Chapter 1

Standing backstage at the red carpet, I was waiting for Charles Landon to bring me the custom-made diamond heels that were made for me.

But when I opened the box, I saw a pair of old straw sandals caked with dried mud.

The stylist's hand froze in midair. The whispers from the partners around me felt like needles piercing through my skin.

Charles's childhood friend, Lily Evans, peeked out from behind the dressing screen with a grin.

She was wearing my sparkling diamond heels, twirling in front of everyone with obvious delight. "You're all stunned, aren't you? The shoes are right here with me.

"Natalie, these straw sandals are handwoven, so down-to-earth. It's a reminder that no matter how high you rise, you should never forget your roots."

She had swapped out heels worth millions. I could have torn her apart right then.

But Charles's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "Lily, you always come up with the cleverest ideas. Natalie, why not give these a try? They're unique."

I let out a scoff, grabbed the straw sandals, and tossed them straight into the trash. "No need. You two are so in sync. Why don't you walk the red carpet together? I'm out."

Charles couldn't believe it. "She only swapped your shoes. It's not like she made you go barefoot. Don't forget the strategic partnership between our two companies."

My voice was calm and flat. "Don't forget. It's your company that begged for this marriage alliance. You're not the only option I have."

*****

The stylist's hairspray hit the floor with a thunk. The jewelry box tumbled away, spilling pearls everywhere.

Those muddy straw sandals lay in the plush velvet shoe box.

The gossip swirled around me, enough to make my scalp crawl.

"Wait, is Ms. Summers' masterpiece really a pair of straw sandals?"

"What's the Landon family even thinking? That's seriously disrespectful."

"Didn't those Starlight Heels have, like, over a hundred diamonds in them?"

I stepped forward, pinching the rough sandal between my fingers. The cold, gritty touch made my skin crawl with disgust.

The next second, I made a sharp gesture and snapped at my assistant, "Search everywhere, especially anything Lily brought in."

I swept my gaze across the lounge area.

My mother looked ghostly pale, her champagne glass trembling in her hand.

My father kept dabbing anxiously at his forehead with a handkerchief.

This whole event was about Summers Studio's high-stakes alliance with Landon Holdings. We'd spent a fortune inviting every big name in the biz.

No way we could let the whole thing turn into a massive laughing stock.

"Did we grab the wrong shoe box?" whispered my bestie. She hung onto my shawl tightly.

I kept silent.

Those heels were taken out of the vault by a top security courier this morning. I watched them go into that custom box myself. How on earth could something like this even happen?

"Natalie," Charles said, about as sincere as a takeout fortune cookie. "Maybe let's call it today? Ditch the red carpet and try another time—"

"No way," my friend interrupted, her voice sharp with urgency. "Everyone, start searching. Something's off. The shoes have to be somewhere. And hey, if we find them, the afterparty's on us, alright?"

I watched my friend and the staff scurrying around like headless chickens, even poking around under the sofas.

My gaze sharpened, fixing on Lily. "Quit the act. The longer you drag this out, the uglier it gets for everyone. Hand over the shoes."

As soon as I spoke, all eyes zeroed in on Lily.

She instinctively shrank back half a step, clutching Charles's arm.

After a few tense seconds, she squealed, her voice sharp and shaky, trying to protest, "Why accuse me? I never got anywhere close to the storage room where the shoes were kept.

" How would I know where your shoes are? Natalie, I know you've got issues with me, but you can't make stuff up and dump it on me."

Charles shot me an openly annoyed glare, then turned and gently patted Lily's back.

Backstage was deathly silent, except for the way Lily's trembling fingers gave away her nerves.

I snapped, "Pull up the surveillance. I want to see every frame since we came backstage."

Even after replaying the footage a dozen times, all we caught was a blurry figure sneaking in when the staff wasn't looking, stuffing those straw sandals into the locker. We couldn't make out who it was.

I saw Charles's mom glancing anxiously at the entrance again.

Suddenly, Charles jumped to his feet. "Natalie, it's just a pair of shoes. I'll have the brand send us another one. Let's drop it for today, okay?"

He didn't even wait for my answer and turned straight to Lily, as if her opinion mattered.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palm, chest tightening like I couldn't breathe.

Things had gone so far that dragging it out any longer would be humiliating.