Now that I knew the secret, I made my move. I had my men buy me a huge stack of lottery tickets, and every time I scratched one off, I hit a million-dollar jackpot.

After scratching off four or five winning tickets in a row, I finally stopped, satisfied.

Then, I posted a quick update on my feed. "A blessing in disguise."

It didn't take long for the office group chat to blow up with question marks. Apparently, Yelena had accidentally tumbled down a flight of stairs, which left her bruised and swollen.

I chuckled gleefully, knowing that this was just the start of her payback.

Once I was healed and back at the office, Yelena was still wrapped in a blood-stained gauze.

She had the audacity to sidle up to me and say, "Hey, Evie, I heard you've had some pretty good luck lately."

I swallowed my disgust and showed her a lottery ticket. "That's right. I hit the million-dollar jackpot every time I scratch one of these lately."

When my colleagues heard that, they shot me with looks of pure envy and disbelief.

"No way! If you're going to lie, at least make it believable!"

"You didn't even have the guts to sign that betting agreement, and now you're pretending to be some rich heiress. Have you no shame?"

I ignored their snide remarks and kept my eyes locked on Yelena's expression. When she noticed the ticket in my hand, her face contorted for a split second before she forced a strained smile.

"Oh, really? Speaking of which, I've had such rotten luck lately, so I was thinking of scratching a few tickets myself to turn things around. Evie, could you give me that one?"

With that, she actually reached over to snatch it.

I knew that I'd watch another million dollars fly out the window if she got her hands on the ticket, so I quickly dodged her, put some distance between us, and scratched it in a few quick strokes.

A second later, my phone chimed with the notification of another million dollars deposited into my account.

"Oh, wow!" I exaggeratedly exclaimed. "I hit the jackpot again!"

The colleagues who'd just been mocking me went dead silent.

Yelena's face was twisted in fury over the lost cash. Still, she forced a smile and congratulated me. "You're so lucky, Evie. Unlike me…"

Her eyes glinted, and tears immediately streamed down her cheeks before she could even finish her sentence.

"Evie! Why are you picking on Yelena again?"

Nate appeared out of nowhere and glared at me, looking displeased like I'd committed an unforgivable sin.

"Apologize to her!"

The colleagues snapped out of their shock and maliciously piled on.

"Yeah, apologize! If you gave that ticket to Yelena, she might've won more than a million dollars!"

"You should just give her that one million dollars as compensation!"

I tilted my head and snapped back, "What hospital charges a million dollars for medical bills? Or is she terminally ill and dying?"

Yelena clenched her fists, her face alternating between a dozen shades of fury. She was clearly livid.

Nate wrapped an arm around her shoulder and frowned. "Don't you dare jinx her, Evie. Hand over the money now!"

The sheer entitlement in his voice… Honestly, how was this any different from a daylight robbery?

I was about to shut him down when Yelena wiped her tears, looking stubborn and prideful.

"It's fine," she said. "It doesn't matter if Evie doesn't want to share. It's just a million dollars. My dad will give it to me anyway."

She pulled out her phone and made a call. A moment later, I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there, sweetie. Are you short on cash again?"

Yelena shot me a triumphant look and smirked as she started wheedling Dad. "Send me some money, Dad. I'm hurt, so I need a new bag to feel better!"

The next second, a million dollars hit her account.

As I watched her beam with joy, my head started spinning. Wasn't I supposed to be Dad's only daughter?

So, that was why Dad had kicked me out without a second thought the last time he learned I'd fallen out with Yelena. It all made sense now. They were in on this together the whole time!

Thinking about the solemn vows Dad had made to Mom at her deathbed left me feeling bitter. That was when I decided that I had to go home and demand the truth, once and for all.

I rushed to the parking garage, but just as I pulled out my McLaren keys, someone shoved me hard.

"You car thief! How dare you steal Yelena's car! Have you no shame?"

I slammed into another car and scraped my knees raw.

Furious, I looked up to see Yelena and Nate standing nearby, surrounded by a crowd of colleagues, all looking down their noses at me.

"Evie, I know you're desperate to be a rich heiress like me, but you shouldn't steal my car!"

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. "Car thief? This is my family car!"

"Still lying through your teeth, aren't you?"

Nate aggressively marched forward and snatched my keys away. "When you weren't here yesterday, Yelena drove this car and gave me a ride to work. Everyone here can vouch for it, so what right do you have to claim it's yours?"

I stared at him, stunned. In that moment, every last shred of affection I had for him completely vanished.

"Half a month ago, I took you out for a ride and offered to give this car to you, but you said no. Did you already forget?"

I fixed him with a cold, sharp look, and he avoided my gaze. "I don't remember what ride you're talking about. If you insist this McLaren is yours, show some proof!"

I scoffed at the absurdity and pulled up a screenshot of the purchase record on my phone before shoving the screen in their faces.

"This was a birthday gift from my dad this year. I picked out the car, and he paid for it. Is that enough proof for you?"

Yelena frowned slightly and sighed. "Why are you lying again, Evie? That's clearly my screenshot with my dad's name on it. Are you going to steal that, too?"

I snapped, "What do you mean, your dad? Also, I've been wanting to ask—my dad is the current chairman of the company, and he has nothing to do with you.

"Your last name isn't even Blaze, so how dare you go around claiming that he's your dad?"

A flash of malice flickered in Yelena's eyes before she turned away. Her lashes were wet with tears.

"You're right. My last name isn't Blaze because Moon is my mom's maiden name. Dad loved her so much that he let me take her name as a tribute…"

Nate wiped her tears in distress, then turned back to me. His voice was thick with indignation as she snapped, "That's enough, Evie! Yelena lost her mom when she was just a child. Did you have to poke her where it hurts most?"

My eyes stung with tears.

I'd lost my mom at a young age, too. Nate and I dated for three years, and we were about to get married, so I couldn't understand why he hated me this much.

A wave of crushing exhaustion washed over me, and I closed my eyes. "Let's break up, Nate."

He froze, and his expression turned into a mix of panic and fury. "What did you just say? Are you breaking up with me over something this petty?"

I calmly nodded. "That's right, and I'm getting all my tattoos removed. We're over."

As the words left my mouth, I noticed the way Yelena stiffened and couldn't help but narrow my eyes.

"Do you have any idea how much it hurts to laser off a tattoo?" Nate stared at me, looking anxious and agitated.

Then, he softened his tone into a placating plea. "Stop making a scene, Evie. You were at fault, so you have no right to be this mad!"

Seeing how shaken and terrified he was, a thought crossed my mind.

Was there something more to the tattoo?