"Elodie, I swear you're the only daughter I have. Don't fall for their ridiculous lies," Dad insisted.

I dismissed my suspicions after seeing Dad put his hand up as if he were taking an oath.

I'd grown up spoiled, with Dad treating me like a princess and overseeing most aspects of my life.

He'd told me bedtime stories, made sure I had three meals a day, and even held a coming-of-age party for me when I was old enough to go to school. He actively participated and contributed to every big and small moment of my life.

He took such good care of me that he'd bring me everywhere, even when he was grinding at the company. Because I was constantly by his side, the company staff of all levels got to know me, too.

Among them were staffers who just couldn't keep their mouths shut. One of them had been caught whispering about my being Dad's "little deadweight".

That person was fired on the same day, even though he was a core technician whom the company went to great lengths to poach.

When I grew older and understood the unspoken rules of society, I stopped shadowing Dad. He'd bemoaned the lonely fate awaiting him, for if I were distancing myself from him at my age, he dreaded how much more detached I'd be once I started dating.

Then, he grew worried that some no-good punk would steal me away, so as a preventive measure, he gave me half the company shares. "I won't have you running off with someone who can't provide for you as I can."

I'd become the second-largest shareholder in the company at the tender age of ten, yet Dad rejoiced in it more than I did.

When I started attending an international high school, Dad made it a point to donate a building to the school so everyone on campus would know I was the beloved daughter of the CEO of Chapman Construction Group. It became clear that I was not to be bullied.

How could a man who loved his daughter so fecklessly and unconditionally have an illegitimate child?

The thought reassured me.

"Alright, then, Chapman. I'll let you off the hook just this once. But if I find out you're secretly raising another child, you're dead!" I ground out.

Dad swore over and over that he hadn't done anything wrong. He looked so small and humble, nothing like his usual formidable self.

"By the way, I ran into problems during admission. Could you take me to school to go over the paperwork once you're back?"

"Oh, of course, Your Royal Highness. Did the person in charge offend you? I'll make them apologize once I get home," he promised.

I laughed, then decided not to burden him any further with my concerns after I saw the dark circles pooling under his eyes. This could wait until his return.

When the call ended, I planned to relish in a few more days of fun before starting school, only to get a call from the new school itself. The teacher in charge from earlier was on the other end of the line, requesting my presence at school.

I was surprised by how quickly Dad resolved this. Had he called the school and put an end to this farce for me?

My plan to have fun was put on hold, and school was in session. I wanted to check out the new school anyway, so I headed over.

…

The teacher in charge, who went by Ms. Lowenstein, was waiting for me outside the school gates. When she spotted me, she led me through the gates without so much as a greeting.

"The welcoming ceremony has been set up, and all the students have gathered in the hall to meet you. Go on, then."

I was baffled. "Surely there's no need for you to hold a welcoming ceremony for a transfer student like me."

Even if Dad had donated a ton of money to the school, I doubted I had to present myself on stage.

Ms. Lowenstein snorted, then added a touch sinisterly, "The ceremony's specially prepared for you. You said you were Mr. Chapman's daughter, right? Ms. Elodie Chapman, successor to Chapman Construction Group."

She then half-shoved me onto the stage in the assembly hall, leaving no room for protests.

The students gathered below the stage whispered among themselves.

"This is the impostor who told everyone she's the heiress of the Chapman family? She's not much to look at, is she?"

"She doesn't have half of Annabel's beauty and grace!"

I frowned at this discussion, but I regained my composure and graciously addressed the crowd, "Thank you for holding this welcoming ceremony for me, ladies and gentlemen. As you can see…"

The whispers grew louder after I'd introduced myself. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and a young lady stood up among the audience.

The young lady stood under the lights, lifting her chin to meet my stare. "Elodie, if you're Mr. Chapman's daughter, what does that make me?"

There was something so familiar about her face that it caught me off guard. Wasn't this the young lady who'd taken pictures with Dad and strongly resembled him? How could she be so certain and bold as to challenge me in front of the whole school?

My gaze snagged on the collar of the shirt peeking out under her uniform. It was a pale pink shirt with a small tangerine embroidered on the collar.

I remembered treasuring that shirt more than anything else before I lost it!

My heart tightened with anger. What in the world was going on?

"Who are you? Where did you come from?"

My voice passed through the microphone and filled every corner of the assembly hall. The students below the stage hurled abuse at me when they heard my questions.

"Annabel is an honor student at this school. Everyone knows how much her father loves her, yet you come in here impersonating her!

"No wonder she's asked us to gather in the hall! This impostor is too shameless for Annabel to take down alone!"

Annabel flashed me a smug smile. She made her way onto the stage. "Everyone knows my dad donated a library to the school in my honor. He loves me too much to break my heart.

"I don't know where you came from, young lady, but you'd best put a stop to this nonsense. Be better and stop envying others for their happiness."

Upon hearing this, the audience who'd rallied behind Annabel immediately snapped at me like sharks in bloody water, "Maybe she's an orphan who came here looking for her new parents! Some people have no shame!"

"Did she say she was the Chapman family's heiress? Annabel obviously takes after Mr. Chapman, but not this impostor! She looks nothing like him!"

"Annabel did mention that Elodie is only half a year younger than her. Even if Mr. Chapman had cheated, Elodie would be an illegitimate daughter, at best! She's not the real deal!"

They were warping the facts. Dad and I were blood-related—that much I was certain. He and Mom were definitely husband and wife, their marriage licensed and certified.

"Is there any proof that what you said was true? Gregory Chapman is my biological father, and I'm his legitimate, biological daughter." I pulled up all the pictures I'd taken with Dad on my phone and showed them to the crowd.

They all grimaced at the pictures. "Given how advanced photo-editing technology has become, I could claim to be Mr. Chapman's son and fabricate as many pictures as I want without breaking a sweat."

"Come on, genetics don't lie. Annabel is practically wearing Mr. Chapman's face at this point. What do you have to back up your claims? A DNA test? I doubt you'd get a meeting with Mr. Chapman even if you tried!"

Smirking, Annabel drawled sarcastically, "Who do you think you are? Did you believe you could claim any relation with my dad just because you have a few edited pictures?"

My head spun. I had no idea what trump card Annabel had up her sleeve that encouraged her to make a scene here and risk a major defeat.

Frustrated by how well-prepared she seemed, I retorted, "You impersonated me, then kicked up a huge drama over this. What are you trying to accomplish?"

Annabel shoved me aggressively and bit out, "Taking back my identity, of course!"

…

Pictures of Annabel and Gregory began to play on the large screen on stage.

There were shots of her in sparkly, poofy dresses as a little girl, then shots of her in her current school uniform. It was a montage of their shared father-daughter moments.

A well-dressed woman appeared on the other end of the stage. She held up a marriage certificate before the audience. "This is my marriage certificate to prove I'm Gregory's wife. Annabel is my daughter, and the three of us are a family!"

That was impossible! Why would this woman have proof of her marriage to Dad?

I wanted to snatch the marriage certificate from her to take a good look at it, but she had an image of it projected on the large screen. The certificate even bore an official stamp!

Panic seized me at once. I thought about how I'd never seen my mom and dad's marriage certificate in all these years.

"It's like she doesn't know when to give up! But I guess she's got nothing to say now that we've all seen those pictures."

No, I refused to believe this. I called Dad, my hand shaking, but my call was rejected. "Why aren't you answering your phone when I need you the most, Dad? I'm getting picked on right now! Hurry up and answer the phone!"

My heart was racing, and my thoughts were all over the place. I forced myself to stay calm.

Dad had been busy the entire morning, so he had to be taking a break now. Normally, his assistant took over his work while he was on a break.

At the thought of this, I immediately called Dad's assistant, Leonard Birch.

I put the call on speaker as soon as Leonard picked up. "Hey, Leonard, I'm Dad's biological daughter, right?"

Leonard chuckled at this. "Did you call me just to ask this, Ms. Chapman? You are Mr. Chapman's only biological daughter, and everyone in the company knows that. Is everything alright? Do you need me to wake Mr. Chapman?"

Shock registered on the audience's faces. I heaved a sigh of relief.

Leonard was the lead PR officer of Chapman Construction Group. He was famous for his good looks and had more followers than Dad. His words were as good as the truth.

The students in the audience grew suspicious. "That was Mr. Birch! I listen to his interviews all the time, and I'd recognize his voice anywhere! Could Elodie be telling the truth?"

"But Annabel looks exactly like Mr. Chapman, and her mom has a marriage certificate, too. That's ironclad evidence, isn't it?"

A vicious smile tugged on my lips. "With so many fake certificates going around, who knows if that piece of paper that woman's holding is real? We could send it in for professional testing. I've got time for this game."

Annabel didn't shrink away from this. She quirked a brow instead and snorted. Then, fishing out her phone, she video-called my dad.

The call was put through immediately, and on her phone screen was a face I was all too familiar with.

Dad would take Annabel's call in a heartbeat, yet he didn't think twice about letting Leonard answer my calls. My blood boiled, and whatever morale I'd gained earlier quickly dissipated.

"Hello? Annabel, shouldn't you be in class? Why are you calling me?"

Annabel shot me a triumphant look when she noticed I'd gone still. She smiled and said, "There's been a small incident at school. Mom's here too."

The woman with the marriage certificate sauntered over and called out to Dad in a honeyed voice, "Hello, darling!"

Dad asked with concern, "What happened? Do I have to step in?"

Annabel chirped sweetly, "Oh, it's no biggie. I'll handle it myself. I'm your favorite daughter, aren't I, Dad?"

Dad chortled and replied indulgently, "You're the only beloved daughter of the Chapman family, so of course!"

Pouting, Annabel muttered mournfully, "But someone showed up at school claiming to be your daughter and that your marriage to Mom is a sham! You've no idea how upset I am."

Dad frowned, and rage washed over him. "Who's the knockoff that dared to challenge you? And what's wrong with your school? Did they forget I had that building donated in your honor?

"Your mother's my legitimate and only wife, and you are my only beloved daughter, Annabel! Keep your head high and put that impostor in her place! I'm here if you need me!"

Upon hanging up, Annabel hurried toward me and slapped me hard across the face. "Did you hear that? My dad has spoken up for me personally. Are you going to ask another 'assistant' to prove your case?"

Caught off guard by the slap, I fell. It was all I could do to counter loudly, "No, that was AI! I can tell! You were lying. Give me your phone! I know where the loopholes are."