Chapter 3

She and her entourage of fake socialites were actually having afternoon tea here.

I didn't stop. I kept walking toward the elevators.

But Lily didn't plan on letting me go. She and her friends swarmed me, blocking my path.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Lily sneered, dramatically pinching her nose as if I carried the stench of the slums.

"How does a delivery girl even step foot inside the Sterling Plaza Hotel? Security! Security! Are your standards this low now? You just let any homeless trash in? Disgusting!"

Her friends immediately chimed in.

"Exactly, she reeks of poverty. Don't let her dirty the Persian rug!"

"Lily, did you forget? She's so high and mighty, saying she didn't care about wealth or poverty!"

"What, did she dump her crippled boyfriend and run straight to a high-end place like this to find a sugar daddy?"

Their piercing laughter echoed through the lobby.

Listening to their twisted slander, I stared at her coldly and gritted my teeth.

"Get out of my way."

"You're telling me to get out of the way? Hah!"

Lily's face darkened. She lunged forward and shoved me hard!

Caught off guard, I stumbled backward from the force. My back slammed violently into a massive display cabinet housing the hotel's most exclusive vintage wines!

The immense impact sent the entire cabinet rocking violently!

Crash!

Smash!

Dozens of exquisitely packaged, priceless bottles toppled over, shattering into thousands of pieces against the marble floor.

The deafening noise brought the entire lobby to a standstill. Everyone stared at the chaotic scene in shock.

After a brief, dead silence, the crowd erupted into even harsher, hysterical laughter.

"Hahaha! You're in deep shit now, you broke bitch!"

"Look at how much this hillbilly just destroyed!"

"A bottle of Lafite, two bottles of Romanée-Conti, three bottles of Macallan Fine & Rare... My God, how much is that?"

"Millions, easily! Hahaha, even if they sold her to the red-light district, she couldn't pay for it!"

"Can't pay?"

Lily stepped forward with a vicious grin. "Simple! Get on your knees and lick it clean! For every drop you lick, I'll pay for a drop! If you can't finish it? Then keep licking! Lick until we're satisfied! Hahaha!"

This malicious idea instantly thrilled her entourage.

"Yeah, kneel and lick!"

"Let's see how the delivery girl licks the floor!"

Two of Lily's male companions stepped forward with sickening grins. They grabbed my arms roughly and forced me down toward the floor, right into the puddle of expensive wine and jagged glass!

"Kneel! Lick it!"

A massive wave of humiliation and pain washed over me.

My arms were twisted behind my back, my hair was yanked, and my head was forced down.

Summoning every ounce of strength I had, I wrenched my head up and screamed hoarsely:

"I am Vera Linton! Sole Heir to the Linton Empire! Richard Linton is my father!"

A brief silence fell.

Then, the laughter exploded, louder and crueler than before.

"Did she just say she's the Linton heiress?"

"The Wall Street titan is her dad? Is she crazy, or just high on drugs?"

"Jesus, if you're the Linton heiress, I'm the President of the United States!"

Lily was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"The Linton heiress? The Linton heiress is engaged to the head of the Sterling Empire—my brother, Alexander Sterling! I don't expect you to call your billionaire daddy, but if you're so powerful, why don't you call your fiancé to come teach us a lesson?"

In the midst of this ultimate humiliation, a familiar figure walked over.

Eric.

Dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, looking every bit the gentleman. When he saw me, a flash of surprise and pity crossed his eyes.

"Vera? Lily? What's going on?"

He looked at the shattered glass and me, pinned to the floor, and frowned. Then his gaze landed on me.

"Vera, look at the mess you're in. Did you cause trouble again?"

"But, if you beg me... beg me to help you, considering our past contract, I might be willing to handle the damages for you—"

Before he could finish the word "handle," a massive commotion erupted at the hotel entrance.

The crowd of onlookers parted instantly, making way.

"Is that... Alexander Sterling? Oh my god, he's so handsome!"

"Obviously. He's the head of a top-tier Old Money family. Look at that aura."

A breathtakingly handsome man strode into the lobby.

His piercing gaze locked onto me with absolute precision. The moment he saw me pinned to the floor, his expression darkened into something terrifying—

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Chapter 3

She and her entourage of fake socialites were actually having afternoon tea here.

I didn't stop. I kept walking toward the elevators.

But Lily didn't plan on letting me go. She and her friends swarmed me, blocking my path.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Lily sneered, dramatically pinching her nose as if I carried the stench of the slums.

"How does a delivery girl even step foot inside the Sterling Plaza Hotel? Security! Security! Are your standards this low now? You just let any homeless trash in? Disgusting!"

Her friends immediately chimed in.

"Exactly, she reeks of poverty. Don't let her dirty the Persian rug!"

"Lily, did you forget? She's so high and mighty, saying she didn't care about wealth or poverty!"

"What, did she dump her crippled boyfriend and run straight to a high-end place like this to find a sugar daddy?"

Their piercing laughter echoed through the lobby.

Listening to their twisted slander, I stared at her coldly and gritted my teeth.

"Get out of my way."

"You're telling me to get out of the way? Hah!"

Lily's face darkened. She lunged forward and shoved me hard!

Caught off guard, I stumbled backward from the force. My back slammed violently into a massive display cabinet housing the hotel's most exclusive vintage wines!

The immense impact sent the entire cabinet rocking violently!

Crash!

Smash!

Dozens of exquisitely packaged, priceless bottles toppled over, shattering into thousands of pieces against the marble floor.

The deafening noise brought the entire lobby to a standstill. Everyone stared at the chaotic scene in shock.

After a brief, dead silence, the crowd erupted into even harsher, hysterical laughter.

"Hahaha! You're in deep shit now, you broke bitch!"

"Look at how much this hillbilly just destroyed!"

"A bottle of Lafite, two bottles of Romanée-Conti, three bottles of Macallan Fine & Rare... My God, how much is that?"

"Millions, easily! Hahaha, even if they sold her to the red-light district, she couldn't pay for it!"

"Can't pay?"

This malicious idea instantly thrilled her entourage.

"Yeah, kneel and lick!"

"Let's see how the delivery girl licks the floor!"

Two of Lily's male companions stepped forward with sickening grins. They grabbed my arms roughly and forced me down toward the floor, right into the puddle of expensive wine and jagged glass!

"Kneel! Lick it!"

A massive wave of humiliation and pain washed over me.

My arms were twisted behind my back, my hair was yanked, and my head was forced down.

Summoning every ounce of strength I had, I wrenched my head up and screamed hoarsely:

"I am Vera Linton! Sole Heir to the Linton Empire! Richard Linton is my father!"

A brief silence fell.

Then, the laughter exploded, louder and crueler than before.

"Did she just say she's the Linton heiress?"

"The Wall Street titan is her dad? Is she crazy, or just high on drugs?"

"Jesus, if you're the Linton heiress, I'm the President of the United States!"

Lily was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

In the midst of this ultimate humiliation, a familiar figure walked over.

Eric.

Dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, looking every bit the gentleman. When he saw me, a flash of surprise and pity crossed his eyes.

"Vera? Lily? What's going on?"

He looked at the shattered glass and me, pinned to the floor, and frowned. Then his gaze landed on me.

"Vera, look at the mess you're in. Did you cause trouble again?"

"But, if you beg me... beg me to help you, considering our past contract, I might be willing to handle the damages for you—"

Before he could finish the word "handle," a massive commotion erupted at the hotel entrance.

The crowd of onlookers parted instantly, making way.

"Is that... Alexander Sterling? Oh my god, he's so handsome!"

"Obviously. He's the head of a top-tier Old Money family. Look at that aura."

A breathtakingly handsome man strode into the lobby.

His piercing gaze locked onto me with absolute precision. The moment he saw me pinned to the floor, his expression darkened into something terrifying—

"What the hell are you doing?!"