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…”