If I remember correctly, most of our company's business comes from Hunter Industries.

Ethan had even mentioned wanting to hand over the advertising work for the overseas branch to us.

Now, it seems the company is trying to fire me on baseless charges.

I scoffed and asked, "Are you really going to fire me? Aren't you worried I might report this to the labor bureau?"

On the other end, Lewis sounded increasingly impatient.

"Emma, can you stop making a scene? You've offended the fiancée of our biggest client, Mr. Hunter! If she's unhappy, we could lose that overseas advertising deal!"

I was taken aback. The only people who knew about that potential deal were Ethan and me.

How did Lewis find out?

Could it be that Ethan really was cheating on me with Sophie, and she spilled the beans to Lewis?

I needed answers immediately—there was no time to waste!

Just as I reached for my phone, I noticed a short, plump middle-aged woman approaching in a wine-red gown.

Wasn't that the wedding dress I had custom-made for Clara?

Clara is slender, and I had commissioned a top designer to create this gown specifically for her.

Now, this beautifully crafted dress was being worn by that woman, and the zipper was torn open while the lace was distorted.

Clara's face turned to disbelief.

"Emma, is that... the wedding dress?"

Seeing the gown in such disarray made my blood boil.

I rushed up and shouted, "That's Clara's wedding dress! Who gave you permission to wear it?"

The woman jumped in shock and quickly slapped me.

"You must be that shameless girl pretending to be my daughter! How rude!"

"I can wear whatever I want! It's my daughter's gift!" she shot back.

Stunned by the slap, I stood there in disbelief as colleagues began whispering around us.

"Seriously? It's her own dress; why does it concern you? Mind your own business!" one colleague chimed in.

"Looks like someone is trying to climb the social ladder but doesn't realize she's just a backup option. No matter how much she tries to show off, she'll never be anything more!" another added.

"I say employees like her should be fired sooner rather than later; we don't need anyone tarnishing the company's reputation."

Clara trembled with anger at the sight of me being slapped.

"You dare hit someone? I'm calling the police!"

But as she reached for her phone, someone snatched it away and smashed it on the ground.

"Too busy punishing that little brat to remember about you, the old hag, huh?"

"Why would you call the cops? Even if they come, they'll take you two shameless liars first!"

Sophie smirked at this.

"Exactly! You wanted your brother to join Hunter Industries? I can make that happen!"

The woman's face lit up with excitement.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hunter!"

Watching Sophie gloat made me want to laugh.

Hiring at Hunter Industries is strictly managed by HR; she couldn't just promise that without consequences—didn't she worry about Ethan's reputation?

Seeing me frown in silence, Sophie taunted, "Weren't you saying this villa was yours? Your fingerprints should unlock the door."

This villa only had my and Ethan's fingerprints registered.

But when I confidently placed my finger on the fingerprint scanner, an error beeped sounded.

I tried again several times but failed each time.

I stood there dumbfounded.

What was going wrong?

The surrounding colleagues burst into laughter.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered someone who could vouch for my identity.

When Ethan and I had come to view the house, we had greeted our neighbor, Jean.

Ethan even gave her a bottle of wine; she should remember me.

But when I knocked on Jean's door and asked her about my relationship with Ethan in front of everyone, she hesitated.

Glancing at Sophie, she spoke softly, "Emma, being someone's kept woman isn't something to be proud of. Why do you have to put me in this awkward position in front of his fiancée?"

"You seem so demure; why go after rich men? Now you've been caught by his fiancée, haven't you?"

I was completely stunned; I never expected her to think of me this way!

Sophie was pleased with Jean's response.

"Jean, you've got the right mindset! It's brave of you to speak the truth; no wonder you live in a villa!"

Jean waved her hand dismissively.

"This is nothing. I just can't stand seeing some girls getting things without working for them."

I was about to explain myself when Clara's voice suddenly cried out for help behind me.

I turned to see Sophie's mother on top of Clara, desperately pulling at her hair and tearing at her clothes.

"Who does this old hag think she is, pretending to be my in-laws?"

"Today, I'll teach you a lesson so you'll know better than to act so shamelessly!"

I felt my heart race with fear and rushed forward to intervene, but Sophie kicked me hard, sending me crashing to the ground.

Instead of helping, my colleagues cheered on the scene.

"No wonder she's Mr. Hunter's mother-in-law; she's quick to throw punches!"

Ignoring the pain in my body, I pushed Sophie's mother aside and shielded Clara from further humiliation.

Clara came from a respectable family and didn't know how to handle such situations.

She looked terrified, tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Emma, I just told her not to ruin this dress..."

Sophie's mother rolled her eyes and with a ripping sound, tore a hole in the gown.

"This is my daughter's dress! I can ruin it however I want!"

Sophie chimed in mockingly, "Exactly! It's my stuff; even if I throw it away, it won't benefit you, you little brat!"

Holding Clara tightly, I said fiercely, "Sophie, I will make sure you pay for what you've done today!"

Sophie scoffed at me.

"What's the big deal? I'm going to be Mrs. Hunter! Even if I killed both of you, all I'd have to do is pay a little money—Hunter's family has plenty!"

The surrounding colleagues eagerly agreed with her, clearly eager to curry favor.

Hearing this made me coldly smile. If Ethan found out his mother was being beaten up by his so-called mother-in-law like this, I couldn't imagine how he would feel.

Just then, Clara suddenly clutched her chest in distress.

But today she had forgotten her emergency medication.

Shaking with fear, I pulled out my phone to call an ambulance.

However, just as I did, Sophie snatched it away.

"Oh? Trying to call an ambulance? Then get down on your knees and bow three times for me!"

"Honestly, dying would be better; at least you won't go out and harm others again!"

I was frantic and furious but didn't hesitate to kneel down.

Clara had always been good to me; if anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself.

But Sophie went back on her word—she waved her hand and threw my phone into a nearby artificial lake.

Looking at the indifferent crowd around me made me want to cry.

At that moment, a Bentley suddenly stopped nearby.

A familiar figure in a tailored suit slowly stepped out of the car.