Chapter 3

Mark picked up a porcelain teacup from a nearby table, toying with it as if he hadn't heard me. He didn' t even look up.

"Hmph. Can' t even afford a car that costs that much. Who is this 'someone else' you speak of, some lowly assistant?"

The room erupted in laughter again, a wave of mockery washing over me.

"Exactly! Dump that assistant and go with Mr. Sterling!"

"You won' t be draped in diamonds, but at least you' ll never go hungry!"

I scoffed inwardly. Only people in this small, stagnant city would think that amount of money was a fortune. The crumbs from my table could feed their entire families for half a lifetime.

Just then, the staff member who had taken my locket to the bank rushed back into the room, his face pale and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He stumbled to a stop, pointing a trembling finger at the locket in his hand.

"This... this... this is the locket of the CEO of TechCorp!"

The crowd, which had just been fanning the flames of my humiliation, fell into a sudden, shocked silence. Then, the room erupted again, but this time, the tone was different. It was a sound of disbelief and awe.

"TechCorp? TechCorp is the hottest name in the capital right now!"

"Is it the TechCorp that the President' s chief of staff endorsed?"

"No way! How could TechCorp' s CEO' s locket be here?"

Sarah snatched the locket from the staff member' s hand, turning it over and over, examining it as if it were a strange artifact.

"It really is the TechCorp CEO' s locket," she admitted, but then she looked at me, her eyes filled with scornful disbelief. "Ms. Reed, you' re not going to say you' re the CEO of TechCorp, are you? That' s hilarious!"

She laughed, a shrill, unpleasant sound. "How could TechCorp' s CEO be a woman? I heard the CEO is a close friend of the President' s chief of staff. How could a woman be involved with someone like that?"

The surrounding people, eager to find a reason to dismiss this shocking development, quickly agreed with her. Their murmurs of agreement grew louder, making Sarah even more smug. Even Mark couldn' t help but curl his lips into a smirk, protectively pulling her closer to him.

"Are you seeing how well Marky is doing now and feeling unbalanced? Have you lost your mind?" Sarah said, looking at me with mock pity. She tugged at Mark' s sleeve, her expression shifting to one of feigned concern.

"Cousin, the TechCorp CEO is coming to the city soon to discuss business with us. If she finds out our maid impersonated her, how will we negotiate? Sister clearly wants to ruin the Sterling family' s business!"

Hearing this, Mark' s face changed. The possibility of losing a lucrative deal with TechCorp was a real threat. His arrogance turned to rage. He took a step forward and kicked me.

The blow landed squarely on my chest, knocking the wind out of me. Pain exploded behind my ribs, and I crumpled to the floor, gasping for air.

"Worthless trash!" he snarled, standing over me. "Do you know who the TechCorp CEO is? You dare offend her? Do you want to drag me to my death?!"

I looked up at him, at the faces of the crowd, their expressions a mixture of fear and contempt. My anger flared, hot and sharp. I had returned to this city with the intention of giving back, of funding promising local startups. My head of security, David, had brought his team to escort me, but I had wanted to investigate the city' s current state first, to move without fanfare. So I had disguised myself in simple clothes and come ahead alone. I hadn' t expected to so drastically underestimate Mark' s stupidity.

Now, I regretted it deeply. I shouldn' t have acted alone.

I endured the intense, throbbing pain in my chest and spoke sharply, my voice raspy. "Mark Sterling, do you think TechCorp' s locket can be stolen so easily? Do you know the consequences of treating me like this?"

All those present were wealthy businesspeople in the city. Many of them were desperate to align themselves with TechCorp. Hearing my words, a few of them panicked.

"Could she really be the TechCorp CEO?"

"I' m still waiting to partner with TechCorp and go to the capital."

Sarah, seeing the tide of opinion begin to turn, quickly fanned the flames of doubt again. "What a joke! If she were the TechCorp CEO, why would she be dressed like a servant, with no entourage? She' s just bluffing! Look how scared you all are."

The crowd, reminded by her words, immediately changed their tune once more. Their fear turned back to anger.

"You bitch, you dared to lie to us!" one man shouted.

They surged forward, kicking at me as I lay on the floor. The blows were clumsy but painful. They spat on me, their faces contorted with rage. I struggled amidst the insults and the pain.

"I' m not lying!" I gasped out. "You' ll all regret this!"

"Still stubborn!" Mark grabbed me by the arm, hauling me to my feet. He began to drag me towards the exit. "You just want me back, don' t you? I' ll check right now if you' re still a virgin!"