My fiancé's secretary stole my ancestral Phoenix-Blood Jade Bangle.

When I confronted her, she smashed it to pieces right in front of me—then humiliated me in front of the entire office, sneering that the bangle was just a gift I'd earned by "sleeping with some old man."

I was furious.

I pulled out the proof of ownership and called the police immediately.

They confirmed she'd stolen it. I filed charges for defamation and theft.

My fiancé just chuckled and patted my head like I was a child.

"She's young, fresh out of school—doesn't know any better. She sees something pretty and wants it. Can't you just let it go?"

Behind him, the little secretary flashed me a smug grin, stuck out her tongue, and flipped me off.

I had her hauled off to the station for a lesson in consequences.

Strangely, my fiancé didn't seem upset. If anything, he became more attentive—showering me with extravagant gifts, promising to move up our engagement.

I should have known better.

The night of the engagement party, I arrived in my finest gown, ready to celebrate. Instead, I was seized like a common criminal.

Someone "found" a missing Cartier watch hidden in the folds of my dress.

Lucas Henson emerged from the crowd, his arm wrapped around his secretary.

He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

"Well, well. Better lock the doors—can't let our little thief slip away. Who knows what else she's stolen?" His lips curled. "Might want to strip-search her. Check thoroughly."

——

Security guards swarmed me before I could speak, forming an impenetrable wall. The guests circled like vultures, their whispers sharpening into accusations. "She looks respectable enough, but stealing from the richest man in the city? Bold." "You never can tell these days. That dress isn't cheap, either." "Ha! Probably got it on her back—if you know what I mean. I've never seen her face among North City's elite families." "Gold-digger through and through. Sees something shiny and her fingers start twitching." My fists clenched so hard my nails bit into my palms. I turned to Lucas, trembling—not with fear, but with the desperate hope that he would say something. Defend me. Explain. "Lucas." My voice cracked. "Tell them. Tell them I'm not a thief. I'm not some scheming mistress. I'm your fiancée. Tonight was supposed to be our night." He looked at me. And laughed. "?" He tilted his head, amusement dripping from every syllable. "You?" "Maybe find a mirror and take a good, hard look at yourself. A two-bit gold-digger with a passably pretty face, calling herself my fiancée?" He shook his head slowly. "Delusional. I'm the sole heir to the Henson empire. You really think someone like you could ever touch that?" Before I could respond, he hurled his champagne glass at my face. Glass shattered against my cheek. A shard caught my eye. White-hot pain exploded through my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling them burn and water uncontrollably. When I finally forced them open, tears streamed down my face—and the crowd took it as a confession. I stared at the man I'd loved for years. The man who had whispered sweet nothings to me just last night. Who had held me like I was precious. Now he stood there, arm around the woman who'd destroyed my grandmother's bangle, looking at me like I was garbage. Ah. So that's why he'd been so generous lately. That's why he hadn't been angry when I had Daisy Finch arrested. He wasn't forgiving. He was planning. Biding his time. Waiting for the perfect moment to humiliate me tenfold on her behalf. And now—now he was introducing her as his rightful fiancée. While I stood here, surrounded by guards, branded a thief. The insults came faster, sharper, each one a knife: "A gold-digger dreaming of marrying into money? Read too many romance novels, sweetheart?" "Greedy little thing—only steals the expensive stuff!" "Got two working hands but won't earn an honest living. Just spreads her legs and takes what isn't hers." "Must be nice, being pretty enough to lie down and get paid for it." Lucas pulled Daisy closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Surprise, baby." His voice was honey-sweet, loud enough for everyone to hear. "This is my gift to you. However she humiliated you that day?" He smiled down at her. "Tonight, you pay her back. Tenfold."

"Everyone, the woman beside me is my fiancée. Don't get confused."

"As for this one?" Lucas's lip curled. "She's nothing but a dirty gold-digger and a thief."

"Security—restrain her."

Before Pat could react, guards seized her arms and wrenched them behind her back. She struggled, but their grip was iron. Her jaw tightened, fury blazing in her eyes.

Lucas released Daisy's hand and snatched Pat's clutch, rifling through it with theatrical slowness. When he withdrew his hand, a diamond ring glittered between his fingers—the stone as large as a pigeon's egg.

That ring. He'd asked her to bring it tonight. Said he was going to propose.

The trap snapped shut. She'd walked right into it.

"See?" Lucas held up the ring, playing to the crowd. "I'm not making accusations without proof. She actually stole the ring I was going to use to propose to my fiancée."

Daisy sauntered forward, her smile dripping with venom. Her palm connected with Pat's cheek—crack—the sound cutting through the murmurs.

"Pat Kaufman." Daisy leaned close, her voice a poisonous whisper. "You're the shameless gold-digger and thief here. How dare you accuse me of stealing your worthless jade bracelet back then?"

Another slap—the other cheek this time. Pat's head snapped to the side.

The whispers became a roar. Laughter. Mockery. Camera flashes. Each sound drove into her skull like a nail while Daisy's blows left her cheeks burning.

"Remember how you humiliated me?" Daisy's eyes glittered with malice. "Tonight, I'm paying you back a hundredfold. A thousandfold."

She tilted her head, mock-sympathetic. "Did you enjoy those gifts you received recently? The dress, the accessories?" A cruel laugh bubbled up. "Lucas arranged all of it. And your pretty little gown? It's hiding more surprises."

Daisy patted Pat's stinging cheek—slow, degrading taps.

Lucas crossed his arms, watching with cold amusement. "Why are you looking at me like that? We haven't framed you for anything."

"You were caught red-handed."

His gaze raked over her with contempt. "You also damaged my watch and scratched the ring. How do you plan to pay for that?"

Daisy grabbed a fistful of Pat's hair and yanked her head back. "Pay? With what?" She laughed, shrill and ugly. "The only skill she has is what she does in bed."

Pat's nails dug into her palms. Every instinct screamed at her to break free, to claw that smug expression off Daisy's face. But the guards held fast.

Then Lucas stepped forward.

His hands found the seam of her gown.

Riiiiip.

The fabric tore, exposing her legs to the crowd. Wolf-whistles erupted from the men. Pat's stomach turned to ice.

But Lucas wasn't done. From the ruined folds of her dress, he produced more items—an emerald ring, a necklace dripping with diamonds.

Pat stared. She'd never seen either piece in her life.

Only Lucas had been close enough to plant them. Only Lucas, whom she'd trusted completely.

"Whose necklace is this?" Lucas called out, holding it high. "And this ring?"

Two older men shoved through the crowd.

"The necklace is mine!"

"That emerald ring—I was going to give it to my wife!"

The first man snatched the ring and examined it, his face purpling. "There's a crack in it! You filthy little thief—you damaged my favorite emerald!"

"My necklace is broken too!" The second man's voice shook with rage.

Pat opened her mouth—I've never even seen those things—but before a single word escaped, both men struck her across the face.

One. Then the other.

Her cheeks blazed. The pain was nothing compared to the hollowing in her chest.

Twenty-three years. She had lived twenty-three years without suffering humiliation like this. No one had ever dared.

Now, in this unfamiliar city, the man she loved most had betrayed her. Had orchestrated her destruction piece by piece.

And she had let him.

What Lucas didn't know was that if our engagement had gone smoothly tonight, he would have gained wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams.

So the real loser here wasn't me—it was him. Because I was never some gold-digger clawing my way up.

If it weren't for him, I would never have stayed in this city for three years.

Lucas glanced at the disappointment and raw hurt in my eyes, then looked away with utter indifference.

"Why the tears? You should've thought about the consequences before you decided to steal."

"And now you've destroyed everyone's luxury items. Have you figured out how you're going to pay for all of it?"

"I didn't steal those things. You gave them to me."

I glared at him through gritted teeth, but no one believed me.

"Oh, that's rich!" someone laughed. "Do you have any idea who Lucas Henson is? And who are you?"

"Why would he give a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars to someone like you?"

"As if you're worth it."

I wrenched myself free from the hands holding me back, strode over to Lucas, and seized his wrist.

"Tell me," I demanded, my voice sharp as a blade. "Why are you doing this to me?"

His expression darkened instantly. "Who do you think you are? You're not even worth the effort of setting up."

"You thought being with me for a few years meant you could do whatever you pleased? You knew I cared about Daisy. You knew how much she meant to me. And yet you deliberately humiliated her."

I said nothing. I just stared at him coldly—at the hickey half-hidden beneath his collar.

We hadn't been intimate in a long time. So where did that come from?

My gaze shifted to Daisy. She smiled back at me, brazen and triumphant.

And just like that, it clicked.

Lucas had already moved on.

He wasn't worth loving anymore.

I released his wrist and stepped back, a cold smile curling my lips.

"You slept with her, didn't you?"

Lucas stood there, expression blank, and didn't bother to answer. But the look he exchanged with Daisy—lingering, intimate—told me everything I needed to know.

My hands clenched into fists. I closed my eyes slowly.

No wonder Grandfather told me not to rush bringing him home. No wonder he insisted I date Lucas for three years first—to test whether his feelings were real.

I never expected to discover the truth right at the end of that three-year deadline.

"Hey! Gold-digger!"

"You wrecked our stuff. You owe us money!"

"Stop standing there feeling sorry for yourself."

"Yeah—if you can't pay us back, you're finished."

At that, I turned slowly to face the crowd.

These so-called luxury items? I could afford to replace them ten times over. But the thought of compensating them for things I never stole—things that had been planted on me—made my stomach turn.

No one would believe me. I had no way to defend myself.

Was I supposed to just accept being branded a thief?

I pulled out my phone to call the police. Let the law sort this out.

But before I could dial, Daisy kicked the phone right out of my hand.

"Calling the cops?" She sneered. "Let me tell you something—even if they show up, they can't help you. Everyone here knows who's really in charge. They know which side to take."

"And if anyone's filing a report, it'll be us. Because you're the thief. The moment they arrive, you're the one getting arrested."

The others looked at me with undisguised contempt, as if I were some clueless hick who didn't understand how the world worked.

But their disdain didn't touch me.

What did was watching Daisy smash my phone against the floor.

"What a piece of junk," she muttered, grinding her heel into it. "It won't even break properly. Someone get me a hammer."

I tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The phone shattered into pieces.

That wasn't just any phone. The components inside—the custom chips and circuitry—had taken our engineers years to develop.