitated before cautiously asking again, “Which one of you is Miss Anderson?”

Lily rolled her eyes and snapped, “Are you blind? I’m Miss Anderson! Now hurry up and give me the bag!”

After dismissing the employee, Lily eagerly started to open the box. Quickly, I came up with a plan and stepped forward to stop her.

“This is my property. If you open it without my permission and cause any damage, you’ll be responsible for the full cost.”

Lily burst into laughter, as if I had just told the most absurd joke she had ever heard.

“Are you seriously this delusional? Do you actually believe you’re the heiress? Didn’t you just say I’d have to pay for damages? Fine, watch this. Let’s see what you, a fake, can do about it.”

With that, Lily grabbed a utility knife from the table and slashed several deep cuts into the custom Diane bag.

Seeing my plan come together, I calmly dialed my dad’s number.

“Dad, there’s someone here claiming to be your long-lost daughter and the heiress of Anderson Corporation. Can you come over and deal with this?”

For a brief moment, panic flickered across Lily’s face, but she quickly pulled out her own phone and made a call.

“Daddy, there’s some shameless nobody here pretending to be me! Hurry and come help your little girl!”

The man on the other end responded eagerly, threatening to teach me a lesson.

I couldn’t help but feel more curious about who Lily’s so-called father was.

Watching her act so confidently, I had a fleeting moment of doubt. Could she really be my dad’s illegitimate daughter? How else would she have gotten a necklace identical to mine before I did?

The questions swirled in my mind, making the wait feel excruciatingly long.

Meanwhile, I watched James fawning over Lily, catering to her every whim, and I couldn’t help but find it pathetic.

I couldn’t believe the man I once cared for was nothing more than a shallow, opportunistic fool. And to think I had actually believed we were in love.