Chapter 2

Seeing my silence, Sophie assumed she had backed me into a corner. A triumphant smile curled on her lips.

"Arthur and I have been together for two months. He promised to make things official the moment he returned from his business trip."

"And then you show up out of nowhere, playing the sweet little sugar baby calling him 'Daddy' for cash."

She stepped closer, invading my space.

"Chloe Vance, do you have any self-respect at all?"

Swallowing the fury boiling inside my chest, I opened my photo gallery.

"These are our family photos. He is literally my father."

The picture showed my dad in loungewear, slicing a birthday cake for me in our private garden.

Another showed him holding a massive bouquet of flowers beside me at my college graduation last year.

Sophie barely glanced at the screen before her anger flared even hotter.

"You've been throwing yourself at him since college?!"

"Do your professors and classmates know what kind of whore you are?"

My throat tightened with rage.

Without warning, Sophie snatched a cup of hot coffee from a colleague's hand and splashed it directly into my face.

The dark liquid dripped down my hair, soaking through my crisp white blouse.

The entire floor gasped.

Sophie choked back a sob. "That was for every woman who's ever been hurt by a shameless homewrecker."

I closed my eyes, wiping the sticky liquid from my eyelashes.

Growing up, my father had never even raised his voice at me.

Now, a complete stranger had humiliated me and drenched me in filth right in front of the entire company.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and locked eyes with her.

"Sophie, I'll say this one last time. Arthur Sterling is my father."

She sneered. "You still dare to—"

Before she could finish, I shoved her backward with all my might.

Her high heels gave out, and she stumbled, falling squarely into the arms of a coworker behind her.

She shrieked, "She assaulted me!"

Two male employees instantly charged at me.

One grabbed my arm while the other tore my purse away.

"You dare get physical?!"

I struggled against their grip. "Let go of me!"

The physical mismatch was too great.

They twisted my arms behind my back until white-hot pain blinded my vision.

My purse hit the tile floor, and my phone slid out, the screen shattering with a crisp crack.

Harper, another intern, rushed forward to pull them off me, but another woman shoved her aside.

"Stay out of this, Harper!"

Once Sophie regained her footing, she adjusted her hair.

She strolled over to me, her eyes brimming with victorious malice.

"Still trying to play tough, Chloe?"

She leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper only I could hear.

"Arthur belongs to me. A brainless little gold digger like you never stood a chance."

I looked at her, utterly disgusted by how absurd this entire farce was.

Just then, Cheryl Brooks and the HR Director, Kevin Foster, hurried over.

I thought at least someone would ask what had happened.

Instead, Kevin took one look at my disheveled state, glanced at Sophie's trembling shoulders, and snapped,

"Chloe Vance, conference room. Now."

Sophie covered her face, sniffling. "Mr. Foster, she attacked me in front of everyone."

Kevin glared at me. "Causing a brawl on your first day? Do you have any idea where you are?"

The glass door of the small conference room wasn't fully closed.

Crowds of employees lingered outside, their phone cameras pointed directly at us.

Kevin sat at the head of the table with Cheryl standing beside him.

Sophie sat across from me, wrapped in a colleague's jacket, her eyes red.

I sat on the opposite side, my blouse stained with coffee, my arms already bruising deep purple.

Kevin tapped the table impatiently.

"Chloe Vance, this incident has severely damaged the company's reputation."

I spoke up, my voice steady. "What damaged the company's reputation is slander, breach of employee privacy, and public assault."

Kevin's expression hardened.

"You still refuse to show any remorse?"

He shoved a document across the table toward me.

"First, you will issue a public apology to Sophie."

"Second, you will compensate her for emotional distress and reputational damage."

"Third, you will submit your voluntary resignation immediately."