On her first day at work, a new colleague uploaded a 500-million-dollar property purchase agreement to the company group chat. The message was accompanied by the caption: “Thanks for the gift for my first day at work, Dad!”

She quickly deleted it, following up with, “Sorry, wrong chat!”

I frowned, recognizing the contract immediately. It was the same property my father gifted me for my birthday a month ago.

Some sharp-eyed colleagues noticed the contract number and chimed in.

“I have a relative in real estate. I remember this property. Our chairman bought it recently!”

“So, the heiress has joined us to experience life. Forgive your humble servant for not recognizing you!”

The chat was soon filled with flattering remarks.

Even my stingy and miserly husband joined in.

I felt a coldness in my heart and couldn’t help but respond in the group chat, “I recall the president always opposing ostentatious displays of wealth and advocating humility. This heiress seems to veer away from his usual philosophy.”

Instead of support, I faced attacks from my husband and others.

“Look at you being so poor and petty. How could you ever compare to Grace? Why did I ever marry someone so shortsighted?”

“As if you know the president that well! I think you’re just jealous that Grace was born with a silver spoon!”

I sneered coldly and, without hesitation, dialed the president’s number right in front of everyone.

“Dad, I heard we’re not that close, hmm?”

There was a new employee in the company. On her first day, she posted a photo in the group chat. It was a purchase contract for a mansion worth 500 million.

The group exploded in an instant. “Oh my God! A 500-million-dollar contract? Am I seeing this right?”

Grace Wayland quickly deleted the photo and apologized, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention and sent it to the wrong group by mistake.”

Afterward, she sent out several emojis to indicate how sorry she was. “I’ll make sure to be more careful next time.”

She concluded with a pitiful meme. From that moment, everyone in the company knew who Grace was.

“Is that the villa by Lake Philips?”

“My goodness! So this is what a 500-million-dollar contract looks like.”

“Rumor has it that President Mayford bought his daughter a house today—right by Lake Philips.”

“Could Grace be President Mayford’s daughter?”

“There aren’t many rich families in Heronville. It can’t just be a coincidence.”

“Five hundred million! That’s enough to work like a dog for three lifetimes.”

The chat exploded with hundreds of messages.

Sitting at the desk opposite mine, Grace looked at the messages with a triumphant expression.

Much later, she responded in the group, “I can’t reveal my identity yet, but I can say one thing—I took my mother’s surname. Please don’t spread this around. If my dad finds out my identity is exposed, he won’t be happy.”

By not outright denying it, she practically confirmed it in everyone’s eyes.

I had no intention of involving myself in such gossip, but the group chat was buzzing so much that even my husband, Max Underwood, joined in, playfully begging to cling to the wealthy "sugar mommy".

I pretended not to care, but my hands couldn’t stop trembling. Feelings bought with money were worth less than dust.

I zoomed in on the photo Grace shared. On the contract for the Lake Philips villa, the house had a unique number. The last four digits stood out. At a glance, I knew it was my house.

My father, Leon Mayford, had gifted me the villa for my birthday, choosing this particular property because the last four digits matched my birthday.

Just as I was about to raise a question in the group, I was interrupted.

Max placed several cups of coffee on the table, carefully selecting one. After wiping off the condensation, he handed it to Grace with both hands.

Grace took a sip, only to spit it out with a grimace of disgust. “What is this? Don’t bring me such lousy filth again.”

Max froze, but surprisingly, instead of losing his temper as he would at home, he nodded and apologized humbly, “It’s my fault for not checking first. Someone like you must drink something of much higher quality!”

A bitter taste filled my heart. At home, he wouldn’t even help with the laundry without endless nagging.

Unable to stand Grace’s arrogance, I spoke calmly, “Grace, where exactly is your new villa in Lake Philips?”

The lively office instantly fell silent.

Grace glared at me. “What do you mean by that? Are you doubting the authenticity of my contract? Do I need to wear it on my chest to prove it’s mine?”

Sensing Grace’s anger, Max chimed in. “Emily, don’t be ridiculous. What has Grace done to deserve this from you?”

Colleagues also sided with her.

“These days, people are so unbelievable, questioning someone over a photo!”

“Exactly, Grace shared it by accident—it’s not like she was showing off.”

“Emily, if you’re jealous, just buy one yourself! Though looking at you, I doubt you can afford one in this lifetime.”

Grace was dressed in designer brands from head to toe, exuding elegance. In contrast, I wore simple, ordinary clothes.

Grace turned to me, feigning magnanimity. “Thank you all for speaking up for me. Emily must just be curious since she’s never seen anything like it. It’s perfectly normal to have questions. Forgive her for my sake.”

The moment she said this, Max’s face darkened, clearly embarrassed by me.

What a joke. Despite being the heiress of the Mayford Group, I now faced mockery in my own company.

After graduation, I married Max, my college sweetheart. Starting as a grassroots employee and hiding my identity was my father’s idea. He wanted me to gain experience and understand every aspect of the Mayford Group from the ground up.

Judging by Grace’s taste and attire, she didn’t come from a poor family either. She must’ve gone to great lengths to obtain my purchase contract and impersonate me.

An idea struck me. Feigning innocence, I said, “You’re right. I haven’t seen anything like it before. Why don’t you invite us to your house, Grace? Let us ordinary folks broaden our horizons.”

As our colleagues’ eyes lit up, clearly intrigued, Grace’s expression instantly darkened.

“Exactly, Grace, let us take a look!”

"A 500-million-dollar house—if I miss this chance, I might never see one in my lifetime."

Colleagues swarmed around Grace, their faces lit with excitement.

While Grace tried to steady herself, her voice trembled slightly as she said, "The house isn't fully renovated yet, so it's not convenient right now."

I could see she was panicking and pressed her further, "Are you looking down on us because we're poor and unworthy of your luxurious villa? Or is it because the purchase contract isn't really yours, so you're too scared to invite us over?"

I fired off several pointed questions in a row.

Even the colleagues who had surrounded Grace started to waver a little.

Grace probably never imagined that she would be boasting in front of the actual owner on her first day at the company.

Just when I thought Grace's false facade was about to crumble, Lisa, the department manager entered the office. The moment she saw Grace, she warmly took her by the arm, as if they were sisters.

"Grace, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the office? What happened? Are you in trouble?" Although Lisa's tone sounded questioning, she wasted no time targeting me. "Emily, I know your marriage isn’t happy, and you’re stuck with an unambitious man, but don’t project your jealousy onto others.

"Grace’s villa? President Mayford personally arranged for me to accompany her during the purchase. I witnessed the entire process. How could it be fake? If Grace chooses not to hold a grudge, that's her being generous. But if you continue, I might have to ask the higher-ups to terminate your employment."

With Lisa openly supporting Grace, our colleagues immediately strengthened their resolve to defend her.

"Emily, don’t drag us into your jealousy of Grace."

"We never doubted Grace for a second."

Acting magnanimous, Grace said in a nonchalant tone, "Since Lisa has spoken, I'll pretend none of this happened. Emily, you should remember that not everyone is as forgiving as I am."

Her words turned my earlier confrontation into a joke. What a fine performance, the two of them acting in sync. Playing the villain alone wasn’t worth my energy anymore, thus I decided not to press any further.

However, Grace’s supporters wouldn’t let it go and posted my earlier words and actions in the employee group chat.

Some employees relentlessly tagged me, hurling insults. Others were lost in the fantasy of visiting a 500-million-dollar mansion, pressing Grace about when they could go see it.

Grace quickly uploaded over a dozen renovation photos to the chat, prompting a flurry of admiration and envy. She pinned a message to the top of the chat. "Once the renovations are complete, I’ll definitely invite everyone to my home."

Max immediately pulled his phone out and added Grace as a friend.

“In the afternoon, we're going back to my parents’ home. You promised me last week that we’d celebrate the holiday with my family.” I handed Max the freshly ironed suit.

Max stood in front of the mirror, tying his tie. "Did I promise you that?" Without another word, he left the house.

My parents lived in a remote area with limited transportation. You would have to walk to most places. The housekeeper, who had been monitoring activity at the base of the hill, arrived with a convoy of luxury cars to pick me up.

Goldenrod Manor was the most valuable real estate in the city, often rumored to be a priceless century-old estate. In truth, it belonged to my family.

I had originally planned to reveal my true identity to Max today, but clearly, he didn't deserve it.

A notification popped up on my phone. Grace, the new colleague from last week, had updated her social media.

In her photo, Grace strutted confidently in luxury designer attire while my husband trailed behind her, laden with shopping bags from high-end brands. His face in the photo showed a mix of exhaustion and ingratiating smiles.

After dining with my parents, the housekeeper dropped me off at the apartment as usual.

"Miss, you own so many properties. Why insist on living in this old, shabby unit?" The housekeeper’s confusion mirrored my father’s inability to understand why I married someone like Max.

"Shabby? This apartment is located in the prime area of the city. Price isn’t important. What matters is that it’s close to the office."

This apartment was the reason Max was so eager to marry me right after graduation.

"Miss, this is a one-of-a-kind emerald bracelet your father purchased at a Sotheby’s auction for 1.5 billion dollars. He said the villa he gave you for your birthday was too modest and wanted something more appropriate."

The housekeeper respectfully opened the gift box, revealing the bracelet. I gave it a quick glance; the quality was excellent.

Without much thought, I tossed it into my bag and soon became too busy with work to think about it again—until a week later when Grace arrived at the office wearing my bracelet.

"Grace, your bracelet is stunning! It must have cost a fortune."

"Of course! Everything Grace wears is beyond what we can afford."

"I saw this bracelet in a magazine. It was the highlight of a Sotheby’s auction and was sold for 1.5 billion dollars."

"Wait, are you saying Grace’s bracelet is worth 1.5 billion?!"

"Oh my God, she’s just casually wearing a 1.5-billion-dollar bracelet."

Grace entered the office, placing her latest designer handbag conspicuously on her desk. The vivid green of the emerald complemented her complexion perfectly.

Keen-eyed colleagues immediately surrounded her with compliments. Their chatter reached my ears, and when I looked up, I saw the familiar bracelet on Grace's wrist.

"Isn’t that my bracelet?" I muttered to myself, puzzled. How could it be hers when I had locked it in my home safe?

"Putting on airs, Emily? Look at yourself. Do you think you could afford that bracelet?" Max stood across from me, sneering like a smug little tyrant.

"Where did that bracelet come from? I think you know better than I do." My disdain was impossible to hide.

"This bracelet was a gift from Max," Grace replied with a sweet, taunting chuckle. "He didn’t tell me the price, but if I’d known it was so cheap, I wouldn’t have worn it." Clearly, she knew the bracelet's true origins and was flaunting it deliberately.

I immediately asked the housekeeper to review the surveillance footage from home.

The video showed Max sneaking into the house while I was working late. He opened the safe and stole the emerald bracelet. Then he entered my walk-in closet, pulling my clothes off hangers and scattering them on the floor.

Several of my designer handbags from the display shelf were tossed onto the table.

The picture Grace posted on her social media yesterday? It made sense now—she’d been flaunting the spoils of a household thief.

Oblivious to the truth, our colleagues were still fawning over Max.

"Max’s family must be so wealthy! He really kept it hidden."

"I told you guys Max lives in that high-end complex downtown, but none of you believed me."

"Since you’ve kept this a secret, you owe us a fancy meal, Max!"

Blushing at the compliments, Max booked the city’s most luxurious restaurant for all the staff—except me.

Without hesitation, I froze Max’s supplementary credit card. Oblivious to my actions, Max looked terribly smug.

‘I’ll see how you plan to pay then.’