Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

Daniel Shaw paused for a beat, then let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Honey, it’s not April Fools’ Day.”“Cut it out. This isn’t funny.”I forced down the anger rising in my chest. “Sophia Blake, that new intern...”“Alright, I’ve got a meeting to prep for,” Daniel cut in. “We’ll talk after I’m done.”He hung up before I could finish.The dead hum on the line filled my ears, and all I could see was my sister’s tear-streaked face from a week ago.She had grabbed my hand, crying. “Do you have someone named Sophia Blake joining your company?”I rarely involved myself in day-to-day operations. Daniel handled everything, so I shook my head, confused. “I’m not sure. Why? Do you know her?”She nodded, visibly shaken. “She’s my roommate.”“Can you talk to… to Daniel? Ask him to cancel her offer?”My heart skipped. “Sophia Blake… is she the one who’s been bullying you?”On graduation day, I’d driven to pick her up. That was when I noticed the cigarette burns on her arm.I’d been furious. It

Lily flinched uncontrollably, fear written all over her face. Just watching her like that made my chest tighten.Once all the employees had crowded into the office, Sophia scooped up a ladle of water and splashed it straight onto my sister’s face.People exchanged uneasy glances. A flicker of panic passed through the room.Then, from the crowd, a former secretary who had worked under me for two years started clapping. “That’s Mrs. Shaw! That’s our boss’s wife!”Others quickly followed, eager to flatter. “Rules make order. I support this!”Sophia let out a cold laugh and shot my sister a sharp look.“What are you standing there for?“Start reading.”She hung the decibel meter around my sister’s neck. “If you go over ten decibels, you get a ladle of water.”Lily nodded quickly, lifting the contract, only for Sophia to press it back down.“And if anyone says they didn’t hear you clearly, that’s five ladles.”She paused, thinking. “Where did this water come from?”“The restroom,” someone a

Ignoring Daniel’s shouting behind me, I half-carried Lily out of the building.On the way to the hospital, she finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.“Evelyn… I’m sorry. I made you worry.”Her words cut into me like a dull blade, over and over, the pain spreading through my chest like something gnawing its way outward.“Lily, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”That was when I finally learned why she hadn’t dared to fight back.Sophia had told her that Daniel was planning to take over my company and leave me bankrupt and ruined.“As long as you behave, I can talk to my husband. Maybe I’ll convince him to spare your sister.”I pulled Lily into a tight embrace. “I’ve been in business long enough. Do you really think I’d let him take me down like that?”“It’s going to be fine.”I said it calmly, but the ache in my chest didn’t go away.Being betrayed by someone I trusted for years… it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt.And yet, beneath that pain, there was something else.Relief.S

I shut the door without hesitation, cutting off their furious shouting.Not long after, the police came again.I showed them the footage from the livestream that day.That wasn’t all. Lily also brought in several witnesses, her former roommates from school.That was when I learned the truth.Sophia and Daniel had already been involved back then.“In school, she always claimed she was Daniel’s wife and used that to control us,” one of them said.Every one of those girls had been bullied by Sophia to some degree.None as badly as Lily.And the reason she targeted Lily so relentlessly was simple.Because Lily was my sister.As the investigation went deeper, the police uncovered something else.Sophia was a thief.When they laid the evidence out in front of me, I was stunned.“These were all recovered from her home,” the officer said.“Designer bags, shoes, watches.“We traced the serial numbers back to you.”I froze.I rushed to check my walk-in closet.Every single item had been swapped