Chapter 2

The paper sliced my cheek, leaving a small cut.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t sign.”

Director Thompson’s face flushed a deep crimson.

“How dare you defy me!”

He coldly flicked his chin at the colleagues behind him.

“Throw her things out.”

A few colleagues who usually hung out with Scarlett immediately rushed to my desk and pulled open the drawers.

I lunged forward, wanting to grab the photos of Liam and me, but someone shoved me hard. My waist hit the desk, and I couldn't recover for a while.

Files, notebooks, a water bottle, gifts Liam had given me…

Everything I owned was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor.

A fountain pen rolled to Scarlett’s feet.

“Oh my God, Amelia… isn’t this a Montblanc StarWalker?”

She held up the pen, her voice shrill.

“This pen costs hundreds of thousands! How could your boyfriend possibly afford it?”

“Did he take out predatory loans to buy this for you? Is that why he’s forcing you to embezzle company funds to pay off debts?”

Scarlett seemed to have a sudden realization. She clapped her hands sharply, looking at me with a triumphant expression.

“I get it! I get it all now! Amelia, what a cunning scheme you’ve cooked up!”

“Director! I know! She and that obsessive boyfriend of hers planned this together! It’s all a scam!”

“They want to become TikTok famous!”

“She pretends to be a wealthy heiress, her boyfriend pretends to be a rich, handsome CEO-type. They take out loans to buy luxury items for her, then shoot some videos, make up some stories, and post them online to flaunt their wealth. Doesn’t that get them followers and let them cash in?”

“There are tons of scripts like this online now! Embezzling company funds is just their first investment to launch this scam!”

The surrounding colleagues gasped in understanding, their gazes shifting from contempt to mockery.

Seeing their reaction, Scarlett spoke with even more enthusiasm. “To kick off this script, they needed initial capital, right?”

“A million dollars, not too much, not too little, just enough for them to buy several fake designer bags, rent luxury cars for a few days, and then buy some paid bots and promotional campaigns!”

“This embezzled public money is the startup fund for their influencer careers!”

She looked at me with mock anguish. “Amelia, I never thought you’d be this kind of person! For fame, for money, aren’t you even afraid of going to jail? What kind of spell has that boyfriend of yours cast on you!”

Just then, a photo slipped out of my notebook and landed at Director Thompson’s feet.

It was a picture of Liam and me at Disneyland.

Director Thompson picked up the photo. The moment he saw what it was, his face twisted into a sneer.

“Amelia, you actually dared to Photoshop the Chairman’s photo!”

“My God, to become an influencer, she even dares to use the Chairman’s likeness! She’s got some nerve!”

“If the Chairman finds out about this, won’t he sue her to oblivion?”

Director Thompson had had enough of laughing. He contemptuously flicked the photo onto my face.

“Amelia, you truly astound me.”

“The script’s written, the props are ready, even the promotional photos are Photoshopped. All that’s left is the startup capital, isn’t that right?”

“Using the Chairman’s likeness for self-promotion, aren’t you afraid that if he finds out, one cease and desist letter will wipe you out financially?”

“Or do you think that obsessive broke loser boyfriend of yours, the one who only threatens to jump off buildings, can help you fight the entire legal department of Sterling Industries?”

Scarlett snatched the photo, and in my stunned gaze, she tore it in half.

“Amelia, snap out of it!”

“Stop living in this delusional fantasy! All that junk that man gave you—that crappy fountain pen and all those other useless things—return whatever you can! Then, break up with him immediately!”

She took a deep breath, looking as if she was deeply worried about me.

“If things are really bad,”

“I can introduce you to my brother. He’s not some wealthy heir, but he’s honest and dependable, and he’ll treat you well.”

“Both our families are from small towns, we know each other inside and out, so we’re a good match. This is the kind of life you should be living!”

I suddenly looked up, staring at her in disbelief.

Her unmarried older brother, who was forty years old and still couldn’t find a wife?

That lazy bum who never held a proper job a day in his life back in our hometown, only stealing chickens from neighbors and watermelons from people’s gardens?

That leech who’d drain half her monthly allowance every time he came to the city to visit her?

I couldn’t hold back anymore. A scoff escaped my lips.

Scarlett’s face instantly flushed crimson.

“What are you laughing at?!”

“Amelia, I’m trying to help you out of the goodness of my heart, and this is your attitude?”

“My brother, no matter how bad, is a hundred times better than your boyfriend! How can you talk about him like that! How dare you look down on him!”