She's No Gold Digger, She's the Real Deal

The first day I return to the country, my future mother-in-law, Sophia Damer, smacks a check against my face and says, Here's five million dollars. Leave my son alone. The Simpsons cannot accept a gold-digging nobody like you!

Before I can even explain myself, the young woman in a white dress hiding behind her says, "Please don't do this, Sophia. If this young lady treats Jay well enough, I don't mind caring for him with her, too."

I chuckle.

So, Sophia and Crystal Richmond, my half-sister, think that I'm the evil mistress who tried stealing her man away from her, when Jayson Simpson was my boyfriend the entire time. And yet, Crystal still thinks that she's the legitimate one instead.

However, seeing that Crystal still doesn't know who I really am, I pick up the check without even looking at it and stuff it into her V-neck dress.

"Nice acting. Here's your reward."

Then, I take out a black card and fling it onto the table.

"Here's ten million dollars, lady. Tell your son to stay away from me and stop bothering me. I find him disgusting!

"Oh, and by the way," I say, pointing at Crystal, who is still being shielded behind Sophia's body. "Might I remind you that this young woman you're protecting is just the bastard kid my dad brought home last year.

"If you're thinking of using her to get close to the Richmonds, I'm afraid that you're barking up the wrong tree!"

Chapter 1

Just as I was done speaking, a grimace appeared on Sophia Damer's face, contorting it for a second.

She was the mother of my boyfriend, Jayson Simpson.

However, the grimace lasted for only a split second. After all, she was a seasoned pioneer in the business world, and she quickly regained her haughty composure after a while.

She looked disdainfully at the black card on the table and chortled.

"Ten million dollars? Young lady, don't you know that you can't lie about things like these? Did you really think that you could just throw out a random card and pretend you were some rich heiress in a drama?

"I'm sure that a black card like that is very easily obtainable from the roadside credit card sign-up kiosks. Your empty threats and intimidation will never work on me!"

Behind her stood my half-sister, Crystal Richmond. She and I shared the same father but had different mothers.

Crystal held Sophia's hand and said shakily, "Sophia, please don't blame it on this lady here I think I think it's because she's been suffering overseas for a while, which is why she turned out so nasty and boastful once she returned.

"But it's all my fault. If I never came back, Jay would never have noticed me, and this lady wouldn't have hated me like this"

She was so good at putting on a frail, weak act, seemingly very generous and understanding of the situation. All it took was just a few lines from her to paint me as a poor, penniless drifter with a psychological problem who'd just returned from abroad.

Also, she subtly pointed out her close relationship with Jayson, implying that I was only behaving like this because of jealousy.

As expected, Sophia fell for her innocent tricks, hook, line, and sinker. She felt pity for Crystal, patting the back of her hand before turning to me with icy-cold eyes.

"Heard that? Crystal here is a very kind and understanding person. She's still defending you, even though you're the one bullying her now!

"She is so much better compared to a twisted witch like you!"

She paused for a while and continued, the disdain in her eyes intensifying, "I'm warning you. Jayson is my only son, and the Simpson family does not welcome shameless, pathological liars like you. Take the five million dollars and get out of our lives forever!"

I scoffed when I saw how Sophia and Crystal kept up with their performances in front of me. Just as I was about to speak, the cafe door was suddenly pushed open, and a familiar yet distant silhouette rushed in at once.

It was Jayson.

He hurried up to our table and looked at Crystal, who was still crying in her seat, then at Sophia, who was obviously glaring at me. Finally, his gaze landed on me. There was a huge frown on his face.

"Are you done making a fuss, Cheryl Richmond?"

His accusatory question sounded even more laughable than the five million dollars Sophia slapped in my face earlier.

Before I could respond, Crystal had already broken free from Sophia's hold and rushed into Jayson's arms. She continued sobbing loudly and said, "Jay, please don't pin the blame on her She didn't do it on purpose We just We just had a little misunderstanding"

Jayson held on to Crystal's shoulder and softened his tone at once.

"You're too kind, Crystal. You don't have to defend her."

After he was done comforting her, he turned to me again, his face filled with detachment and disgust.

"My mom has a heart condition, and Crystal has a frail body. You should have directed all your anger toward me instead of them! Why did you have to purposely make things hard for them?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my seat, looking at him coldly.

Chapter 2

I said, "Jayson Simpson. When did you ever see me making things hard for them? From the start, it was your mother who slapped a check in my face and told me to leave, while your precious little Crystal only kept fanning the flames.

"You rushed in and immediately began accusing me without even bothering to get the full story. Is this what you meant when you pursued me overseas? When you promised that you would always believe me and take my side no matter what?"

Jayson's face froze. He looked at a loss for words to say.

When Sophia saw this, she immediately took a step forward and shielded Jayson behind her as well.

"And you still have the nerve to bring that up? If it weren't for you using some hypnotizing spell to seduce him while he was overseas, he would never have fallen for a woman like you!

"I'm telling you that I'm here today to kick you out for good! Apologize to Crystal at once! Otherwise, don't blame me for getting ruthless with you!"

"Apologize?"

I laughed. "You're telling me to apologize to a woman who slapped my face with a check and another woman who stole my boyfriend from me?"

"You!" Sophia raised her hand in the air to cuff me.

"Mom!" Jayson exclaimed, hurriedly stopping her. He then inhaled deeply and pleaded, "Cheryl, take it as me asking you for a favor. Just apologize to them, and we'll call it quits, okay?

"Mom just lost her temper and didn't mean what she said. As for Crystal She's still young and doesn't know any better. Don't make things hard for them."

I glared at Jayson.

I finally realized now that the guy standing before me was a very stupid and weak man after all.

I slowly got up, retrieved the black card on the table, and walked up to him.

He looked at me in surprise. Then, I raised my hand in the air and smacked the card hard against his cheek. I gave him another tight slap.

"Jayson Simpson, you, your mother, and that woman standing there, are all perfectly made for each other.

"This slap is to wake you up. Also, we are through!"

My attitude made Sophia fly into a rage. She looked at the red handprint on Jayson's face and rushed up to me, grabbing my purse and screaming at the top of her lungs, "My brooch! My sapphire brooch is missing! You must have stolen it!"

Her piercing shriek was even more explosive than everything that was said earlier.

Everyone in the cafe focused their attention on us at once.

Sophia began sobbing loudly in public.

"Everyone! Look at this woman! She failed in trying to seduce my son, so she resorted to stealing my things!

"That sapphire brooch was a gift that my husband gave me as a wedding anniversary gift! It's worth more than two million dollars!"

Crystal immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, looking shocked at the revelation, though I could detect a hint of smugness in her eyes when she did that.

"Cheryl! How could you Sophia loved that brooch very much Could it be that you went through a lot while you were overseas?

"You should've told me about it! I could have helped you Why did you have to resort to doing something like this?"

Her words were full of implications, painting me as a poor and jealous thief.

Jayson looked at me, the angry look on his face gradually turning into one of disdain and disappointment.

"Cheryl Richmond. I used to be so blind in the past. I always thought you were just willful and arrogant, but I never imagined that you would turn into a thief. Where is my mother's brooch? Return it at once!"

I looked at the three people in front of me, a so-called "happy family" who perfectly banded together to twist the truth, and felt the last bit of warmth die out in my chest.

I opened my mouth and slowly asked, "Are you sure that I stole the brooch?"

"Who else could have stolen it, if not you?" Sophia screamed, still yanking hard at my purse. "You're the only one who's the most suspicious here!"

We made such a huge commotion that a security guard soon arrived with another middle-aged man in a formal suit. The name tag on his chest introduced him as Jeff Curran, the general manager.

When Sophia saw him, she immediately pointed at me and demanded, "Mr. Curran! There's a thief in your premises! Arrest her at once and bring her to the VIP lounge! I want to search her myself!"

The guard then "escorted" me into the VIP lounge.

Sophia had a smug, victorious air to her as she sat on the main couch, leisurely sipping on some hot tea that her personal assistant had handed her.

Meanwhile, Crystal huddled up against Jayson like a frightened little bird by the side, occasionally looking at me with a timid yet slightly smug expression.

Chapter 3

Jeff stood in front of Sophia, sweating profusely and standing so straight that his posture was almost obsequious.

"Please don't be mad, Mrs. Simpson. The mall will investigate the matter and give you a satisfactory explanation for this.

"Would you like to call the police? Or"

"The police?"

Sophia scoffed coldly and set down her teacup before glancing at me. "Handing her to the police would be going too easy on her. If she gets a criminal record, my son will also be dragged into the matter.

"People will judge him for having dated a thief in the past. And the Simpsons will not allow that to happen."

She paused for a while, not bothering to hide the evil glint in her eyes.

"Search her. I will expose her to the world and make them see how filthy and lowly this pathetic liar really is!"

Search me? That would be massively humiliating. An uneasy look appeared on Jeff's face at once.

"Mrs. Simpson, we can't do that. We don't have the right to search her"

Sophia interrupted him at once. "Mr. Curran, do I need to remind you how much business the Simpsons have been giving Chevy International Mall?

"If you continue defending this thief today, then I will hold you accountable for all the consequences later."

Sophia's words immediately caused Jeff to break out in a cold sweat.

He stopped hesitating and turned to me, saying professionally, "Miss, kindly cooperate with us so that we can prove your innocence. Otherwise, I'm afraid that we will have to get the police involved in this."

I glanced coldly at everyone in the roomat Sophia's arrogance, Crystal's smugness, Jayson's indifference, and Jeff's sycophancy.

"Sure," I said calmly. "I'll cooperate."

I walked up to the coffee table in the middle of the lounge room and began taking everything out of my limited-edition Birkin bag, laying them on the table one by one under everyone's scrutiny.

Those things included my wallet, my keys, my phone, a lipstick, and a pack of wet wipes.

I laid out everyone on the table, as simply as it could be.

Sophia frowned. She began rummaging through my purse in dissatisfaction, even pinching through the inner lining to see if anything was hidden in there, but she couldn't find anything.

"That's impossible!" Sophia screamed. "You must have hidden it in your clothes!"

She then glared daggers at my pockets.

I was wearing a tailored Chanel outer jacket. I ignored the greedy gazes of the security guards on me and looked at Sophia and Crystal's smug expressions instead, my lips curling into a smirk.

"Are you really that interested in it?"

I then slowly reached into the coat pockets under everyone's gaze. They held their breaths and watched.

When I pulled my hand out again, a dazzling sapphire brooch appeared in the middle of my palm.

The dark blue sapphire sparkled coldly and brilliantly under the lights.

"Ah. There it is," Crystal said, breaking the silence. However, she suddenly realized that she said the wrong thing and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes then turned red as she exclaimed, "Cheryl! You How could you really"

Sophia's face lit up with glee. She then pointed at me and screamed at Jeff, "See that? We caught her red-handed! I was right! This woman is a thief!"

Jeff sighed in relief and gave the security guards a look.

The two guards then stepped forward, caging me in from both sides so I couldn't run away.

The people in the lounge room were all looking at me with looks of disdain, sarcasm, and schadenfreude.

Jayson wouldn't stop glaring at me. The last hint of doubt had vanished in his eyes.

He stepped up to me and spoke in a judgmental and condescending tone. "I gave you a chance, Cheryl. Now, you've just been caught red-handed. What else do you have to say for yourself?"

He then shot me a look of disgust.

"Why? Why did you have to do this? Just because Mom didn't agree to let us date each other? Or was it because you got jealous of Crystal? Is this how you get revenge on me, by stooping to such lowly methods like this?

"You've completely disappointed me."

I looked at Jayson's handsome yet stupid face and suddenly laughed out loud.

The last of my feelings for him were completely snuffed out at that moment.

My laughter reverberated in the quiet VIP lounge room, sounding out of place and even piercing to the ears.

Chapter 4

Jayson froze when he saw me laughing. He frowned and asked, "What are you laughing at? How can you still laugh when you've been backed into a corner?"

"I'm laughing at how pitiful you are," I said, turning solemn again as I calmly met his angry gaze. "Jayson Simpson, you've been thoroughly fooled by these two women, and yet, you still think that you're playing the role of a fair judge.

"Don't you think that you're the one acting like a clown after all?"

"What nonsense are you spewing?" Sophia shrieked, interrupting me. "We have the evidence. And you're still trying to fight back? You wont admit it until the bitter end, will you?

"Mr. Curran! Call the police at once!"

"Hold on," I said, raising a hand to stop Jeff, who was about to retrieve his phone.

I slowly swept my gaze around the people in the lounge and finally fixed my eyes on Jeff, who had been playing the peacemaker the entire time.

"Mr. Curran, I think you've been working here in Chevy International Mall for five years. Am I right?"

Jeff paused for a bit. He didn't know why I had suddenly brought that up. However, he nodded on instinct and replied, "Yes. I've been here for at least five years. But why are you asking this?"

"Five years is quite a long time."

I then picked up the sapphire brooch on the table and fiddled with it between my fingers, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Then, you must know who the largest shareholder of Chevy International Mall is, don't you?"

Jeff's expression changed slightly, his eyes twinkling in response.

Sophia urged impatiently, "What's the point of you trying to drag things out like this? Don't you dare think that saying a bunch of weird things like that will get you off the hook. I'm telling you, nobody can save you now. Nobody!"

I ignored Sophia's screams and fixed my gaze on Jeff.

"This brooch is a replica of the limited-edition 'Heart of the Sea' in Cartier's fall collection last year. There are only three such brooches in the world, and each brooch has a unique mark and a separate microchip embedded to prevent any counterfeits.

"Mr. Curran, as the highest-level manager of the most luxurious shopping center in Cloudville, I'm sure that you must also be more professional than me when it comes to differentiating a real luxury item from a fake one. Am I right?"

My words made Jeff break out in cold sweat once again.

He looked at the brooch in my hand, then at my eyes that looked like they had seen through everything. His lips moved, but he wasn't able to get a single word out.

Jayson sensed something amiss. However, he refused to think that he might be wrong and hollered at me, "Cheryl! What tricks are you up to this time? You can't fake evidence. The brooch was found in your belongings. That's concrete proof in itself!"

"Concrete proof?"

I scoffed coldly and slammed the brooch on the table with a loud, clear bang.

"Mr. Curran, would you like to tell them that the real 'Heart of the Sea' has a unique serial number laser-engraved into the inside folds of the clasp in the back?

"And would you also like to tell them that the real brooch has a tiny microchip embedded in the facets of the gemstone that can only be seen if magnified by 20 times?"

Jeff's face turned increasingly paler with every word I said.

Even Crystal's initially smug face began showing hints of panic.

She turned to Sophia helplessly, but she realized that Sophia was looking at me in shock.

I straightened up, finally revealing the presence I had been suppressing for a long time and allowing myself to relax.

Now, I was no longer the woman they misunderstood, humiliated, and described as being poor and down on my luck. I was Cheryl Richmond once again, the true heiress of the Richmond family.

My eyes pierced into Jeff as I said, "Now, I am giving you a chance to use the most professional and advanced apparatus to determine the authenticity of this brooch.

"And then, I want you to retrieve the surveillance camera footage at the cafe from the moment I walked into it. Make sure that you don't miss a single second of it."

After pausing for a while, I then revealed the most shocking news that immediately sent the entire lounge room into a dead silence.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Cheryl Richmond. My dad gave this mall to me on my 20th birthday.

"Mr. Curran, do you think that your boss should be accused as a thief on your own territory?"