I was working overtime at the mall on New Year's Eve, only to witness my boyfriend proposing to the broke student, whose scholarship was funded by my family, on the biggest screen in the place.

I was about to step forward and confront him when she, with tears in her eyes, accepted the proposal. "Being confessed to in my family’s own estate… is so romantic and meaningful. Thank you for loving me so wholeheartedly for five years."

As soon as those words left her mouth, the two embraced, sharing a deep kiss amidst the cheering crowd. They even won the "Best Couple" award for the night.

I didn’t cry or make a scene. Instead, I volunteered to present them with their prize. I couldn’t wait to see what fate had in store for two pieces of trash standing together.

I stared at the screen in a daze, watching Joel Whitaker, all suited up.

My coworker elbowed me and whispered excitedly, "Wow, this guy really went all out! Renting this screen for New Year’s Eve? The price for just half an hour is at least a hundred grand!"

“I heard he reserved this spot with the marketing team a month ago. Talk about dedication!”

However, I found it all hard to believe. He told me he was going out of town for a business trip tonight and wouldn’t be back until next month. Yet, here he was, standing in front of my family-funded scholarship student, Esther Jones, looking at her with the kind of affection you’d expect from a lovesick puppy.

I’d told Joel before that I worked at a shopping mall, but the funny thing was, he never asked which one. I guess he just didn’t care enough to know.

With just five minutes left before midnight, the countdown to the new year, Joel suddenly dropped to one knee on the big screen. He held out a massive diamond ring and shouted with all his might, "Esther! Marry me!"

The mall lights brightened in an instant, and colorful balloons floated down like snowflakes while the surrounding crowd erupted in cheers.

The irony? I was the one who stayed up for nights drafting that very proposal plan. I had known there would be a grand proposal tonight, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would feature my boyfriend of six years.

Esther covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with tears under the lights. She looked like a damsel straight out of a romance movie.

"Joel… What am I going to do with you?" she said softly.

The crowd started chanting, "Say yes! Say yes!"

My coworker looked at them with envy, gossiping in a hushed tone. "I heard that girl is the daughter of the mall’s CEO. A rich guy and a rich girl—they’re a perfect match!"

The daughter of the mall’s CEO? How did I never know I had a sister?

As Esther stood there stunned, Joel got up and gently slid the ring onto her finger. “Esther, I’ve been planning this for a long time. You’re the only one worthy of this ring.”

The camera zoomed in on the ring, and I felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. That ring… was the one my father had won at an auction last month and gifted to me.

Joel… How could he? How could he steal my ring to propose to another woman?

Esther was so overwhelmed she could barely speak. “I never imagined… you’d propose to me here… This is where the Joneses’ business started. My dad is going to be so happy when he finds out.

“Five years together, and finally… we’ve made it,” she said emotionally.

How ridiculous. Six years with me, and they’d been cheating for five.

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. They had hidden it well enough.

After the proposal was a success, the mall staff followed the original plan and fired off the confetti cannons. With a loud bang, Esther squealed and jumped into Joel’s arms.

They then shared a deep, passionate kiss in the middle of the crowd’s envious stares, completely oblivious to the world around them. As the clock struck midnight, fireworks burst into the sky behind them.

The mall’s speakers chimed in, “Congratulations to the happy couple for winning the Best Couple Award! Enjoy a five-day, four-night luxury honeymoon trip worth fifty thousand dollars!”

I took a deep breath and turned to my coworker. “I’ll go give them their prize.”

I grabbed the prize voucher and walked over to the two of them. They were still lost in each other’s eyes, completely unaware of my presence.

Coldly, I said, "Congratulations, Mr. Whitaker."

The moment Joel heard my voice, he whipped around, his face going pale. He stumbled back a few steps in shock.

"Shirley? What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, he frowned, his tone laced with accusation. “I told you I was busy tonight, and you followed me?”

He paused, his voice growing harsher. “Do you even realize how suffocating you are when you do things like this?”

I almost laughed at the absurdity.

I pointed to the mall around us, telling him, “You’ve got it wrong. I work here.”

Just a few days ago, I saw Esther here in the mall. I was busy setting up the event decorations, so there was no way she didn’t know I was an employee.

Yet, she continued her innocent act, blinking in surprise. "Shirley, did you go through Joel’s phone to find out he’d be here tonight?"

Joel’s face twisted further in frustration, and Esther added, “Oh, and don’t overthink tonight, okay? I was the one who asked Joel to do this. It’s just a little wish of mine. You’re always so understanding, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t help the cold smile that tugged at my lips.

My voice was calm but edged with sarcasm as I said, “Yeah, I’m very understanding. So, I’ve decided I’m done with Joel. He’s yours now.”

“Shirley!” Joel yelled, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd.

He quickly regained his composure, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur as he leaned in. “Let’s not make a scene, alright? You know Esther has depression, so stop being so aggressive.”

The screen behind us was still showing close-ups of their faces, and the crowd was buzzing with chatter. My coworker, standing below the stage, was desperately signaling for me to wrap things up.

For the sake of the mall’s reputation, I bit back my anger and handed them the prize voucher. “Congratulations to the happy couple. What a 'perfect match'.”

Joel reached out as if to grab me, but Esther pulled him back, rising on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips.

“Thank you, Joel,” she whispered sweetly.

The event had officially ended, and by the time I finished packing up, it was nearly two in the morning. However, as I walked out of the mall, I saw Joel and Ester still lingering by their car.

Esther was sitting in the passenger seat, her eyes red and puffy, clearly having cried recently. When she saw me, she made a move to get out of the car.

“Shirley, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made Joel… I thought we were all just joking around.”

Joel quickly pulled her back.

“Shirley will understand,” he said, giving me a look of false sympathy.

I stood there, staring at Joel, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “A joke? Who French kisses as a joke?”

I pointed at the ring on Esther’s hand. “You can keep Joel, but that ring? Give it back.”

As soon as I said it, Ester ripped the ring off her finger and threw it into the bushes. “If you’re jealous, then I don’t want it anymore! Happy now?”

I watched, stunned, as the diamond ring tumbled into the dark grass.

My anger flared up. “Ester! Are you crazy?! That ring is worth more than your entire family!”

Hearing me shout at her, Joel jumped out of the car and stormed toward me, pointing an accusing finger in my face. “What’s your problem? That ring is a cheap knockoff from a street vendor! You’re only happy if you make Esther cry, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. My hand flew up, and I slapped Joel hard across the face.

“That ring is mine! You have no right to talk about it!”

Joel stood there, frozen in shock. Esther, still sobbing, rushed out of the car to cling to him.

She screamed at me, “Shirley! Hate me all you want, but how could you hit Joel? This is too much! Do you know the kind of pressure he’s under because of you? He’s been so patient with you all this time!”

I laughed bitterly, pointing at Joel. “Pressure? I buy him designer clothes and luxury cars. What kind of pressure would he have?”

Joel’s face turned red, veins bulging at his temples as he spat, “Don’t think I don’t know you bought all those things on loans to keep up appearances, and you’ve been trying to tie me down with them!”

...

He paused, his voice filled with disdain. “You’re nothing more than the charity case Esther’s family sponsored. She told me everything. I just didn’t want to embarrass you.”

I lifted my head, staring at Esther in disbelief, and asked slowly, “Are you sure I’m the one on a scholarship that your family funded?”

Esther, with tears streaming down her face, said in a trembling voice, "Shirley, I know you’re proud, and I get that everyone has their secrets, but… But wasn’t Joel your boyfriend? Why couldn’t you just tell him?"

I let out a cold laugh, knowing that explaining anything to them would be a waste of time. "Esther, did your dad, who’s worked as our family’s butler for so many years, ever tell you one thing? My dad is the most doting father you’ll ever meet. If he finds out about this, what do you think would happen?"

Esther’s face paled as she looked nervously at Joel. “It’s not like that, Joel! Shirley is probably just trying to find a way out…”

Tears started rolling down her cheeks again. "It’s fine… If it makes her feel better, let her have it."

Joel immediately wrapped her in his arms, protective as ever. "She’s always been this shallow. Just ignore her."

I was too tired to deal with either of them, so I squatted down and started searching the grass for the ring. That ring was worth millions, a gift from my dad to celebrate my graduation with a master’s degree from MIT, so it meant the world to me.

I didn’t know how long I searched, but behind me, Joel scoffed. "Typical of someone from a poor background, ready to fight to the death over a piece of glass."

Without looking up, I shot back, “If you can mistake a diamond for glass, no wonder you fell for Esther.”

"You–" Joel’s face turned red with rage. "Esther’s the daughter of this mall’s owner! Aren’t you afraid of getting fired for treating her like this? I’m only trying to help you!"

Just then, something caught the light in the grass. I quickly picked it up, dusted it off, and slipped it into my purse.

I turned to find Esther standing there, hugging herself, looking fragile and about to collapse. “Shirley, if you had just said you liked it, I would’ve given it to you. No need to embarrass yourself like this.”

I walked briskly to my sports car, got in, slammed the door, and locked it in one swift move. It was my car, after all.

Seeing the two of them standing there frozen outside, I rolled down the window and sneered, “You’ve lived off me for years, and now you really think you’re in charge, don’t you?”

The “you” was directed at both Esther and Joel.

With that, I hit the gas and sped off.

The next morning, I woke to find dozens of missed calls from Joel, who had apparently spent the entire night trying to reach me. When I opened the door to leave, there he was, standing outside, fuming.

He grabbed my arm and practically yelled, "Come on! You need to apologize to Esther! Because you took the car last night, she caught a cold and got sick! She had a high fever all night because of you!"

I almost laughed out loud. “I drove off in my car. How on earth is that my fault? She’s sick because of me?”

Joel tightened his grip and tried dragging me outside. "It’s your fault, and you need to take care of her! Her dad is furious, and he’s waiting for you at the hospital to apologize! Now, let’s go!"

Her dad? Wait… Could Esther really be my dad’s secret daughter?

I shook my head. No, I trusted my dad. As such, I decided to go to the hospital with Joel. I wanted to see who exactly had the nerve to claim my identity.

On the way, I sent a quick text to my dad.

When we arrived at the hospital, we hadn’t even gotten close to the room when I heard a man shouting, “Who dares to bully my daughter? Whoever it is, they better hope I never find out!”

Joel quickly shoved me through the door. “Mr. Jones, here she is. I’ve brought her to apologize to Esther.”

The so-called "Mr. Jones" whipped around, and when he saw me, he was so shocked he couldn’t even speak.

At that exact moment, my dad burst into the room, visibly anxious. “Shirley! What kind of nonsense is this? Are you trying to ruin your old man’s reputation? Since when have I had a secret daughter?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two "Mr. Joneses" locked eyes. The air in the room froze instantly.