Chapter 4

I was just shutting down my computer when Wendy blocked the main entrance.

Behind her were my adoptive parents, they were flanked by a few people holding up phone cameras to record.

My adoptive mother, Sarah, lunged forward and grabbed my arm.

"Clara, you get out here right now and explain yourself!"

I snatched my arm back. "Don't touch my workspace. If you break it, you will never be able to replace it."

Wendy’s eyes were rimmed with red tears. She clutched a thick stack of papers in her hands.

"Clara, I wanted to give you a way out," she sobbed. "But you lied to Mr. Harry Peterson and stole money from our family. I can't keep covering for you!"

Coworkers began crowding around the lobby.

"Mr. Harry Peterson? Which Mr. Harry Peterson?"

Wendy pointed a trembling finger toward the street outside.

A sleek black medical van had pulled up to the curb, flanked by four dark security SUVs.

The surrounding crowd instantly backed away to clear a path.

My adoptive father, Killian, cleared his throat, raising his voice for the crowd.

"The head of the Peterson family has been laying low due to health reasons. Clara knew his real identity all along!

“She pretended to be Wendy just to trick him into marriage!"

I lifted my eyes, completely unbothered. "Can you prove all what you are saying?"

Wendy slammed the papers against my chest. "These are the chat logs, wire transfers, hospital bills, all the evidence are right here!"

The papers scattered across the polished floor.

She turned toward the black van, crying out dramatically, "Mr. Peterson! Clara used my account to chat with you online!

“She even stole three million dollars of emergency funds from our family, claiming she wanted to take care of you!"

Sarah chimed in right on cue. "We raised her for twenty years, and she steals our money to go buy a husband! A thief like her belongs in prison!"

Mutterings broke out among my coworkers:

"She always seemed so quiet. I had no idea she was this ruthless."

"No wonder she got promoted so fast. Did she actually climb her way into a billionaire family?"

Wendy knelt on the floor, deliberately pushing one of the printed pages directly in front of a live-streaming camera.

"Clara, just admit you were wrong. Give Mr. Harry Peterson back to me or else, I will ruin your life completely."

I bent down and picked up the papers one by one.

Wendy blinked as she was caught off guard. "What are you even doing?"

I shoved the stack into my bag.

"I will get paid for documents forged to defame me. I'm keeping these as evidence for the police report."

Her face twisted into a snarl. "You're still acting tough?"

Victor squeezed his way through the crowd. "Clara, Wendy is being nice. Don't blow your last chance."

I zipped my bag shut. "Have you finished paying off your car loan yet, Victor?"

Victor's face turned completely sour.

Floating comments packed the air above the crowd.

“Here it comes! The guy in the van is the real deal.”

“Wendy thinks she’s claiming her rich prince, but this is a total self-destruction scene!”

The medical van door slid open from the inside.

Two bodyguards dressed in black suits stepped down first.

Then, Harry was wheeled out into the bright entrance lights.

A thin blanket covered his lap, and he held that dusty old red cord tightly in his hand.

Wendy immediately rushed toward him.

"Mr. Peterson! I am the real heiress! The person who was supposed to marry you was me!"

Harry raised a single hand, and the bodyguards instantly blocked her path.

His gaze moved past her tear-streaked face and landed directly on me.

I stood beside the few remaining loose papers with my mouth shut.

Wendy sobbed even harder. "Look at her! She's guilty! She can't even defend herself!"

Harry touched the red cord, finally breaking his silence.

"Miss Wendy is right. That three million dollars was transferred out by Clara."

The entire lobby erupted in gasps. Wendy’s face lit up with wild delight.

I whipped my head up and stared straight at him.

"However..." Harry paused, his eyes locked onto mine.

"Clara."

I met his gaze.

"All these charges they're tossing at you, do you accept them?”