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.

I pointed at Esther, lying on the bed, and let out a mocking laugh. “Spread rumors? How could I? Isn’t this the rich heiress of A51 Mall?”

At my words, my dad’s face darkened. His gaze shifted between Esther and her father—Tim Jones, our family’s butler for over a decade.

The tension in the air was thick. A moment later, a group of people burst into the room. I recognized them—they were the senior executives from the mall’s corporate office.

There had been a big company shake-up at the start of the year, with a lot of new hires. It wasn’t surprising they didn’t know who my dad was.

The moment they saw Tim, they immediately began fawning over him, nodding and bowing while handing over expensive gifts. “Mr. Jones! Is Miss Esther alright?”

“This was a terrible oversight on our part! We’ll make sure the responsible employees are dealt with!”

Joel grabbed me roughly, pulling me over to him. “It was her, one of your employees! She was jealous of Esther, so she stole my car, and Esther had to stand out in the cold all night!”

My dad’s face turned ashen, and he yanked me back to his side, his sharp eyes locking onto Joel. “Aren’t you my daughter, Shirley’s boyfriend?”

Joel shot me a look full of contempt. “Oh, so you called your daddy here, huh? Aren’t you afraid you’ll give him a heart attack?”

Then, with a smug grin, he walked over to Esther. “Don’t get it twisted. I don’t have a girlfriend like her. I’m Esther’s fiancé.

“Besides, only a poor scholarship-funded girl would be desperate enough to chase after something that’s not hers. She’s been clinging to me for six years. It’s about time she learned her lesson.

“Oh, and all those loans she took out? It’s been tough on you, hasn’t it? Paying them off for her. I’m not going to be that kind of fool.”

Even though I knew Joel was a scumbag, hearing him say it out loud still made my heart ache.

Over the years, I’d bought him countless things. Even that hundred grand for his proposal was money I gave him in bits and pieces, and now, he had the nerve to act like I was some gold-digger, calling it “loans.”

My dad pulled out his phone, his voice icy. “If she really took your car, I’ll call the police for you.”

Tim, who had been shaking the whole time, looked at my dad with panic in his eyes. “Mr. Jon– Maybe we could just let this go?”

Esther’s head snapped up, disbelief written all over her face as she turned to Tim. “Dad! What are you saying? Why should we let it go?”

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her voice shrill. “Isn’t she just the kid whose scholarship we’ve been funding for years? We’ve done more than enough for her! Besides, I seriously doubt she bought that diamond ring herself. Where would a poor girl get that kind of money?”

“Shut your mouth!” Tim turned and glared at Esther, his voice low but furious.

The clueless executives, though, started pointing at me, their voices harsh. “You’re Shirley Levitt, right? Don’t bother coming to work tomorrow!”

I smirked and shot a challenging look at them. “Really? You’re firing me?”

Tim was now completely flustered, scrambling to fix things. “No, no! She’s not fired! Shirley is one of the most capable employees we have!”

Joel laughed at the whole thing, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Capable? I’ve known her for six years, and I’ve never seen it. The only thing she’s good at is pretending to be something she’s not.”

By now, my dad’s expression was downright terrifying. He looked like he was about to explode.

However, Esther wasn’t done. She clung to Tim’s arm, pouting as she whined, “Dad! Don’t tell me Shirley’s been trying to seduce you at work! Why else are you defending her?”

Before she could say another word, a loud slap echoed through the room. Tim had struck Esther hard across the face.

“I told you to shut up!” he bellowed.

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

Esther clutched her cheek, tears streaming down her face. “Dad!”

Joel rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms as if to protect her. He looked at Tim, utterly shocked.

“Mr. Jones! Even if Esther said something wrong, you didn’t have to hit her! She’s your daughter! The only heir to the Jones family!”

Tim pointed a shaking finger at Joel, his voice trembling with anger. “You can get out too! This has nothing to do with you!”

Joel gripped Esther’s hand tightly, his voice resolute. “Mr. Jones, I’ve proposed to Esther. We’re serious about each other!”

How funny. Last night he told me it was just an act, and today, he claimed it was real.

My dad’s glare was fixed on Tim, and Tim suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud, leaving everyone in the room speechless.

He couldn’t even lift his head as he stammered, “Mr. Jones… Please… Have mercy on me…”