At the annual awards gala for Sterling Investment Group, my CEO, Blake Sterling, promised to grant each core employee any reward they desired.

When it was my turn, the new intern, Chloe Finch, suddenly snatched the microphone, accusing me of being selfish for making a personal request instead of thinking of the company.

I ignored her and scrawled "a dedicated parking spot" on my request card.

Chloe then furiously splashed red wine on me, screaming that I was selfish and didn't care about the company's finances.

I angrily threw the request card at her feet. She immediately shrieked, her voice laced with a threat.

"How dare you do this to me! Do you know who my dad is? He's Julian Croft! Even Mr. Sterling has to show him respect. If you lay a finger on me, I'll make sure you can never work on Wall Street again!"

I was stunned.

I am Julian Croft's real niece.

My uncle was a lifelong bachelor. How on earth could he have a grown daughter?

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1

My request for a dedicated parking spot at the Sterling Investment Group gala earned me a face full of red wine, courtesy of Chloe Finch—a woman claiming to be the long-lost daughter of my own uncle, Julian Croft.

Taking my silence for fear, Chloe's arrogance swelled.

"What, scared now? If it weren't for that pretty face you use to wrap clients around your finger, Blake would have never made you Senior Vice President. You're a disgrace to this company! Your very presence is a stain on this group!"

Me, seducing the CEO, Blake Sterling, with my looks?

The all-nighters I’d pulled to close that M&A deal, the month I’d spent living out of a suitcase to negotiate partnerships… All that, just to be accused of sleeping my way to the top?

I turned and met Chloe’s gaze, my eyes like ice.

"Watch your mouth. I earned my position as Senior Vice President through my own merit, and everyone here knows it. Who are you to dismiss all my hard work with a single sentence?"

"Besides, you're not just insulting me. You're implying Mr. Sterling is a shallow leader and a poor judge of character. How do you think he'd react if he heard you bad-mouthing him like that?"

I'd caught the flaw in her argument, and my words hit their mark. She was left speechless, her face pale with rage.

Seeing her fuming, several colleagues couldn't help but lower their heads and snicker.

Ever since Chloe had joined the company, her arrogant and rude attitude had offended nearly everyone.

Once, she brought an expensive coffee machine for her desk. When Olivia Chen, who was noise-sensitive, politely asked her to use it in the break room, Chloe poured a scalding cup of coffee directly onto Olivia's documents.

"I like drinking my coffee here. This office isn't your private property. Either you request a new desk, or you get the hell out of the company!"

Olivia had to work all night redoing the crucial documents, and the company was stuck with the data recovery bill.

I was furious at the time and wanted to confront Chloe, but some colleagues held me back.

They all disliked Chloe, but they chose to remain silent.

The reason was simple: Chloe flaunted her supposed connection to Julian Croft to intimidate them. Everyone was afraid of offending her, so no matter how outrageous her behavior was, they only dared to seethe in private.

When the ripples of suppressed laughter reached Chloe's ears, she finally snapped.

She pointed a trembling finger at my nose and yelled, "Scarlett, who do you think you are? You just wait! I'll tell my dad to kick you out of Wall Street. I said you can't have it, and you won't. Defy me today, and I guarantee you'll be out of a job by tomorrow!"

Her threats didn't faze me. I calmly picked up the request card and wrote down the words "a dedicated parking spot."

I had generated immense profits for the company. What was wrong with asking for a parking spot?

"What is everyone crowding around here for?"

Blake pushed open the door. When he saw the scene before him, his expression darkened.

"Today is the group's annual gala. Why are you two fighting on such an important day?"

Before I could speak, Chloe adopted a wounded expression and rushed to Blake's side.

"Mr. Sterling, I was only thinking of the company. You've invested so much this year, and I felt it was wrong to ask for more. But Scarlett was completely ungrateful and insisted on an exclusive parking spot. She even… even..."

Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes. "She even hit me!"

Before I could even explain, Blake's face stiffened. He leveled a stern gaze at me.

"Scarlett, you've been my Senior Vice President for five years. How can you be so selfish? You could learn a thing or two from Chloe. She's thinking about the company, while you're only focused on your reward."

"And getting physical is out of line. Apologize to Chloe immediately and pay her two thousand dollars for her dress. Then, we'll consider this matter closed."

I almost laughed out of sheer anger. He remembered I had been his SVP for five years, but in his eyes, my credibility was worth less than that of a new intern.

"Mr. Sterling, are you seriously asking me to pay Chloe?"

Blake's expression soured visibly.

Just then, Olivia gently tugged on my sleeve and whispered, "Chloe is Julian Croft's daughter. If she goes back and complains, you really might get kicked out of Wall Street."

I couldn't help but let out a soft, humorless laugh. "No. Julian Croft has been a lifelong bachelor. How could a daughter just materialize out of thin air?"

Olivia glanced at Chloe, then leaned closer to my ear.

"What if she's his illegitimate daughter? I've heard the private lives of these top tycoons are a mess. It wouldn't be a shock if he had a few secret kids."

Uncle Julian was nearly fifty and still single. When did people start painting him as some kind of playboy tycoon?

Olivia seemed to sense my disbelief, so she pulled out her phone and navigated to Chloe's social media page.

My blood ran cold when I saw the photo.

Uncle Julian was dressed in a high-end custom suit, standing against the backdrop of a charity gala. The person beaming next to him was Chloe.

Chloe had also added a caption.

[Off to my out-of-state internship. Dad couldn't bear to see me go and had to send me off. In his eyes, I'll always be his little girl.]

Still reeling, I took out my phone to call Uncle Julian's private line, but all I heard was a cold, automated voice informing me the phone was off.

Seeing that I hadn't responded, Chloe shot me a vicious glare.

"Scarlett, you just wait! I'll make you regret ever crossing me."

Sure enough, Chloe's retaliation was swift and brutal.

At the company-wide meeting the next day, Blake announced in front of everyone that Chloe had won this year's "Trader of the Year" award, along with a $250,000 bonus.

Everyone knew that award should have been mine, but Chloe had snatched it away with infuriating ease.

Unease rippled through the audience, but fearing repercussions, my colleagues could only offer scattered, hesitant applause.

I could no longer suppress my rage. I shot up from my seat, my voice ringing out across the silent room.

"Blake, on what grounds was this year's 'Trader of the Year' awarded? Over the past year, I traveled nonstop for this company, negotiating mergers. I led at least three major acquisitions that brought in billions in revenue. Chloe has been here for three months and can barely complete a due diligence report. How does she deserve this title?"

The room was deathly quiet until Chloe stood up, a smirk on her face.

"Because none of those achievements of yours were legitimate."

"You might think you have everyone fooled, but I know the truth. You got those contracts by selling yourself. Our company has a zero-tolerance policy for that kind of behavior."

"You've already damaged the company's reputation. You're lucky Mr. Sterling hasn't fired you."

"Don't you dare slander me. Do you have any proof?"

Just as the tension between us reached a boiling point, Blake slammed his hand on the table. "That's enough! This is a boardroom, not a circus for you two to put on a show."

He then turned to me, his expression severe.

"Scarlett, rumors don't start from nothing. If Chloe is saying this, she must have her reasons. I kept quiet to spare you the embarrassment and avoid a scene. But if you keep pushing this, I'll be forced to question whether you're still fit to work for this company."

"I'm being unreasonable?" My eyes burned with unshed tears, my voice trembling with fury.

"From the day you founded this company, I have been your Senior Vice President, standing by your side, giving my all. In your eyes, am I really just a woman who trades her body for results?"

"I went to emerging markets to negotiate investments, got caught in civil unrest, and nearly lost my life. You call me unreasonable?"

"I worked through the night, every single night, exhausting myself on investment analysis reports. You call me unreasonable?"

"Because of one baseless accusation from her, all my hard work is erased, and the projects I secured are now branded as sordid deals. Do you honestly think this is fair?"

Blake was at a loss for words, but Chloe showed no remorse, her gaze triumphant.

"Fair?" she scoffed. "There's no such thing as fair in this world. Connections are everything. Instead of embarrassing yourself here, you should pray you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth in your next life."

She made no effort to hide the disdain on her face. "Julian Croft is my dad. Because of that one fact, you will never, ever beat me."

She grew bolder as she spoke, and I truly couldn't fathom the source of her confidence.

Could it be? Could Uncle Julian really have an illegitimate daughter, just as the rumors claimed?

I let out a cold laugh. "If you're really Julian Croft's daughter, why are you fighting me over a title and a bonus? Or is it possible your entire identity is a sham?"

Chloe glared at me fiercely. "Blake canceled your award because you don't deserve it. I earned this award through my own abilities!"

"So this is what you call 'ability'—slacking off at work, not even knowing how to use a Bloomberg Terminal, and mistaking the other party's CEO during negotiations, costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars?"

Everything I said was true.

Chloe's face darkened, and she immediately turned to Blake, her expression morphing into one of feigned innocence.

Blake sat back down, frowning and rubbing his temples.

Finally, he spoke to me with a sigh of resignation. "Report to our Omaha branch tomorrow. It's our most remote outpost. The position of Senior Vice President will be temporarily filled by Chloe. Once you've proven yourself again, I'll transfer you back."

The Omaha branch was the worst-performing division in the entire group. The market environment was harsh, and its distance from headquarters made it a place of exile.

But I didn't argue, nor did I show any anger. I just offered a sarcastic smile. "Fine. I'll leave tomorrow. The position of Senior Vice President really should go to someone more suitable."

After the meeting, I returned to my office and found the official demotion notice from Blake, reassigning me to Omaha. I was not allowed to return without his explicit permission.

I stared at the cold words on the screen, feeling completely numb.

Leaving might not be a bad thing. At least I wouldn't have to see Chloe's smug face anymore.

The next day, I packed my bags and left.

The Omaha branch was a professional graveyard. People sent here had usually made a serious mistake, been stripped of their titles, and then exiled to this corporate backwater.

Here, not only did I have to endure the contemptuous and pitiful gazes of my colleagues, but I also kept receiving mocking photos from Chloe.

In the photos, she triumphantly propped her feet up on my old desk, posing like a conqueror.

But her provocations didn't faze me in the slightest. I knew she wouldn't be warming that chair for long.

Chloe was a walking disaster. She spilled coffee on Blake's pants at a board meeting, printed the wrong key terms in an M&A contract, and even ordered desserts containing peanut butter at a reception, knowing full well Blake was deathly allergic to peanuts. Halfway through the dinner, Blake was rushed to the hospital for anaphylactic shock.

The result was predictable. A meticulously planned M&A deal fell through because of Chloe's incompetence.

Blake's patience finally snapped, and he called me personally, begging me to come back.

"Scarlett, I've been thinking. You've been my SVP for five years, and I shouldn't have demoted you over such a small matter. How about this: if you can salvage this M&A deal, I'll restore your position and give you double the salary."

I knew exactly what game he was playing. "I don't think I'm qualified for the SVP role anymore," I replied casually. "I should probably stay here on the ground floor and do some reflecting. I'll come back when I've truly recognized my mistakes."

Blake paused, then said through gritted teeth, "Oh, don't be like that. Even if you're not an SVP, you're still part of the company. The company's interests are at stake; you can't just stand by and do nothing."

I smiled. "What about that outstanding SVP of yours? She's so capable. I'm just someone who gets deals with her looks. How could I possibly compare to Chloe?"

I couldn't see Blake's expression, but from the strangled tone of his voice, I knew he was about to explode.

"That was just some joking among colleagues. You've worked for me for five years; don't I know what kind of person you are?"

I was unmoved, my words dripping with sarcasm. "Docking my two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar bonus and exiling me to Omaha is considered a joke? Labeling me as greedy just because I asked for a parking spot is also a joke?"

Blake's face went from pale to crimson, a storm brewing in his eyes.

He fell silent, clearly wrestling with his pride.

As a CEO, apologizing to a subordinate would be a humiliating loss of face.

Just then, I heard Chloe's excited voice in the background.

"Mr. Sterling, Julian Croft has agreed to attend our company's celebratory gala!"

Blake's tone shifted instantly. "Excellent! As soon as the other investment banks see Julian Croft attending our gala, they'll think we have his backing. Then they'll be begging to partner with us."

He turned back to the phone, his voice suddenly cold. "You're fired. Come back immediately and complete your termination paperwork."

Chloe added smugly from the side, "I'll have my dad put the word out so that no one on Wall Street will dare to hire you. Let's see what you do then!"

I smiled faintly. "Alright. We'll see."