“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.

The colleagues around me, noticing Lily’s confident demeanor, began urging me to back down.

“Miss Anderson, just apologize. You’re clearly in the wrong here, pretending to be her. Once her father arrives, it’s only going to get worse for you.”

“Exactly. Some people should take a good look at themselves. Just look at you in those cheap clothes, while Miss Lily Anderson is wearing designer brands from head to toe. It’s obvious who’s real and who’s fake.”

I glanced down at my custom-made outfit, completely speechless.

Apparently, not having a flashy logo meant it was “cheap.” No wonder some people couldn’t recognize understated luxury when they saw it.

I raised my head and took a closer look at Lily’s so-called designer clothes and handbag. Something about them felt oddly familiar.

Wait a second. That bag.

Wasn’t it the one I disliked and had the housekeeper throw out? How did it end up with her?

My thoughts were interrupted by a commotion near the door as a large group of people entered the room.

Lily’s attention briefly shifted to the noise, but her eyes locked onto the necklace around my neck.

“Well, aren’t you brave? Stealing my necklace and flaunting it like it’s yours.”

Before I could react, Lily stormed over, ripped the necklace from my neck, and hurled it to the ground with force!

“Lily! Are you out of your mind?”

I knelt down and picked up the broken necklace, cradling it in my hands as anger surged through me.

This wasn’t just a piece of jewelry. It represented my dad’s love and blessings, and she had destroyed it.

I felt a burning urge to lash out at her.

Just then, my dad entered the room, surrounded by bodyguards. His eyes scanned the crowd before settling on James, who was standing behind Lily. His brows furrowed in obvious displeasure, but James, clueless as ever, didn’t seem to notice.

“And who are you? Who let you in here?” James asked arrogantly.

“Dad!” I interrupted James and walked over to stand by my father’s side.

James smirked immediately, his expression smug as if he was watching a ridiculous play unfold.

“Emily, you went all out for this. Bringing in someone to pretend to be Mr. Anderson and even hiring bodyguards? You must have spent a fortune on these actors. Absolutely hilarious!”

My dad’s face darkened, and the veins on his forehead began to bulge. That was always the first sign that his patience was wearing thin.

“You ungrateful fool. I promoted you to Vice President because of my daughter, and this is how you repay her?”

James doubled over in laughter, clutching the table for support.

“You? Promoted me? That’s priceless. Some broke old man thinks he has the power to do anything for me? What a joke!”

I clenched my teeth, my voice cold and sharp.

“James, don’t push it too far.”