After returning from studying abroad, my fiancé told me he had arranged a position for me in his company.
In less than three months, I had brought in a deal worth over ten million.
His female assistant came over with a newly drafted contract, but the signature on it was her name.
I asked if she’d made a mistake—if the contract had her name, wouldn’t that make the deal hers?
The assistant impatiently said, “The contract’s here for you to check the terms, don’t push your luck. Sign it quickly so I’m not late for my nail appointment…”
I called my fiancé, Ethan Walker, to confirm. He replied irritably, “Don’t you understand basic social rules? Isabella Reed is the CEO’s daughter!
“She’s here in our branch office just to add a line to her résumé. She’s going to inherit the family business, and we have to stay on her good side. You’d better not offend her!”
I glanced at Isabella, who was casually checking herself in the mirror. The cheap perfume she wore made me want to sneeze.
I was also curious—since when did my father have another daughter?
…
My fingertips tapped lightly on the contract. When I looked up, my earlier confusion was gone, replaced with a faint smile. “The CEO’s daughter?”
Isabella seemed surprised by my reaction. She put down her mirror, raised an eyebrow at me, and the glitter on her false eyelashes shimmered with the movement. “What? You don’t believe me?”
Her tone was full of pride. “My dad said once I’ve put in enough time here at the branch, I’ll be transferred back to headquarters as Vice President. You’re just someone who washed dishes overseas—what would you know?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I took out my phone and dialed a number. The call connected quickly, and my father, Robert Bennett, answered with a voice full of energy. “Claire, it’s been so long since you called your dad. Gotten too big for your boots?”
“Dad,” I said calmly, “I just want to ask—did you recently take on a goddaughter named Isabella Reed?”
There was a two-second pause, then his angry roar came through the speaker: “Isabella Reed? Who the hell dares to use my name to strut around? I’ll have Security investigate immediately!”
I put the phone on speaker. Isabella’s smugness instantly froze, and even the scent of her cheap perfume seemed to turn acrid with her panic.
She suddenly stood up, pointed at me, and shouted, “Claire Bennett, just because you found some random guy to call and pretend to be the CEO doesn’t mean it’s true! Your whole outfit probably isn’t worth more than fifty bucks!”
Other colleagues, overhearing, began to murmur.
“Yeah! Isabella Reed is Mr. Bennett’s only daughter—everyone knows that. How could it be fake?”
“Exactly! Sounds to me like Claire’s just jealous of her background.”
“So pathetic—no skills, yet so arrogant. If Isabella’s not the CEO’s daughter, then who is—her?”
At that moment, Ethan called again. I hit decline. A moment later, he texted: “Did you sign yet? Isabella told me you’re being difficult—don’t be ungrateful!”
Looking at the words on the screen, I couldn’t help but laugh. When he was pursuing me, he’d say over and over, “You’re the most capable woman I’ve ever met.” Now, for the sake of some so-called “CEO’s daughter,” he expected me to hand over my hard-earned multimillion-dollar deal.
I replied: “Ethan, just to curry favor with Isabella, you want me to give up the deal I worked so hard to secure?”
The office was buzzing like a swarm of flies. Isabella paused mid-manicure, her false lashes fluttering twice. “Claire, are you done with your little performance?” She glanced down at my feet. “Your heel’s worn down—how dare you pretend to be some rich heiress?”
