Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
The day I returned from studying abroad in Paris, I wheeled my suitcase straight to my dad's corporate headquarters.
I wanted to surprise him.
But the second I reached the door of the CEO's office, a young, glamorous woman stepped in front of me.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Arthur Sterling."
Her face instantly darkened.
"So, you're the trash who won't stop harassing him?"
I stared at her, completely baffled.
"Excuse me? Arthur Sterling is my dad."
I pulled out my phone, ready to call him.
Before I could unlock the screen, the woman lunged forward and snatched it right out of my hands.
She brazenly unlocked my phone and scrolled through my chat history, her face turning crimson with rage.
"I knew it! Another little tramp trying to seduce the CEO!"
Drawn by the commotion, several employees gathered around to watch.
The woman's confidence exploded.
She held up my phone and read our recent text messages aloud for everyone to hear.
"'Dad, I fell in love with a necklace at the jewelry expo. It's a hundred and fifty grand.'"
"'Whatever you want, sweetheart. I'll wire you three hundred grand tomorrow. Booked your first-class flight home. Miss you.'"
"'Love you! Best dad in the entire world!'"
The surrounding staff gasped, instantly erupting into whispers.
"Look at that, another gold digger trying to hook the boss!"
"With a skirt that short, she's practically begging for it. Pure trash."
"Doesn't she know Mr. Sterling is about to marry Sophie? How could she ever compete?"
I froze. Since when was my dad remarrying?
I snatched my phone back from her hand and demanded,
"You're Sophie? Why has my dad never mentioned you?"
She gave me a smug, mocking smile.
"I am. And I'm Mr. Sterling's newly appointed executive assistant."
"Funny, he's never mentioned having a daughter either."
"Cut the act. Get out before security throws you out."
I looked her up and down, stunned that my dad's taste had plummeted so drastically that he'd hire someone this brainless.
I pulled my official onboarding letter out of my purse.
"I've already finished HR onboarding. Last time I checked, a secretary doesn't have the authority to fire an employee."
Turning to a nearby staff member, I asked,
"Could you show me where my desk is?"
Dozens of judgmental eyes locked onto me. Right then, the Head of Administration, Cheryl Brooks, stepped out of her office with a grim expression.
"Chloe Vance, in my office. Now."
I followed her inside.
The moment the door shut, she snapped,
"Explain yourself. What kind of person causes a scene on their very first day?"
I replied calmly, "I was just looking for my father."
Cheryl let out a cold laugh. "Your father?"
"Yes. Arthur Sterling is my father."
She burst into open laughter.
"Chloe Vance, listen to yourself. The CEO's last name is Sterling. Yours is Vance."
"I took my mother's maiden name."
"Enough," Cheryl cut me off sharply.
"I've never heard of Mr. Sterling having a daughter. I don't care if you're looking for a sugar daddy on your own time, but you will not do it inside this building."
I looked straight at her. "Ms. Brooks, I am telling you the truth. I am his daughter."
She frowned in disgust. "Since you refuse to admit your mistake, your only option is to resign."
"Excuse me?" I laughed in disbelief. "I just started today, and this entire thing is a misunderstanding. Why on earth would I quit?"
Cheryl's gaze turned icy.
"Young lady, stop trying to take shortcuts in life."
"If you don't resign voluntarily, I'll compile evidence of your inappropriate behavior toward the CEO and terminate you for cause."
When I walked out of the office, Sophie was already waiting with a small posse of coworkers to block my path.
"Chloe, we need to talk."
I stopped.
A crowd quickly formed around us.
Sophie lifted her chin, her eyes glistening with dramatic tears.
"How long have you been stalking Arthur?"
The other women held their breath, waiting for my response.
She pressed on, "Did you even care that he had a girlfriend?"
I stared at her, genuinely more shocked than she was. "Are you really his girlfriend? Since when have you two been dating?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Arthur hasn't gone public with our relationship yet, but everyone in this office knows about us."
"You didn't answer my question. When did you start chasing him?"
"How could a cheap gold digger like you ever think you're good enough for him?"
One of her lackeys chimed in sneeringly,
"Demanding a hundred and fifty grand for a necklace right off the bat. Have you no shame?"
I nearly scoffed.
"It's just a necklace. My dad has bought me things ten times more expensive."
Sophie pulled out her phone and flashed a screenshot.
"I have plenty more proof of you throwing yourself at him."
"If you don't hand in your resignation right now, I'm posting all of this online."
"Once I expose you, you'll be blacklisted from this entire industry."
I glanced at the screen. It was an authentic screenshot of the chat between my dad and me.
How did she get access to something so private?
Could she actually be dating my dad?
My mom passed away years ago, and I never opposed my dad finding love again.
But had he completely lost his mind, falling for a woman like this?Seeing my silence, Sophie assumed she had backed me into a corner. A triumphant smile curled on her lips.
"Arthur and I have been together for two months. He promised to make things official the moment he returned from his business trip."
"And then you show up out of nowhere, playing the sweet little sugar baby calling him 'Daddy' for cash."
She stepped closer, invading my space.
"Chloe Vance, do you have any self-respect at all?"
Swallowing the fury boiling inside my chest, I opened my photo gallery.
"These are our family photos. He is literally my father."
The picture showed my dad in loungewear, slicing a birthday cake for me in our private garden.
Another showed him holding a massive bouquet of flowers beside me at my college graduation last year.
Sophie barely glanced at the screen before her anger flared even hotter.
"You've been throwing yourself at him since college?!"
"Do your professors and classmates know what kind of whore you are?"
My throat tightened with rage.
Without warning, Sophie snatched a cup of hot coffee from a colleague's hand and splashed it directly into my face.
The dark liquid dripped down my hair, soaking through my crisp white blouse.
The entire floor gasped.
Sophie choked back a sob. "That was for every woman who's ever been hurt by a shameless homewrecker."
I closed my eyes, wiping the sticky liquid from my eyelashes.
Growing up, my father had never even raised his voice at me.
Now, a complete stranger had humiliated me and drenched me in filth right in front of the entire company.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and locked eyes with her.
"Sophie, I'll say this one last time. Arthur Sterling is my father."
She sneered. "You still dare to—"
Before she could finish, I shoved her backward with all my might.
Her high heels gave out, and she stumbled, falling squarely into the arms of a coworker behind her.
She shrieked, "She assaulted me!"
Two male employees instantly charged at me.
One grabbed my arm while the other tore my purse away.
"You dare get physical?!"
I struggled against their grip. "Let go of me!"
The physical mismatch was too great.
They twisted my arms behind my back until white-hot pain blinded my vision.
My purse hit the tile floor, and my phone slid out, the screen shattering with a crisp crack.
Harper, another intern, rushed forward to pull them off me, but another woman shoved her aside.
"Stay out of this, Harper!"
Once Sophie regained her footing, she adjusted her hair.
She strolled over to me, her eyes brimming with victorious malice.
"Still trying to play tough, Chloe?"
She leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper only I could hear.
"Arthur belongs to me. A brainless little gold digger like you never stood a chance."
I looked at her, utterly disgusted by how absurd this entire farce was.
Just then, Cheryl Brooks and the HR Director, Kevin Foster, hurried over.
I thought at least someone would ask what had happened.
Instead, Kevin took one look at my disheveled state, glanced at Sophie's trembling shoulders, and snapped,
"Chloe Vance, conference room. Now."
Sophie covered her face, sniffling. "Mr. Foster, she attacked me in front of everyone."
Kevin glared at me. "Causing a brawl on your first day? Do you have any idea where you are?"
The glass door of the small conference room wasn't fully closed.
Crowds of employees lingered outside, their phone cameras pointed directly at us.
Kevin sat at the head of the table with Cheryl standing beside him.
Sophie sat across from me, wrapped in a colleague's jacket, her eyes red.
I sat on the opposite side, my blouse stained with coffee, my arms already bruising deep purple.
Kevin tapped the table impatiently.
"Chloe Vance, this incident has severely damaged the company's reputation."
I spoke up, my voice steady. "What damaged the company's reputation is slander, breach of employee privacy, and public assault."
Kevin's expression hardened.
"You still refuse to show any remorse?"
He shoved a document across the table toward me.
"First, you will issue a public apology to Sophie."
"Second, you will compensate her for emotional distress and reputational damage."
"Third, you will submit your voluntary resignation immediately."I stared at the termination agreement, slowly lifting my gaze.
"I'm the victim here, and you're demanding that I apologize, pay her off, and quit?"
Kevin's tone turned menacing.
"Chloe, I'm trying to offer you an exit with some dignity. If this escalates, a terrible background check will guarantee you never work in this town again."
Sophie chimed in softly, playing the magnanimous victim.
"I don't want to destroy your future either. Just return the money Arthur gave you and apologize to me. I won't press charges."
I turned to her. "What money?"
"The three grand you begged for in the chat, plus whatever else you scammed out of him before."
She paused, her eyes flashing with pure greed. "I won't ask for much. Just give me twenty grand."
I nearly burst out laughing.
"Twenty grand?"
Sophie looked tearful. "I just want justice."
Kevin actually nodded in agreement.
"Twenty thousand is reasonable. Consider it the price of your own actions."
I picked up the resignation form and ripped it cleanly in two.
The sharp tear echoed like a gunshot through the room.
Someone outside gasped.
I tossed the torn pieces onto the polished table.
"I will not take the blame for things I never did."
"No apology."
"No payout."
"And I am not quitting."
Kevin slammed his hand onto the desk.
"Chloe Vance!"
Cheryl's face turned pale with rage. "Don't think this company has no way of dealing with you!"
I met their furious glares and spoke clearly:
"By the way, every single word spoken in this room has been recorded."
Sophie's face instantly dropped.
Kevin stiffened.
I let out a cold smirk. "What you're trying to force on me isn't an admission of guilt. It's evidence of your own crimes."
Sophie abruptly stood up, her eyes blazing.
"Since you keep claiming Arthur is your father, let's hear it straight from him."
She held up her phone.
"I'm calling him right now."
My chest tightened slightly.
She might have access to his secondary work account, but that didn't mean she could actually reach him.
Before I could say a word, the call was already ringing.
Sophie put it on speakerphone.
The conference room and the hallway outside fell dead silent.
The dial tone rang for a dozen agonizing seconds.
Click. The call connected.
Sophie's voice trembled with poorly concealed triumph.
"Arthur, it's Sophie."
"There's a new intern here named Chloe Vance. She's telling everyone she's your daughter."
"Could you tell everyone the truth? Do you have a daughter?"
After a brief silence, a man's voice came through the speaker.
"I don't have a daughter."
The entire room erupted into chaos.
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
- Search this code in the NovelMaster app:
492941Open NovelMaster → Search code → Find the title