Chapter 1

At the awards ceremony, the spotlight fell on my boyfriend of five years. Holding his trophy, he looked past me with deep affection and said, "I'd like to thank my muse, Miss Sylvia Blake."

I froze in place as I watched my best friend, dressed in the gown I had sewn by hand, wrap her arm around my boyfriend's.

The next second, they flashed their so-called evidence on the big screen and accused me of stealing the design. The whole room erupted, and security dragged me out into the pouring rain like I was trash.

I thought my life was over, until a Rolls-Royce with the plate NYC 88888 stopped in front of me. A white-gloved butler stepped out, bowed, and handed me a black card. "Miss Lane, Grandpa Lane is taking you home to inherit the family fortune."

Edward Grant said, "Charlie, after tonight, I'll be the real king of design."

Edward Grant stood before the mirror in a custom suit, looking confident as hell. The ambition in his eyes was impossible to hide, along with the wild hunger of someone about to reach the top.

I knelt down and wiped away the last speck of dust from his leather shoes with care, then smiled softly, "Edward, you've always been the best in my eyes."

For tonight's Golden Crest Award ceremony, I had stayed up for three straight nights, fixing every last detail of his outfit by hand.

To scrape together the startup money for his studio, I sold the only thing my mother had left me, a diamond necklace worth a fortune.

We had been together for five years. From college to the working world, I stayed by his side as he went from a broke nobody to someone about to step onto the biggest stage in the design world.

Everyone said I was the great woman behind his success.

I used to think tonight would be the end of my five years of sacrifice, and the start of our happy life.

What I didn't know was that it would also be the moment my whole world came crashing down.

The host announced, "And now, please welcome this year's Golden Crest Award winner, Mr. Grant!"

Under the spotlight, Edward walked onto the stage looking sharp as ever.

He took the heavy trophy, eyes slightly red and voice catching as he began his acceptance speech.

He said. "Thank you to the judges and everyone here. This award does not belong to me alone. It belongs even more to the girl who quietly supported me and gave me endless inspiration..."

Sitting in the audience, I clenched my fists in excitement, tears welling up in my eyes.

He was finally going to thank me in public. Our hard days were finally over.

But Edward's gaze skipped right past me and landed behind me instead.

A woman in a white evening gown with flawless makeup rose to her feet and gave him a shy smile.

That woman was Sylvia Blake.

My best friend.

The smile on my face froze instantly, and a bad feeling started creeping up from the pit of my stomach.

Then I heard Edward, in that same tender voice of his, say to the entire room and every livestream camera, one word at a time: "Sylvia, thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Boom.

My mind went completely blank.

How could it be Sylvia?

*****

The cameras immediately swung toward Sylvia. Tears of happiness glimmered on her face, and she looked as pure as some perfect angel.

As for me, I sat there like an idiot, frozen in my seat, the biggest joke in this grand love confession.

Before I could even react, Sylvia was already on stage. She melted into Edward's arms, took the microphone, and said in a trembling voice that carried clearly through the hall.

"Actually, I should be the one thanking Edward. He's the one who gave me the courage to tell the truth." As she spoke, her tone shifted.

Her eyes turned sharp and venomous as they shot straight at me.

Sylvia continued, "Everyone, the true creator of tonight's winning piece, Rebirth, is me.

"And Edward's ex-girlfriend, my so-called best friend Charlotte Lane, took advantage of my trust, stole my design drafts, and used them to threaten Edward while trying to destroy our relationship.

"Edward kept suffering in silence to protect me. It wasn't until today that we finally decided to make this ugly truth public."

At that moment, my whole world blew apart.

The audience instantly exploded. Every camera and every pair of eyes turned toward me like a thousand blades.

"Plagiarism?" One asked.

"She stole her best friend's work?" Another one asked.

"Oh my God, that's seriously shameless." The audience kept discussing.

Edward held Sylvia in his arms and looked at me. All the warmth he once had was gone. There was only cold disgust and contempt left in his eyes.

He sneered, "Charlotte, I kept things decent for the sake of our five years together. I never thought you'd be this stubborn. From today on, we're done.

"Security, get this plagiarist, this disgrace to the industry, the hell out of here."

Two tall security guards rushed over, grabbed my arms roughly, and dragged me out like I was nothing.

I struggled like crazy and screamed myself hoarse, "Edward, You're lying! I drew those designs. I spent day and night on them. You liar, you'll get what's coming to you!"

But my voice was swallowed up by the disgust and curses around me.

They threw me hard onto the freezing steps, and the rain came pouring down, drenching me in seconds.

I looked at my phone. [#Golden Crest Plagiarism Scandal] and [#Charlotte Leave Design] had reached the top of the trending list.

I was finished.

My reputation, my career, my love, everything I'd fought for over the past five years, had been destroyed in a single night by the man I loved most and the friend I trusted most.

Curled up in the rain, I shook all over like a stray dog the world had tossed aside.

Just when despair swallowed me whole and I wanted to die, a black Rolls-Royce silently pulled up in front of me.

The door opened, and an old butler in a black suit and white gloves stepped out under a massive black umbrella before stopping in front of me and bowing respectfully.

"Miss, we're here to take you home." he said softly.

I lifted my head, rain blurring my vision.

Looking at the old butler, who seemed like he'd stepped straight out of a period drama, I honestly thought the rain had given me a fever and I was hallucinating.

"Miss?" I gave a self-mocking laugh, my voice rough. "You've got the wrong person."

I was Charlotte, an orphan with no parents. What kind of "miss" was I supposed to be?

But the old butler looked absolutely certain. He took a spotless white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the rain from my face, revealing my clear, steady eyes.

The butler said, "We have not mistaken you. Miss Charlotte Lane, you are the long-lost granddaughter of Mr. Richard Lane, chairman of Lane Holdings.

"Twenty years ago, your mother left home with you. Mr. Lane searched for you for twenty full years.

"And now, we've finally found you."