After I was betrayed by my boyfriend, Cole Chapman, five years ago on New Year’s Eve, we reunited at our college reunion.

Everyone pressured us to play Truth or Dare.

Cole lost first. He picked Truth.

Someone asked him, “What’s the most satisfying time you turned someone’s power back on them?

He glanced at me mockingly and said with a sense of superiority, “I drained my ex’s savings to pay for my PhD. The day I got my permanent residency, I reported her for illegal work, which got her deported.”

The crowd went wild.

They thought I would break down crying. However, I just smiled and spun the bottle.

When it was my turn, Cole asked me, “Do you have any secrets your ex never knew?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?” he asked with a smile.

I smiled back and replied, “I was working illegally back then because my family cut off my credit cards after I refused an arranged marriage.

“Just yesterday, my dad bought the multinational corporation that hired you as my wedding gift.”

The private room went silent instantly.

Cole Chapman, my ex-boyfriend, was stunned.

A second later, he clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.

“Luna, have you lost your mind from scrubbing dishes?”

He pointed at me as tears of laughter rolled down his cheeks.

“You? The daughter of a billionaire? Your dad bought out a multinational corporation?

“If you were some billionaire’s daughter, why would you have worked for a few dollars an hour washing greasy plates in a restaurant?

“If you were really that rich, why couldn’t you even afford a decent winter coat while saving up for my tuition?

“Stop being ridiculous!”

The surrounding classmates joined in the laughter.

“Luna, that’s a bold lie. Careful. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

“Exactly. Cole is a biotech expert now. He’s just been hired back to the country by the Genesis Group with a high salary.”

“Do you even know how much Genesis Group is worth? You say your dad bought it. What’s next? Are you going to tell me you own the planet?”

Cole stopped laughing and straightened his high-end custom suit. He looked at me with pure contempt in his gaze.

“Luna, I get it. You’re bitter that I dumped you. But you need to know your place. I’m now the director of Genesis Group’s core project. I make millions a year, plus stock options.

“And you? An illegal worker with a deportation record. You probably can’t even land a real job, can you? You want me to regret leaving you? Next time, at least make your lie believable.”

I leaned back in my chair and toyed with the empty wine glass in my hand.

I smirked as I stared at Cole’s smug face.

“Cole, you’re only this confident because Genesis Group gave you that offer, aren’t you?”

He snorted coldly and replied, “That’s right. That’s what being successful looks like. Someone at your level could never understand the world I live in.”

Just then, someone opened the door.

A woman in a Chanel suit with delicate makeup walked in.

She affectionately took Cole’s arm. Her gaze swept across the room and finally landed on me.

“Coley, is this the ex you told me about? The one who keeps pestering you?”

Cole’s expression swiftly softened, and he gently patted the woman’s hand.

“Wanda, what are you doing here? This place is a dump. Don’t ruin your shoes.”

Wanda Quinn covered her mouth with a soft laugh. She lifted her chin and did not even bother looking directly at me.

“I heard someone here was running their mouth about acquiring Genesis Group. Funny! My dad happens to be the regional vice president of Genesis Group. How come I haven’t heard that the company got a new owner?”

A chorus of gasps echoed through the room.

So, Cole’s current fiancee turned out to be the daughter of Genesis Group’s vice president.

My classmates’ gazes darted back and forth over me. Some were snickering. Others wore sympathetic expressions.

“Luna, you just walked right into that one, didn’t you?”

“The real rich girl is here now. It’s time for you, the fake one, to go.”

Cole put his arm around Wanda. He had his nose in the air.

“Luna, let me introduce you. This is Wanda, my fiancee.

“Her father is Mr. William Quinn, the vice president of Genesis Group.

“You just said your dad bought Genesis Group? Are you trying to be Wanda’s stepmom?”

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Wanda waved her hand with disdain.

“That’s enough. Stop wasting your time on this crazy woman. Have security guards throw her out. Just looking at her ruins my appetite.”

Cole nodded. He took out his phone and was about to call the hotel manager.

“Luna, you’re truly shameless. I’m done with you. This is our college reunion. A lying fraud like you isn’t welcome here.

“Do yourself a favor and get lost now. Otherwise, don’t come crying to me about old times when security guards throw you out.”

I did not budge. I even poured myself another glass of red wine.

“Cole, don’t bother with the call. I’m not the one who should leave.”

Cole froze. His gaze darkened.

“What do you mean by that?”

I swirled my wine glass.

“What I’m saying is, if I were you, I’d check the company email right now. See if HR didn’t just send out a company-wide email. You. Are. Fired.”

Cole looked at me like I was crazy.

“Luna, are you addicted to pretending? The company-wide email? Who do you think you are? The CEO?”

Wanda rolled her eyes with even more disdain.

“Coley, don’t bother with her. She’s just trying to stall. I’ve seen plenty of women like her. They’ll say anything to score a free meal.”

The class president, Jack, then stepped in to mediate, but he was clearly siding with Cole.

“Luna, that’s enough. We’re all classmates here. Don’t make this uglier than it needs to be. Cole is in a different league now. Acting this desperate will only make him respect you less. Just apologize and leave. You don’t have to chip in for this meal.”

I chuckled.

“Jack, why didn’t you tell him not to make things ugly back when Cole took every penny I had saved?

“Back when I worked three jobs overseas to put him through school and ended up in the hospital with a bleeding stomach from exhaustion, why didn’t you tell him to be a decent human being?”

Jack turned rigid. He slouched awkwardly and stammered, “Th-That was a private matter between you two.

“Besides, Cole has made something of himself now. That’s because he has talent.

“If you had treated him better back then, maybe he’d still remember the old days and help you out.

“But now that things have ended up like this, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. That was bad judgment on your part.”

I nodded.

“You’re right. I was blind back then. But luckily for me, the best is yet to come.”

Cole became impatient.

“Luna, I’m counting to three. Either you leave on your own, or I’ll have security throw you out.

“One.”

I calmly took a sip of my wine.

“Two.”

I took out my phone and glanced at the time.

“Three!”

Cole made a call.

“Hey, is this the hotel manager? This is Cole from Genesis Group. I’m in V8. There’s a crazy woman here causing trouble. Get security guards over here now and get her out.”

After hanging up, Cole looked at me smugly.

“Luna, you asked for this. Don’t say that I didn’t give you a chance when the security guards drag you out.”

Wanda added fuel to the fire.

“Don’t forget to take pictures and post them. Let everyone see what happens when a fake tries to play rich.”

The other classmates in the room pulled out their phones.

Just then, Cole’s phone buzzed.

Then, Wanda’s phone received a notification as well.

After that, the phones of several classmates who worked at Genesis Group or in related industries started chiming with notification sounds one after another.

It was the unmistakable high-priority sound from Microsoft Teams.

Cole frowned and instinctively pulled out his phone.

“Who’s emailing at this hour?”

He casually swiped open the screen.

In the next second, panic flashed in his eyes.

His previously smug expression instantly vanished.

His jaw hung open, and he was speechless.

Wanda also read the email sent to her.

Her Hermes bag fell to the floor with a loud thud.

“H-How is this possible?” she shrieked.

The classmates around them had no idea what was happening and crowded in to look.

There on Cole’s phone screen was a conspicuous company-wide announcement pinned in Microsoft Teams with a bold red banner.

[Sender: Genesis Group Board of Directors.

[Subject: Urgent: Notice of Equity Change and Personnel Restructuring.]

First line of the body, in bold black font.

[Effective immediately, Genesis Group has been fully acquired by Lynch Group.

[Ms. Luna Lynch is hereby appointed as the new CEO of Genesis Group, with full authority over all company matters.]

The room fell into dead silence.

Everyone was stunned. They looked at the phone, then at me.

Cole’s hands trembled as he stared at the screen.

“No way... This cannot be real. It has to be photoshopped! Luna, did you hire a hacker to break into the company’s system?”

He looked at me and yelled angrily.

“Do you know how serious the consequences are? This is corporate fraud. You’re looking at jail time!”

I put down my wine glass and slowly stood up.

My high heels made a crisp sound against the floor.

I closed in on Cole with every step.

“Cole, I thought you only had bad character. Turns out you’ve also lost your mind. Do you really think a hacker can break into your system and also break into Mr. Quinn’s phone?

“Do you truly think a hacker can also make every internal network across the whole industry update with this message at the same time?”

Cole’s face turned deathly pale. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

He instinctively looked toward Wanda.

Wanda was already panicking.

She shakily picked up her bag from the floor. Her eyes darted away. She did not dare to look at me at all.

“I-I’m calling my dad...”

She fumbled as she dialed William’s number.

It only took a few seconds for him to pick up her call.

Before she could say anything, his hysterical yelling came through the receiver.

“Wanda! What have you done?! Are you with Cole right now? Who have you offended?

“The new boss just ordered a full investigation into Cole’s projects. She’s going to audit my past accounts, too!

“I don’t care what you do. Apologize to Ms. Lynch right now! Get on your knees and beg for her forgiveness! Otherwise, our whole family is done for!”

Wanda put the call on speaker.

William’s roaring voice echoed through the room.

Cole’s legs went weak. He nearly collapsed to his knees.

He held onto the table and gasped heavily for air.

“Y-You really are...”

I walked up to him and leaned down slightly. Then, I whispered in his ear, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to tell everyone the most satisfying time you turned someone’s power back on them? Didn’t you say someone at my level would never land a real job?

“Well, I’m your boss now. Surprise, surprise.”

Cole’s lips trembled. He was rendered speechless.

The classmates around were all dumbfounded. Their mocking gazes turned into awe. A few people had even started wearing ingratiating smiles.

Jack, who had mocked me earlier, looked like he wished the floor would swallow him whole.

“M-Ms. Lynch...” someone mumbled softly.

I did not respond. I just stared fiercely at Cole.

“Cole, didn’t you just say something about having security guards drag me out?”