Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After I graduated, Dad decisively sent me straight to his company and gave me an entry-level position. The official reason? To "train my skills" and "strengthen my character". While I kept complaining, deep down, I secretly looked forward to gaining independence. However, on my very first day, I overheard colleagues whispering, "I heard Mr. Yarn's daughter is among this batch of interns.""The CEO is so inconsiderate! He could have at least let his daughter start as a manager!" I was surprised. Who could've leaked this information? Fortunately, after a bit of random speculation, everyone soon moved on to other topics. That was until the intern orientation meeting. A woman who was late introduced herself, "Hi, everyone, I'm Tiffany Yarn.""Tiffany Yarn… Are you the CEO's daughter?" The person beside her gasped, covering their mouth. The entire meeting room burst into excitement. After all, Tiffany was dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, even sporting Cartier's latest Ballon Bleu watch. She had the unmistakable look of a wealthy heiress. Tiffany lowered her head with a small smile and replied evasively, "My father has always taught me to be humble. My joining the company is really just to fulfill his wish.""You can just tell she was born with a silver spoon! That demeanor is unmatched!""Tiffany, don't forget us colleagues when your internship ends!" I was so shocked that I couldn't find the words to speak. Weren't I supposed to be my dad's only daughter? Since when did he have another one? That said, the misunderstanding was understandable. I had taken my mom's last name, Thornton, while Tiffany was the only intern in our batch with the last name Yarn. Naturally, she became the center of everyone's admiration. I watched her beam under the attention but chose not to expose her—at least not yet. The room only began to settle down when Garreth Jackson, the department manager, walked in. However, I couldn't help but notice that Garreth's attitude toward Tiffany was markedly different from how he treated everyone else. To top it off, he outright appointed her as the leader of the intern group, assigning her the responsibility of communicating the company's arrangements to us. I couldn't stand this blatant favoritism. So, I stood up and suggested, "I think it'd be fairer to let everyone vote on this.""We don't have time for votes," Garreth replied. "Tiffany's résumé is the most impressive among you. It's only fitting that she takes the lead." His words were so absurd that they nearly made me laugh. Just last night, Dad told me, "Among this batch of interns, your résumé stands out the most. I believe you'll shine brightly." Faced with the manager's blatant lies, I didn't bother to argue publicly, just like I didn't rush to expose Tiffany's fake heiress act. Some lies were better left to unravel at the most dramatic moment. I was genuinely curious to see what Tiffany's supposed talents were. But before I could witness her in action, I found myself being targeted for standing out. A stack of files, almost half my height, landed on my desk. Brimming with arrogance, Tiffany instructed me, "All of these need to be sorted into electronic files in chronological order. Email them to me by tomorrow morning." Before leaving, she turned back and added, "Oh, and make me a coffee." I was stunned by how downright commanding her tone was. "Can't you make it yourself?" I asked. Not even my dad had had the honor of me making him coffee. "It's just a small favor. Why make such a fuss over it? We're all colleagues!" Fiona Zean chimed in in annoyance. "Yeah, it's just a cup of coffee. No big deal," another voice echoed, as if I were the unreasonable one. I shoved the mug into Fiona's palms. "Well, since it's no big deal, you can do it." She should serve Tiffany since she was so eager to do so. Fiona's face immediately darkened. "Yvonne! What's your problem? Are you trying to stir up trouble on your first day?""I'm at fault!" Tiffany stepped in before I could respond. "I shouldn't have asked Yvonne to grab a coffee for me. Please don't let this affect our harmony," she pleaded, acting like the victim. I wasn't upset about making coffee, per se. I just couldn't stand her condescending tone. Fiona fanned herself with her hand and glared at me. "How did you even get into this company when you can't even do a simple task like this?""I didn't come here to fetch drinks for others," I shot back, unable to hold it in. "You—""How about this?" Tiffany mentioned, "I'll treat everyone to afternoon tea to make up for it. Let's all get back to work now." Then, she turned to me and coaxed me sweetly, "Yvonne, please don't be mad at me, okay?" Her saccharine tone made me sick. So, I shook off her hand and stormed off. I had nowhere to vent. How could someone be this fake? But I hadn't expected what happened next. When I returned from the rooftop, I accidentally stumbled upon Tiffany and Garreth in a compromising situation in the stairwell.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

"Yvonne Thornton is so annoying! She openly opposed me being made group leader this morning, and just now, she tried to argue with me again.""Really?" Garreth murmured as he wrapped his arm around Tiffany's slender waist, pinning her entirely in the dim corner. "Leave it to me. I'll make sure she doesn't last until the end of this internship." Following that, the silent stairwell was filled with unseemly suggestive sounds. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but at the same time, I found it amusing. I was curious to see exactly how they planned to make me leave before the internship ended. Sure enough, I was called into Garreth's office first thing the next morning. "Why didn't you submit the materials I assigned you yesterday? If you can't even complete the most basic tasks, you do not need to stay any longer." So this was their grand plan? How disappointing. I looked at Garreth with a cold expression. "Did Tiffany report me to you?""She gave an accurate account of the situation, and I'm handling it impartially," he replied. I almost laughed out loud. Impartially, huh? "The documents you assigned me were all from cases over 15 years ago. The company website already has them archived. A simple search would show they don't need to be reorganized." I shrugged as I asked, "Or have you never even looked at the company website?""I—of course, I've seen it!" Garreth's face turned bright red at my response. He clearly wasn't prepared for my response. "I was just testing your attitude, that's all!" He sure was desperate not to humiliate himself. Of course, I didn't press the issue further. After all, I still wanted to make a strong impression during my internship and prove my capabilities. Garreth cleared his throat twice and said, "I also heard you had a conflict with your colleagues in the office yesterday. "I know you're unhappy with my arrangements, but things don't always go smoothly once you enter the workplace. You're still young; there's a lot you need to learn in the future." If I hadn't caught Garreth and Tiffany's affair, I might have actually believed he had my best interests at heart. After leaving Garreth's office, I headed back to my desk, only to see a crowd gathered around my workstation. As soon as Fiona saw me, she raised her voice and announced, "People can be so shameless! I can't believe they're pretending to be all high and mighty while secretly doing shady things!" "Fiona, don't say that. After all, we're coworkers. Maybe Yvonne was just curious and borrowed it to take a look," Tiffany chimed in, tugging at Fiona's hand with a pitiful expression. "What now? The thief can't handle being called out? How ridiculous!" What on earth were they stirring up this time? Frowning, I pushed my way through the crowd. Fiona was relentless. "Yvonne, you still have the nerve to sit here after stealing Tiffany's Cartier watch!" I paused slightly. I have an entire row of Cartier watches at home that I don't even bother wearing. Why would I need to steal one? "When did you see me steal it?" I retorted. "Don't make baseless accusations without evidence." "In that case, open your drawer for everyone to see!" Right then, Tiffany stepped forward. "Yvonne, if you like the watch, I can buy you a new one. But this one was my mom's keepsake. It's very important to me." Their coordinated act practically nailed me as the thief. I had a sinking feeling in my chest. The watch must be in my drawer. Fiona wouldn't have so confidently gathered everyone as witnesses otherwise. Every desk drawer had a lock, but given Tiffany and Garreth's relationship, it wouldn't be difficult for Tiffany to get a spare key. Seeing me hesitate, Fiona became even more smug. "What's the matter? Feeling guilty, thief?" I glanced at the small surveillance camera above us and smirked coldly. "Whoever stole it knows exactly what they've done." I unlocked the drawer. Sure enough, there lay a Cartier Ballon Bleu watch inside. But to my surprise, on the side of the watch was a tiny engraved inscription. Y.T.—my initials.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Fiona snatched the watch before I could react and exclaimed, "Tiffany, take a look! Isn't this the one you lost?""Yes, this is definitely the watch my mom gave me," Tiffany replied, her eyes red as she looked at me pitifully. "Yvonne, why is it in your drawer?" Her teary, pitiful expression immediately drew sympathy from those around us. This was truly a performance worth seeing! "Your watch? Why are my initials engraved on the side, then?" The crowd froze in shock again, quickly gathering to inspect the engraving. Sure enough, the letters "Y.T." were etched on the side of the watch. I knew exactly where this watch came from. It had been a gift for my birthday from a classmate who tried to curry favor with me. However, since I already had a surplus of similar styles at home, I listed it for sale online at a discounted price. I still remembered how a buyer contacted me the very next day. She haggled with me endlessly over the price until I got fed up and agreed to knock off a bit more just to be done with it. Little did I know, Tiffany was that buyer. Fiona folded her arms and sneered, "What a joke! Just because it says Y.T. doesn't mean it belongs to you. Don't try to change the subject. You stole Tiffany's watch. Now, we have both witnesses and evidence. What do you have to say for yourself?""There's really nothing more I can say. Let's just check the security cameras. Every room in the office here has surveillance. Surely you all know that, right?" Judging by their reactions, they clearly didn't. "Should I call the police to come and see who the real thief is?" I taunted as I pulled out my phone. Fiona's face turned pale instantly. "What's all this commotion about so early in the morning?" Garreth, who suddenly came, asked. Tiffany looked at me with a pitiful expression and said, "Someone must have accidentally put it in the wrong drawer. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Yvonne. Please don't hold it against me, okay?" She had started this whole mess, yet now she was acting all innocent and trying to pacify me. Did the sense of superiority come with the second-hand watch she bought? Deciding it wasn't worth stooping to their level, I merely let out a cold chuckle. However, this incident completely soured my relationship with Tiffany. We had to work overtime the next day. Tiffany took charge of ordering dinner for everyone using the intern list. But when the food arrived and was distributed, mine was the only one missing. "But I ordered exactly for the 13 people on the list. How could one be missing?" Tiffany frowned, putting on an anxious face that looked incredibly insincere to me. My name was right smack in the middle of the list. How was it that I was the only one who got skipped? "How about this? I'll order another one for you," she suggested. She was already pulling out her phone. "Oh, but it won't arrive until 7:00 pm, and we have a meeting starting soon," someone else chimed in. I sneered. I was flabbergasted by how she could think of such childish tactics. "It's simple," I replied. "Whoever made the mistake should take responsibility. How about giving me your dinner instead?" I didn't actually care about the food, of course. I only said that for the sake of it. Before Tiffany could respond, Fiona jumped in sharply, "Do you have no shame? First, you stole Tiffany's watch, and now you want to snatch her dinner?" Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. Soon, all eyes were on us. I smirked at her. "First of all, I never stole the watch, as the surveillance footage can prove. If you're so determined to get to the bottom of it, I'm happy to oblige. Second, did you see me physically take her dinner?" Fiona clearly hadn't expected me to respond so logically and was momentarily stunned. Tiffany stepped forward to play peacemaker. "Yvonne, don't take it the wrong way. Fiona just has a blunt way of speaking; she didn't mean anything by it." Looking at their hypocritical faces, I grabbed my files and walked straight into the meeting room—out of sight, out of mind. However, by 9:00 pm, I was so hungry that I was seeing stars. I bombarded my mom with messages when I was taking a break. "I want braised ham hock, butter shrimp, honey-glazed ribs... oh, and two plates of pasta!" By the time we wrapped up, it was nearly midnight. Everyone seemed utterly drained, silently leaving in groups. A sleek black Bentley parked outside the office drew everyone's attention. "Tiffany, is that your family's car?" someone asked. "Your dad is so good to you, always worrying about you walking alone at night and sending a car to pick you up!" Tiffany pressed her lips into a modest smile. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that—" I didn't say a word. I only stepped forward when the driver got out of the car and waved in my direction. "What's going on? Why is she getting in?" Fiona shouted in confusion as I climbed into the car. I didn't bother glancing back and simply told the driver to drive. When I got home, the sight of a table full of my favorite dishes instantly wiped away all my frustrations. I dove in without a second thought. Just as I was devouring a drumstick, my dad walked in. With some free time on his hands, he casually asked me how work had been these past two days. My hand paused mid-shred. I held back the words that were about to spill. "Everything's fine! Just wait and see—I'll make a big splash soon!" Tiffany's childish tricks were hardly worth troubling my dad over. I was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to see Tiffany's lies unravel completely! It was still too early to expose them.