Chapter 3 Cornered

The high executives exchanged a look, while Luke didn't bother to hide the contempt in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Ms. Murphy, simply denying it won't convince us." He shut the folder with a snap. "You'll have to leave if you refuse to cooperate."

Eleanor lifted her chin triumphantly, while Jacintha chimed in. "Mr. Cregger, I told you she was a fraud! She has sticky fingers. She has been stealing Elle's things since she was young. And now, she's even attempting to deceive you. The nerve!"

I ignored her slander and kept my gaze on Julian's face. "Since Eleanor mentioned offering you a cup of tea, did she also tell you the material of the cup as well?"

"It was a paper cup," she answered without missing a beat. "It was printed with a red snowman logo."

She even made up the cup's design on the spot just to convince him.

Julian said nothing, merely staring at me with a pensive look on his face. "Ms. Murphy, what do you remember about the cup?"

"I told you, I offered you nothing," I repeated firmly.

The crowd began to snicker.

Just then, my phone rang.

The piercing ringtone shattered the silence of the room.

I declined the call, but another call came immediately.

My finger slipped. Not only did I answer it, but I also put it on speakerphone.

My landlord's harsh voice instantly echoed in the room. "Listen up, Ms. Murphy. I've thrown your trash onto the street! As for the rent you owe me, your rags will suffice! See you never, you loser."

She hung up right after that.

Dead silence enveloped the room.

I put my phone away. Although I remained impassive, my fingernails were digging into my palms.

Eleanor approached me, pulled a few dollar bills from her purse, and tossed them on the table. "Millie, you're my family even after everything. Take the money and find yourself a place to stay. Stop embarrassing yourself."

She even said those things condescendingly as though she was dealing with a persistent beggar.

Naturally, Jacintha wouldn't miss the chance to ridicule me. "You're too kind, Elle. This ungrateful brat could just be homeless for all I care!"

I didn't reach out for the dollar bills on the table. "You can have them back. I don't want anything to do with you."

Eleanor's smile froze as her eyes burned with hatred. "Don't push your luck, Mildred. Mr. Cregger will never believe you."

Julian never attempted to stop the farce. He leaned back in his chair, watching the scene unfold like a bystander.

…

A few minutes later, he turned to Luke and ordered, "Bring me the documents."

Luke pulled out two documents from his briefcase and handed each to Eleanor and me, explaining, "You're looking at a renunciation statement. You can walk away with 100,000 dollars as compensation if you admit that you're a fraud by signing it.

"If you refuse to sign it and insist on seeing it through to the end, we'll sue you for fraud once you're exposed for lying to us right from the start. At that point, you won't be able to walk away with just a slap on the wrist."

The 100,000 dollars they were offering honestly sounded tempting.

It was definitely enough to solve my pressing matters.

I could even rent a better apartment and enjoy a proper meal.

Jacintha immediately grabbed a pen from the table and shoved it into my hand. "Sign it now! It's easy money! You don't want to end up behind bars, do you?"

Eleanor sighed in relief. She stared intently at the pen in my hand as she urged, "Millie, this is your last chance."

I looked down at the statement written in black and white.

Signing the paper was no different from me admitting to being a fraud.

I looked up at Julian. "Do you expect me to sign it?"

He didn't answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to the pen I was holding.

I tossed it onto the desk. "Nope. I'm not signing it."

Jacintha panicked and lunged to grab the papers. "Are you out of your mind? Did you seriously turn down 100,000 dollars?"

"Someone else should sign it." I held the papers down with a palm. I turned to Eleanor, challenging her, "Do you dare to sign them, Eleanor?"

Anxiety flashed across her face before a calm facade settled on her face. "I don't need to sign it. I've been telling the truth all along."

She took the pen and wrote "I refuse to withdraw my claim" on her copy of the statement.

Julian rose to his feet and flattened his cuffs. "Since neither of you is admitting that you're the fraud, I'll see you at the banquet at my family villa at 8.00 p.m. tomorrow. At that time, I'll announce who receives the reward."

Finally, his cold gaze found mine. "Ms. Murphy, I hope your confidence won't waver then."