All Chapters of Fake Heiress, Beware: The Real One's Here: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Silence stretched on for two seconds before Mom spoke again. "Winona, what the heck are you talking about?" she asked, sounding half-asleep. "Your dad's illegitimate daughter? Even if he had the time to cheat on me, he wouldn't have the guts."My words caught in my throat as memories came rushing back. Growing up, I'd always known my dad as Arthur Melville, the decisive, no-nonsense businessman who ran the company with an iron fist. At home, though, he was practically Mom's devoted puppy. That was why I'd taken Mom's last name, Grant, from birth. Even if I didn't trust Dad's self-control, I had to trust Mom's ability to keep her husband in line. Actually, that made a lot of sense. "But there's an intern at the company named Sandy Melville! Everyone says she's Mr. Melville's biological daughter. His actual daughter!"I made sure to emphasize Dad's name. "Wait."Mom immediately hung up. Less than three minutes later, my phone buzzed with a detailed report.It was from

Ever since the incident in the parking lot, Sandy had been much better behaved. She no longer went out of her way to provoke me.I stuck to my routine, worked diligently, and kept negotiating deals. Eventually, all that hard work started to pay off.My latest prospect was a stylish design studio run by a couple from Ferasia. Since I'd studied in Ferasia before, I could communicate with them effortlessly.Combined with the extensive preparation I'd done, my efforts had brought the deal so close to completion that Claire Dubois and Adrien Moreau had practically agreed to entrust us with their annual marketing campaign.My supervisor, Jacob Langdon, called me into his office with a broad smile."Winona, great job! However, management has decided that Sandy will take the lead on this project, with you assisting her. Don't worry, your name will still be on the list of people who contributed.""I've been handling this project from the start," I countered with a frown. "Now that we're o

Sandy seemed to have spotted her savior. Tears immediately streamed down her face as she cried out in an aggrieved voice, "Mr. Melville…" She looked as though she had suffered some terrible injustice.The other colleagues also seemed to have found someone they could count on, and they began whispering among themselves."Mr. Melville is here. He'll definitely stand up for Sandy.""Winona has really messed with the wrong person this time. I wonder if her sugar daddy can still protect her."Dad ignored Mr. Langdon and paid no attention to Sandy. Instead, he walked straight over to me and gave me a once-over. "I heard someone wants to fire my daughter. Is that true?"Silence descended upon the entire office.Everyone froze in utter disbelief, their expressions caught somewhere between shock and confusion. The tears on Sandy's face had not yet dried, but all the color had drained from her cheeks.Mr. Langdon's ingratiating smile froze in place. He opened his mouth, his gaze darti

Once everything had settled down, Dad finally had time to sit down and enjoy a proper meal with me.We ate in the private dining room on the top floor of the group's headquarters, a place he never used to entertain guests."You've been through a lot these past few months."He placed a piece of steak on my plate, his tone unusually gentle. "It wasn't too bad," I replied, prodding at the mashed potatoes on my plate. "Oh? Tell me more."I set down my fork and gave it some thought before answering."I used to think spending money was the most fun thing in the world. Getting into petty competitions with Zach and the others and throwing money around just to get under their skin was entertaining, too. But once the excitement wore off, I was left feeling empty."These past few months were genuinely frustrating, but there was something satisfying about closing a deal, even a small one. The sense of accomplishment felt real."Watching all those figures and proposals gradually turn int