At the family recognition banquet meant to introduce the real heiress, a stream of floating comments suddenly appeared before my eyes:

[So, the real heiress tried to get back at the fake one by stealing the engagement gift from her and the male lead and got caught red-handed.]

[Even if she’s technically the fiancée, he knows who he really loves. The fake heiress is the one he actually wants.]

[What fiancée? She’s just a thief. Send her back to whatever slum she crawled out of.]

Dressed in a princess gown and surrounded by admirers, the fake heiress, Luna Lawson, walked up to me:

“Risa, you’re finally back. Mom, Dad, and I have missed you so much. From now on, we’re a family.”

I quietly kept eating my fried chicken.

When Luna saw me ignore her, her eyes suddenly reddened. Then she reached into my worn backpack and pulled out a ladies’ wristwatch.

“Why did you steal the engagement gift Brian gave me? I know you’re dissatisfied with me, but that doesn’t mean you can become a thief!”

My fiancé, Brian Cook, looked at me with open disgust.

“Return it to Luna right now, then get out of this house.”

Under the scornful gazes of the guests, I pointed at the man on stage, my father, who was clinking glasses with Luna’s adoptive father, and asked in confusion.

“What exactly did I steal? I’m not here for some family reunion. I just came along with my boss to grab a free meal.”

The comments exploded:

[This is way too awkward. She’s not the real heiress; she’s just an employee?!]

Luna Lawson’s eyes widened in disbelief, her voice turning sharp.

“An employee? How could you possibly be an employee!”

She immediately turned to Brian Cook, her tears falling even harder.

“Brian, look at her, she’s still making excuses! She must be jealous of me, jealous of everything I have, so she’s pulling something like this just to get attention!”

Brian stepped forward, his tall figure looming over me, his tone filled with condescension and judgment.

“That’s enough. Stop the act. You really think anyone would believe such a cheap lie?”

I swallowed the last bite of chicken, wiped my mouth with a napkin, and felt a little baffled.

My father was the richest man in the country, but since I worked at his company and didn’t want to reveal my identity, I always referred to him as “my boss” in public.

This time, the Lawson family had invited my father, but he declined, saying he was too busy.

I was the one who wanted a change of pace, so I begged him to let me come in his place and enjoy a free meal.

I hadn’t expected the drama to land on my own head.

“Why would I be acting?”

“Mr. Lawson invited my boss to this banquet. He didn’t have time, so I came in his place.

“What’s wrong with that?”

I met their gaze calmly, without the slightest hint of avoidance.

But the live comments exploded.

[This excuse is ridiculous—standing in for her boss? What kind of employer sends an employee to a private family banquet?]

[She really won’t give up until she’s completely exposed. Does she think playing dumb will get her out of this?]

[I bet she’s trying to imply her boss is even more powerful than the Lawson family, that’s why she’s so confident. What a joke.]

Luna seemed to latch onto my words, suddenly speaking with feigned confusion.

“Stop pretending, sister. You look so much like my parents. How could you not be my sister?”

That question silenced the entire room instantly, all eyes turning toward me.

I was honestly speechless.

Good-looking people tend to resemble one another.

After all, both my father and mother were strikingly attractive.

Luna’s adoptive mother bore a slight resemblance to my mom, but their presence was worlds apart.

“Look, just look at everyone. They all think we look alike!”

Luna pointed at the whispering guests around us, her voice laced with a twisted kind of triumph.

“You are part of this family. You’re the sister who was brought back from the countryside!

“I know it’s hard for you to accept right now, but that doesn’t mean you can steal from me out of jealousy!”

Her delivery was almost flawless.

She used our resemblance to force a connection, painted me as the long-lost daughter who’d grown up in some backwater town, and then sealed it by casting me as a jealous thief.

Brian let out a cold scoff, the disgust in his eyes nearly spilling over.

“Stop wasting time on her, Luna.”

He pointed at me, speaking each word with emphasis.

“Return the watch, then get out. The Lawson family doesn’t tolerate thieves.”

The surrounding guests began whispering and pointing at me.

“So she’s the one they just brought back from the middle of nowhere. No wonder she has no class and can’t keep her hands to herself.”

“How embarrassing. How could the Lawson family have a daughter like this?”

“Look at what she’s wearing. Does that even add up to forty dollars? She must have seen Luna’s watch and gotten greedy.”

I glanced down at my uniform. It did look out of place here.

But it was from my father’s company—the quality was excellent.

I let out a quiet sigh and tried to explain one last time.

“First, the watch is mine.

“Second, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. The real heiress is probably still out there somewhere, waiting for you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a frail girl in a server’s uniform standing in the corner of the banquet hall, watching in fear.

Her features bore a strong resemblance to the matriarch of the Lawson family, Jasmine Ross, at least seventy or eighty percent.

Brian stepped forward at once and grabbed my wrist.

“Give the bag back to Luna. Don’t make me use force.”

A sharp pain shot through my wrist, and I frowned tightly.

“Let go.”

“This is mine. Why should I give it to her?”

[Wow, she’s actually fighting back? The audacity—her nerve must be made of steel.]

[The male lead is so handsome! Total boyfriend material. This is exactly how you deal with a shameless woman like her!]

[Hurry up and take her bag. Let’s see what else she’s stolen!]

A few hours earlier, my dad had still been reminding me over the phone.

“Risa, that Dylan Lawson… he’s a bit too slick for my liking. Just treat this as doing your dad a favor. Take a look at their family, see what they’re really like. And enjoy yourself while you’re at it.”

Looking at it now, this wasn’t just a questionable household. It felt like walking straight into a trap.

Seeing Brian restrain me, Luna grew even more brazen and reached straight for my bag.

“Let go! That’s my bag!”

I struggled, clutching it tightly with my other hand.

In the middle of the tugging, an elegant, well-dressed woman approached.

It was Luna’s adoptive mother, Jasmine.

The moment she arrived, she pulled Luna close with concern, as if afraid she’d been wronged in any way.

“Luna, what’s going on?”

Her gaze fell on me, laced with scrutiny.

“Mom!”

Luna immediately threw herself into Jasmine’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “She… she’s the one who just came back from some small town… your real daughter! She stole the watch Brian gave me and won’t admit it!”

Jasmine’s expression changed instantly. The way she looked at me was filled with disdain.

“So it’s you.”

She gently patted Luna’s back, her voice soft with comfort, but her words were vicious.

“Silly girl, of course she wouldn’t admit it. Just look at her, she reeks of poverty, every inch of her screams small-time. How could someone like that ever be the heiress of the Lawson family?

“If you ask me, the hospital must have made a mistake. Our Luna is outstanding and beautiful. She’s the true jewel of this family.”

She paused, her voice rising sharply, thick with disgust.

She pointed at me. “And you, a nobody who just crawled out of some backwater, and still dared to reach for what was never yours. You really are delusional.”

[Well said! Mrs. Lawson is savage!]

[People like her deserve to be humiliated. Let her know her place!]

[Fake is fake. So, what if they are blood related? Twenty years of upbringing make all the difference!]

I actually laughed, anger bubbling up instead.

“Ma’am, you might get away with being careless about what you eat, but not about what you say.

“What makes you think I came from some backwater? And what makes you think I stole anything?”

Jasmine choked on my rebuttal for a moment, her expression turning even uglier.

“You dare talk back?!”

She turned to Brian. “Brian, what are you standing there for? Take our things back! Just looking at people like her makes me sick!”

With that command, Brian tightened his grip.

“I’ll say this one last time—hand over the bag.”

I felt like the bones in my wrist were about to shatter.

“No.”

The pain sparked my anger, and I lifted my foot, kicking straight at his shin.

Brian let out a muffled grunt, but his grip didn’t loosen at all.

Luna shrieked, “Ah! She hit someone! Brian, she actually hit you!”

Every eye in the banquet hall turned toward me like spotlights, filled with scrutiny and hostility.

My dad had been invited upstairs by Dylan to discuss a business deal, completely unaware of what was happening below.

When Jasmine saw that Brian had been kicked, her expression darkened completely.

She crossed her arms and looked down at me, as if I were something beneath notice.

“Shameless! And you even dare to lay hands on someone.”

She turned to the surrounding guests, her voice calm but carrying clearly across the room.

“My apologies for the scene. We thought we had found family, but it turns out to be nothing more than an ungrateful stray.

“The Lawson family may not sit at the very top, but we don’t tolerate thieves making a scene under our roof.”

With those words, she had already painted me as guilty.

[Mrs. Lawson said that so well. She’s calm, composed, and completely reasonable.]

[Compared to her, this woman looks like a total shrew.]

[Just call the police already. There’s no point wasting words on her.]

With Jasmine’s backing, Brian grew even more emboldened. He yanked hard on my arm, trying to drag me aside.

“Didn’t you hear? Give it back!”

The force made me stumble. At the end of my patience, I wrenched my hand free with all my strength and shoved him hard.

“Don’t touch me!”

Brian clearly hadn’t expected that kind of force. He staggered back several steps, crashing into the table behind him.

With a loud crash, the champagne tower on the table wobbled dangerously.

Seizing the moment, Luna let out an exaggerated scream and collapsed backward, feigning weakness.

“Ah!”

She didn’t fall to the ground. She landed perfectly into Brian’s arms.

“You still dare to hit someone?” Brian held Luna, his face dark as he shouted at me.

Jasmine was trembling with rage, pointing at me as she snapped.

“You’ve gone too far! Such an ill-mannered, uncivilized girl! We tried to bring you back out of kindness, and this is how you repay us?

“Not only do you steal, now you’re assaulting people too. You’re a thief through and through!”

I looked at this family twisting the truth without a hint of shame, and all I felt was absurdity.

“I hit someone?” I pointed at Brian. “He laid his hands on me first. That was self-defense.

“I pushed him because he was trying to take my personal belongings.”

I looked at Luna. “As for this lady, that little fall of yours was awfully convenient. If you’re going to fake it, at least make it believable.”

“You—!” Luna’s face went pale with anger. “That’s nonsense! I was clearly startled by you!”

She shrank into Brian’s arms, crying like she’d been wronged beyond measure.

“Brian… I’m scared… she’s so aggressive… what if she tries to hurt me…”

Brian held her protectively, glaring at me like he could burn me on the spot.

“That’s enough!”

He barked, then shouted toward the distance.

“Security! Where’s security?! There’s a thief here, and she’s assaulted someone. Detain her and hand her over to the police!”

Two uniformed guards rushed over immediately.

Jasmine’s voice followed, cold and firm. “Hold her down. Don’t let her get away. When her father comes down, he can see for himself what kind of daughter he’s been so eager to find.”

The guests stepped back, clearing a path, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they watched the scene unfold.

[Finally, they’re calling the police. This is satisfying.]

[Someone like her belongs behind bars. Maybe that’ll teach her a lesson.]

[Throw her in jail! Let her pay for what she’s done!]

The guards closed in from both sides, their expressions unfriendly.

I instinctively stepped back, only to feel a cold pillar press against my back.

There was nowhere left to go.

My heart sank slowly.

My dad was still upstairs, completely unaware.

And down here, his daughter was being cornered and humiliated.

“Grab her!” Brian urged.

A rough hand reached for my shoulder.

My resolve hardened. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone.

If reason wasn’t going to work, I had only one person left to rely on.

I had to call my father.

Just as I unlocked the screen and was about to dial the number I knew by heart, a shadow flashed past me.

Smack.

A sharp crack rang out.

My phone was knocked clean out of my hand, skidding across the polished floor before slamming into the wall. The screen shattered instantly.

It was Brian.

“Trying to call for help?”

He let out a mocking scoff.

“Who do you think you are? Who’s going to come save a gutter rat like you?

“Even if you call that so-called boss of yours, what is he worth in front of the Lawson and Cook families?”

Something inside me went cold.

The only way I had to reach out for help had just been cut off.

[Beautifully done! That’s exactly how you deal with her!]

[Yes, crush her completely! Let her feel what real despair is!]

[The male lead is so decisive. Who wouldn’t fall for a man like that?]

Luna leaned against Brian, watching my pale face as a faint, victorious smile curved her lips.

She mouthed the words silently to me: “You can’t beat me.”

Jasmine crossed her arms and snapped impatiently at the guards, “What are you waiting for? Tie her up.

“When the police arrive and catch her red-handed, let’s see how she talks her way out of it then.”

The two guards closed in again, this time with restraints in hand.

Pinned against the cold pillar, I had nowhere left to go.

Around me were faces—some indifferent, some openly entertained.

Humiliation, anger, and helplessness churned violently in my chest.

I had done nothing wrong, yet here I was, being trampled by people who twisted truth as easily as breathing.

Why?

Because I looked poor?

Because I didn’t have the kind of status they respected?

One hand grabbed my arm while the other forced it behind my back.

I struggled with everything I had, but how could I, alone, fight off two trained men?

My arms were wrenched behind my back, the cold restraint already tightening around my wrists.

Brian spoke slowly, his voice dripping with mockery. “Regretting it now?

“If you’d just admitted your mistake from the start, returned Luna’s watch, and gotten out, it wouldn’t have turned this ugly.”

Luna chimed in with false concern.

“Exactly, sister. I never wanted things to escalate. But you were just too stubborn. You refused the easy way and chose the hard one.”

The guards grew rougher, twisting my arm to a painful angle.

“Ah—” I couldn’t stop the cry from escaping.

And then, a voice like thunder crashed down from the staircase above, carrying fury so overwhelming it shook the entire hall.

“Stop! I’d like to see who dares lay a hand on her!”