25 years ago, a maternity nurse secretly switched me out for her daughter. Unfortunately for her, my six-year-old brother saw this and secretly switched me back.

25 years later, the maternity nurse comes knocking with her actual daughter by her side. She accuses me, the heiress of Crawford Group, of being an impostor.

The company's janitor starts insulting me and insinuates that my lipstick is a cheap imitation. Even my boyfriend humiliates me with her. "And here I thought you were the heiress of the Crawford family. You can't even compare to a hair on Pammy's head!"

When the DNA test results are out, everyone is stunned.

"That wretch bewitched me, Lori! Please forgive me—give me another chance!" my boyfriend cries.

I look at him icily. "Another chance to do what? To clean the toilets?"

I had just stepped into the office restroom when I ran into Pamela Jones, the new janitor.

As soon as she saw me, her gaze dropped to the hand I was using to reapply my lipstick.

"I never would've guessed that someone of your status would use something so cheap," Pamela commented, her tone dripping with mockery. "Ms. Crawford, that lipstick of yours costs 19.90 dollars for three and comes with a gift box."

I was taken aback. That was impossible.

This was the lipstick my boyfriend, Trevor Freeman, had bought for me. He had told me that it was an exclusive brand and that three of them cost 200 dollars.

Pamela seemed to realize she had crossed a line when she noticed the change in my expression. She then quickly turned and walked away.

…

The moment I emerged from the restroom, I came face to face with Willow Shaw. Her face twisted with fury as she stood by the Mother and Baby Care Room door.

I had never seen her so angry before, so I quietly asked her what had happened.

In an instant, her words spilled out in a furious rant. "I went in to change my baby's diaper, and guess what I found? A used contraceptive on the changing table!

"Who on earth would do something so disgusting? How could anyone do that in a Mother and Baby Care Room? This is infuriating! What if that person has some kind of disease?"

As the company's vice president, my anger boiled over as I listened to her account. I immediately called security and instructed them to review the surveillance footage to identify who was responsible.

Once I gave the order, I headed toward Trevor's office, intending to vent about the absurdity of the situation.

But when I entered, I froze. Pamela, wearing a slightly see-through deep-V blouse, was mopping the floor. The neckline plunged so low that her bosom was almost exposed.

Trevor glanced up at me, and his expression shifted to one of panic. Hastily wiping away the blood from his nose, he muttered, "The air is so dry. I think I need to get a humidifier."

Then, he added, "I was so focused on work that I didn't hear you knock, Lorelai."

I had never doubted Trevor's words before. After all, we had been together since university and were a couple for eight years.

"Have you forgotten? I don't knock when I come to your office," I replied.

Almost immediately, his nervousness was palpable. A knot of suspicion began to form in my stomach, but Pamela cut in before I could press further.

"Ms. Crawford, you really should buy your makeup from proper stores. Don't go for cheap deals on Amazon. You shouldn't skimp on what you put on your face, after all," she remarked, her tone full of scorn.

I froze momentarily at her comment. It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about my lipstick.

Trevor had given it to me for Valentine's Day. Hence, there was no way it was a cheap knockoff.

Since he was present, I figured that it was the perfect opportunity to clear things up. However, he interjected before I could say anything.

"Lorelai, the proposal you mentioned earlier was good, but I think it could use a few adjustments."

His statement distracted me, and I glanced around the desk for a pen. Yet, there wasn't one in sight.

Pamela, on the other hand, eagerly volunteered to help. As she reached for the pen, she tripped and stumbled straight into Trevor's arms.

Her blouse strained with the impact, and a button popped open. Her bosom was instantly fully exposed.

Trevor fumbled awkwardly at that sight, trying to help her with the button. But the more nervous he got, the worse the situation seemed to spiral out of control.

Flustered, Pamela tried to fix it herself, too. Unfortunately, it only made things worse.

At that moment, her uneven breathing was the only sound that filled the air.

I stared at Trevor and Pamela, who were still tangled together in such an intimate position. Something was off, so I cleared my throat loudly.

Suddenly, Trevor snapped back to reality and shoved Pamela aside.

"Lorelai, I was just helping her with the button. I didn't mean to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I cut him off. "That's enough. Go make me a cup of coffee."

Years of knowing Trevor had taught me exactly what kind of man he was. It was clear that Pamela, the scheming woman, was behind all of this.

Hence, I figured that it was the perfect chance to talk to her alone and get to the bottom of it all.

But to my surprise, Pamela scrambled to her feet. With a pained expression, she rushed ahead of Trevor and said, "Ms. Crawford, let me get the coffee for you."

With that, she disappeared out of the office. Moments later, she returned with a cup in her hands.

I could tell that it was instant coffee from how quickly she returned. Since I only drank freshly brewed ones, I frowned and left the cup untouched.

Pamela's voice broke as she asked, "Ms. Crawford, is it because you think the coffee's dirty? I swear, I washed my hands before making it!"

To my astonishment, Trevor sided with her. He was usually so compliant, but this time, he stated, "Lorelai, give Pammy a break. She has never drunk coffee and doesn't know how to grind beans, so just let it go."

Even so, I didn't respond. Pamela's eyes brimmed with tears at my silence.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Crawford," she apologized. "I come from a poor family and never had enough food or clothes. My mom used to beat and scold me all the time.

"I've never had anything nice like freshly brewed coffee. I didn't mean to upset you."

I was confused. I wasn't sure why she was suddenly so emotional. However, Trevor appeared to buy into her act and snapped, "Lorelai Crawford, cut it out! I can't believe how unreasonable you're being.

"It's just a cup of coffee. Do you really need to make such a fuss? You're the Vice President, for goodness sake! There's no need to pick on your subordinate like that."

Having said his piece, he grabbed the cup and downed its contents in one go, not even caring that it was hot.

I was stunned by his reaction, but what shocked me even more was Pamela's. In a flash, she rushed over and grabbed the cup from his hand, begging, "Mr. Freeman, please, don't drink it!"

This time, even Trevor was caught off guard. Both of us stared at her, confusion written all over our faces.

Pamela's eyes darted around nervously at that sight. It was evident that she was feeling guilty.

Without saying another word, I checked the surveillance footage. And there it was. Pamela had used water from the toilet bowl to make my coffee!

I was livid and demanded, "Why did you do this? You had better explain yourself!"

I reached for my phone as I spoke, ready to call the police. But before I could do anything, Trevor snatched it away.

"Lorelai, Pammy's still young. She doesn't know any better. Besides, you didn't drink the coffee. I drank it, and I'm fine. Let's just forget about it."

Yet, his insistence only fueled my anger. "What gives you the right to decide that I should just forget about it? She's not a child. She knows better!

"I didn't drink the coffee, but that was her intention! Unfortunately for her, you were the one who drank it. If she has the guts to use water from the toilet bowl today, what's stopping her from doing worse tomorrow? I'm calling the cops!"

When Trevor realized I was serious, he tried to throw my phone away.

Fortunately, I was fast enough to grab it back.

I had just steadied my phone when Pamela shoved Trevor aside and screamed, "You're an imposter! Who do you think you are, taking my place and stealing my man?"

Before I could even register her words, my phone buzzed with a message from the security team. It was the surveillance footage from outside the Mother and Baby Care Room.

I played the video without hesitation. Lo and behold, the evidence was right there.

Trevor and Pamela had entered the room, one after the other. To my dismay, they stayed for almost an hour before emerging.

Then I saw Willow holding her child and walking in. Before long, she stormed out of the room. It was clear that Trevor and Pamela had left the used condom behind.

I couldn't believe my eyes. The man I trusted most, my boyfriend, had cheated on me with a janitor. No wonder he had been so protective of Pamela.

Trevor didn't give me a chance to unleash my fury before he dropped all pretense.

"I'm in love with Pamela, not you!" he spat. "She's gentle, kind, and caring. But you? You're just so high and mighty."

Trevor continued, "I bet you never saw this coming. The truth is, Pamela's the real heiress of Crawford Group. As for you, you're nothing but an imposter!"

Right then, the door to Trevor's office creaked open. Then, I watched as my parents entered, followed by a group of shareholders.

My father was the first to speak. "Trevor, you said that there was something urgent. What's going on?"

"Yeah. What could be so serious that it threatens the survival of Crawford Group?" my mother added.

Trevor shot me a glance before answering, "Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, if you hadn't shown up, the company would have fallen into the hands of an outsider."

Startled, the shareholders turned to me, eager for an explanation. Yet, all I could offer was a wry smile and a helpless shake of my head. I was just as lost as they were.

At that moment, Pamela approached my parents before dropping to her knees with a heavy thud. "Dad! Mom!" she cried out.

My parents were momentarily stunned. They then instinctively took a step back.

My father pointed at Pamela, his voice sharp as he questioned, "Who are you? I've never done anything to betray my wife! Lorelai and Shane are my only children!"

"Mom, Dad, the maternity nurse, Tabitha Baker, switched me with Lorelai. I'm your biological daughter!" Pamela explained, her voice choking with sobs.

She continued, "For as long as I can remember, Tabitha would hit and yell at me whenever she was upset. Worse, I often went hungry.

"I didn't understand why she was so cruel when I was young. She was my mom, after all. But then, one day, I saw the hospital's surveillance footage. That was when I discovered that I wasn't her biological daughter."

The impact of her words was clear as tears welled up in everyone's eyes.

However, my father was someone who had seen it all. Hence, he wasn't easily swayed. He demanded, "Do you have any proof?"

Pamela didn't hesitate. She pulled out her phone and projected the video onto the large screen.

The footage was over 20 years old, from when my mom had given birth to me. Since it was a private hospital, the place was equipped with surveillance cameras.

It was a short clip that showed a maternity nurse entering my mom's ward and emerging with a baby in her arms. Not long after, she returned with another child dressed in the same clothes.

But because the footage was so old, the quality was too poor to confirm whether the two babies were the same.

My mother watched the entire thing in silence. Then, she collapsed onto the couch and burst into tears. "How could this happen? Tell me this isn't true! I was with my baby the whole time. How could the nurse have switched her?"

My dad, on the other hand, said nothing. Yet, his face had turned ashen.

It seemed like my parents were starting to waver, though they still looked unconvinced. Seizing the opportunity, Trevor pushed harder.

"Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, this mistake has already been made and needs to be fixed now. Otherwise, someone will exploit the situation. Pamela has suffered enough. We need to make things right for her."

His gaze shifted to me as he added, "And anyone who doesn't belong here should be shown the way out."

Almost immediately, the room was filled with the sound of shareholders whispering among themselves.

"He's right. If Lorelai isn't the biological daughter of the Crawford family, she shouldn't be vice president," someone said out loud.

Another added, "Exactly! She's an outsider, after all. Who knows when she might turn against us?"

"Before we figure out what to do with Lorelai, we should first acknowledge Pamela as the Crawfords' daughter and start training her properly."

Even after hearing all the comments, I couldn't bring myself to care. A strange feeling gnawed at me as I continued to focus on the video.

For some reason, one of the figures in the footage seemed familiar.

Trevor noticed my distraction and sneered. He remarked, "Oh, come on. No matter how many times you watch it, it won't change the fact that you're an imposter. The truth is right in front of you. I can't believe that you still have the nerve to be here!"

"Stop it, Trev," Pamela interjected quickly. "Tabitha's the one at fault, not Lori. She hasn't done anything wrong.

"Give her some time to process all of this. Once she comes to terms with it, she'll leave on her own."

I ignored them and rolled my eyes. A second later, I asked, "Who's the young boy following Tabitha in the video?"

As soon as the words left my lips, everyone in the room froze.