Chapter 1
The Carter family found their long-lost heiress and held a party to announce it. At the party, strange comments suddenly floated before my eyes.
[The real heiress is trying to get back at the fake one. She actually stole the engagement token between the fake heiress and the male lead, but she's about to get caught red-handed.]
[Sure, technically the real heiress is his fiancée, but he knows who his true love really is.]
[Fiancée? Please. She's just a thief. She should crawl back to whatever slum she came from.]
Dressed in a princess gown and surrounded by a circle of admirers, the fake heiress, Emily Carter, walked over to me.
"My sister," she said softly, "you're finally back. Mom, Dad, and I have missed you so much. We're family now."
I quietly kept eating my chicken drumstick.
When she saw me ignoring her, Emily's eyes welled up with tears right on cue. Suddenly, she reached into my worn-out backpack and pulled out a woman's wristwatch.
"Why did you steal the engagement gift Brian gave me?" she sobbed. "I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you can take things."
Brian West, my so-called fiancé, looked at me with undisguised disgust.
"Hand it back to Emily right now, and get out of here!" he snapped.
Under the judgmental glares of the elite crowd, I pointed toward the man on stage who was currently clinking glasses with Emily's adoptive father.
"Steal what?" I asked, genuinely confused. "I'm not your sister. I came with my boss for the free food."
The comments exploded.
[OMG, this is so awkward. She's not the heiress but an employee?]
Emily's eyes widened in shock, her voice turning sharp and piercing.
"What? No way," she shouted.
She immediately turned to Brian, her tears falling even faster.
"Brian, look at her. She's still trying to defend herself. She's obviously jealous of me, jealous of everything I have, and that's why she's pulling this stunt to get noticed," she sobbed.
Brian stepped forward, his tall figure towering over me like a judge, his tone full of cold superiority.
Brian said coldly, "That's enough. Drop the act.
"You really think anyone's gonna believe that lame excuse?"
I swallowed the last bite of chicken and wiped my mouth with a napkin. Honestly, I had no idea what was going on.
My dad was the richest guy around, but since I worked at his company and wanted to keep things low-key, I called him "boss" in public.
The Carters invited my dad, but he turned them down because he was always busy. I wanted a change of pace, so I begged him to let me tag along for a free meal.
Who would've thought the gossip would end up turning on me?
I said, "Why would I pretend?
"Mr. Carter invited my boss to the party, but he was busy, so I showed up instead.
"What's the problem with that?"
I looked them straight in the eye, not flinching at all.
The chat went wild.
[LMAO, what kind of excuse is that? Showed up instead? Who would send an employee to a family event like this?]
[She won't admit it till she's caught red-handed. Does she really think playing dumb will get her off the hook?]
[She's basically saying her boss is bigger than the Carters, so she thinks she can act all high and mighty. Hilarious.]
Emily seized on what I said, sounding suspicious.
She said, "Rachel, stop pretending.
"You look like Mom and Dad. How could you not be my sister?"
Her words made the whole room freeze, and all eyes locked onto me.
I was honestly speechless.
Honestly, good-looking people tended to look alike. My parents were both insanely attractive, so of course, there were similarities.
Emily's adoptive mom, Monica, looked like my mom, but their aura couldn't be more different.
"Look around. Everyone thinks we look alike," Emily said, pointing at the guests whispering nearby, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
She announced, "You're part of our family, the sister who came back from the poor town.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but you can't just steal my stuff because you're jealous."
Her words were slick. First, she used our looks to tie us together, then branded me as her sister, and finally made me out to be a jealous thief.
Brian let out a cold snort, his disgust written all over his face.
He said, "Emily, don't bother talking to her."
He jabbed a finger right at my nose, spitting out each word. "Give the watch back, and get out of this house.
"The Carters don't welcome thieves."
The guests around me started gossiping and pointing fingers at me.
"So, is she the one they found a small town? No wonder she's so rough and probably shady, too."
"Seriously, what a shame. How could the Carters have a daughter like her?"
"Just look at her clothes. Do they even add up to sixty bucks? Bet she couldn't resist snatching Ms. Carter's watch."
I glanced down at my work uniform. Yeah, I was totally out of place here.
But hey, it was from my dad's company, so the quality was actually top-notch.
I let out a sigh, trying to explain one last time.
I said, "First, this watch is mine.
"Second, you've got the wrong person. The real heiress is probably still out there somewhere, waiting for you guys to find her."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl in a server's uniform standing off to the side, watching us with obvious fear. Her features looked strikingly similar to Monica's.