My first day as an intern, and the new intern who started with me claimed she was the CEO’s fiancée. Naturally, she became the department’s golden child. Our manager, Mr. Davies, was so eager to kiss up to her, he rallied everyone to chip in a thousand bucks each for a grand wedding gift on the big day. Everyone meekly agreed, except for me. I just shook my head. “It’s *my* wedding, so I guess I don’t need to contribute to the gift, right?” The office erupted in laughter: “*Your* wedding? Seriously, the nerve of some people! Mrs. Sterling is right here!” “I saw her Ins full of posts crushing on Mr. Sterling. Is she, like, totally delusional?” “Seriously, she’s got some nerve, utterly shameless.” Jessica tried to smooth things over. “Let’s not be too hard on her. Maybe she needs that thousand bucks to eat.” I calmly replied, “Since you’re all so chummy with her, I assume you’re all invited to the wedding in a few days?” Jessica panicked. “How about you just transfer the money to me? The wedding tables are probably all booked. Once I’m done, Mr. Sterling and I will treat you all to dinner.” Watching her keep up the act, I turned around and sent wedding invitations to every single colleague. I couldn’t wait to see their faces when they realized *I* was the one in the wedding gown.
To better blend in with my husband’s company, I decided to go undercover as an intern. During the morning meeting, Mr. Davies, our manager, mysteriously announced some big news: “Listen up, everyone, I’ve got a secret! Mrs. Sterling herself is interning here, and she’s been assigned to our department! So you all better be on your best behavior, keep your eyes open, and be proactive, got it?” Everyone answered in unison, and I felt a bit awkward, so I started to say, “Actually, you don’t really need to…” I didn’t even finish my sentence before he cut me off with a stern lecture. “What do you know? If we don’t treat Mrs. Sterling right, our whole department could be facing a major shake-up!” “Exactly! You just graduated college, right? No wonder you don’t get it. You better work hard, don’t drag us down.” “If we get on Mrs. Sterling’s good side, promotions and raises will be a piece of cake!” Remembering I was supposed to be incognito and they hadn’t recognized me, I just nodded along. “Yes, yes, I’ll listen to the manager.” After the meeting, I found an empty desk. The moment my butt hit the chair, a male voice yelled at me: “Chloe! What are you doing?! Is that a seat you can just take?!” I turned to see Mr. Davies, the department manager, yelling at me. I looked at the workstation in front of me. I wasn’t even in *his* seat, so what was the problem? Mr. Davies came over and yanked me up from the chair. “Your spot is in the back! This prime spot, with the great lighting, is for our Mrs. Sterling!” Just as I stood there, utterly confused, the intern who started with me walked over, carrying some files. She looked down at me, a smirk on her face. Mr. Davies, ever the eager beaver, had already pulled me aside and was now beaming at her. “Next time you need any files, just tell me. No need for you to bother getting them yourself.” Wasn’t this Ashley, my old classmate? I waved at her, but she completely ignored me. Ashley glanced at her cup, and Mr. Davies immediately understood. He turned to me and snapped: “What are you staring at? Go make her a coffee, now!” Thinking I shouldn’t get fired on my first day, I swallowed my pride and went to get Ashley’s coffee. “Wait,” Ashley said, haughtily crossing her legs. “I want the hand-ground coffee from downstairs. Be a dear and go get it for me.” “Sure, I’ll go now.” It was pouring rain outside, and that quick trip soaked my pants from the knees down. She took a sip, then promptly poured the coffee all over me. “I said hand-ground, didn’t I? Are you deaf?!” The commotion made the other colleagues rush over, concerned: “Ma’am, what happened? Wasn’t the coffee to your liking?” “So clumsy, I wonder how she even got hired here. Go get another one!” I forced a laugh. “How are you all so sure *she’s* Mrs. Sterling?” Chapter
I had hidden my identity because I didn’t want to flaunt my status, but I never expected someone would exploit that loophole to impersonate me. Mr. Davies rushed out of his office, yelling at me. “Are you kidding me?! Only two interns started today. If it’s not Miss Ashley, then who is it? You, some broke nobody who rides public bikes?!” So that was it. This morning, I had grabbed a public bike, afraid that if Julian and I commuted together, we’d be recognized. That’s how Ashley got her chance to pretend to be me. Ashley crossed her arms and threw a hundred bucks at me. “Broke people will always be broke. She can’t even buy a decent coffee without my money. Go on, get me another one.” I wasn’t about to put up with her. I picked up the extra coffee I’d bought and splashed it right on her. “This *is* hand-ground! Can’t you taste it?!” Ashley gasped in shock, but the colleagues behind her were even more frantic. They scrambled, grabbing tissues and wiping her down. “Chloe! Are you insane?! How dare you pour coffee all over Mrs. Sterling!” Mr. Davies knelt on the floor, wiping Ashley’s shoes. “Ma’am, please don’t be angry. Blame only Chloe, this has nothing to do with us!” “Oh my God! Isn’t Mrs. Sterling’s dress a designer haute couture from Versace? I remember this set is custom-made, it must be worth at least a few hundred grand!” Brenda stood there, gloating, looking at me. “Chloe, that’s over a million bucks! How are you going to pay for that, huh?” “Hilarious! With her salary, she’ll never be able to pay that off, even if she worked her whole life!” The office burst into laughter, Brenda practically crying with mirth. Ashley looked incredibly pleased. “Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you commoners. Just apologize to me. Kneel before me, sincerely, and say you’re sorry. Then we’ll let this go.” I was so infuriated I almost laughed. I pulled out my phone and transferred a few hundred bucks to her. “This cheap knockoff of yours? You think I need to work my whole life to pay for *that*?” Brenda got even more hyped. “Are you saying our Mrs. Sterling is wearing a fake? You bumpkin, have you ever even seen real luxury?” “Our Mrs. Sterling is Mr. Sterling’s wife! You know Mr. Sterling, right? He’s not just our company’s CEO, he’s the richest man in Westport!” I tugged on Ashley’s dress hem, turning it over to examine. “The label’s all wrong, and you’re claiming it’s over a million?” Ashley visibly panicked, her eyes darting around. “What nonsense! How could *you* tell if it’s real just by looking?” Brenda pulled at the hem to see. “It *does* look a little different…” “But I remember fashion bloggers saying this year’s new logo has some variations, and Mrs. Sterling’s is the latest style, isn’t it?” I shook my head. “Fine. I’m not going to argue with you. If you really think I owe you that much, go ahead and take your dress to the police. I’m ready whenever you are.” “You!” Mr. Davies was about to argue further, but Ashley stopped him. “Forget it. I’m getting married in a few days, I don’t want this to spoil my mood. It’s not that much money anyway.” Immediately, everyone started praising Ashley, saying how beautiful and kind-hearted she was, just letting such a large sum go. It was truly laughable. She was clearly just guilty. Mr. Davies suddenly waved his hand, stopping everyone. “Everyone, listen up! Mr. Sterling’s wedding is in a few days. How about we all chip in a thousand bucks each, and our department can give Mr. and Mrs. Sterling a combined gift?” The office fell silent. No one wanted to fork over that kind of money. With salaries of only a few thousand bucks a month, after rent and commuting, there wasn’t much left. Now they had to give a gift to the boss? “What? You don’t want to?” “Of course not! I’ll go first!” Brenda was the most eager. “Mr. Davies, I just transferred it to you!” The remaining colleagues grudgingly coughed up the cash. Mr. Davies counted the people, then turned to me. “Chloe, what’s your deal? You’re the only one in the whole department who hasn’t paid up.” This was beyond ridiculous! “It’s *my* wedding, so I guess I don’t need to contribute to the gift, right?” Chapter
Mr. Davies roared with laughter, practically doubled over, tears streaming down his face. “Open your eyes! Mrs. Sterling is right here! How dare you impersonate her?!” “Are you sure *I’m* the one impersonating her?” I gave them one last chance. Ashley chuckled, coming over to pat my shoulder. “Chloe, I know you’ve always envied me since high school. Envied my good grades, how many guys chased me, and now you envy me marrying into wealth and living a rich life.” “But you can’t just claim *you’re* marrying Julian Sterling, can you?” I scoffed. “Did you even check? How do you know it’s not me?” Ashley froze for a few seconds, but Brenda jumped in before her. “Everyone knows Mr. Sterling’s wife is the heiress of the Sterling family!” Ashley quickly caught on. “Exactly! I’m the only one here named Sterling, so what do you think?” They didn’t know that I had taken my mother’s maiden name. My father’s actual surname *is* Sterling. But these people were so convinced by Ashley, it was useless to argue. She wanted to impersonate me, right? Then she only had herself to blame for what happened next. “Since you’re all giving such a generous gift, and you’re so close to ‘Mrs. Sterling,’ shouldn’t you all be invited to Mr. Sterling’s wedding?” A few people looked expectantly at Ashley, waiting for her to speak. A forced smile appeared on her face. “How about you just give me the cash gifts directly? You know, the Sterling family’s banquet isn’t ordinary. The number of guests and tables are all pre-arranged. So, here’s what we’ll do: I’ll treat you all to dinner separately next time.” I scoffed loudly. “The Sterling family can’t afford an extra table?” Ashley gnawed on her lip, trying to think of an excuse. “What do you know? Mr. Sterling and Mrs. Sterling are busy enough. We don’t want to cause them any more trouble. So, we’ll just have dinner together next time.” After she spoke, Brenda looked at Ashley like a fawning puppy, waiting for her praise. Ashley beamed with satisfaction. “See? Brenda gets it.” Fine, let her keep up the charade. After work, I turned around and sent wedding invitations to every single colleague in the department. I couldn’t wait to see their expressions when they saw *me* standing beside Julian Sterling as the bride. On the wedding day, I was resting in the bridal suite when the door suddenly burst open. Mr. Davies and Brenda stormed in. “Chloe? You didn’t even contribute to the gift, and you dare to show up?!” I popped a snack into my mouth. “It’s *my* wedding. If I don’t show up, who’s Julian Sterling going to marry?” Mr. Davies sighed in exasperation. “Seriously, what did I do to deserve a delusional fangirl like you in my department?” “Delusional? Me? Don’t you want to take a good look at the wedding setup in the main hall?…” “And she’s even wearing a wedding gown! If you’re not delusional, who is?! We’ve seen plenty of women like you, fantasizing about marrying Mr. Sterling!” Brenda cut me off. I truly marveled at their imagination. Mr. Davies waved his hand at me. “Hurry up, before anyone sees, take off that wedding dress.” “Exactly! Wearing a wedding dress, trying to steal the spotlight… Are you trying to get our entire department fired?!” I was about to say something when I saw Ashley walk in. Brenda immediately ran to her to complain. “Ma’am! Look, Chloe is insane! She actually dared to wear a wedding dress to your and Mr. Sterling’s wedding!” Chapter
“Ma’am, we didn’t let her go out. The VIPs outside haven’t seen her. Please, please, don’t tell Mr. Sterling.” Ashley crossed her arms, scanning me up and down. “Chloe, I knew you were always trying to compete with me. Turns out you were eyeing my husband all along.” I countered, “Ma’am, isn’t it *your* wedding today? What, did Mr. Sterling and the Sterling family not prepare a couture gown for you?” “I, I was just coming for my hair and makeup, wasn’t I?” Ashley stammered. “Everyone, come with me. There are no more private rooms at the Grand Imperial Hotel. I’ve arranged for everyone to have a meal at the hotel next door. Let’s all go there. Especially you, Chloe, don’t cause any more trouble here.” Ashley was clearly feeling guilty. She was afraid things would get out of hand, so she wanted to get these people out of there quickly. “Since we’re already here, why don’t you go say hello to Mr. Sterling?” I asked. Ashley grew agitated. “My husband is very busy! Let’s go, now!” Seeing her anxious made me want to laugh. “What are you laughing at?! We haven’t dealt with you yet! Ma’am, we can’t let her walk out dressed like this. How about we just strip her of that wedding dress?” Brenda suggested. “You wouldn’t dare.” “What wouldn’t I dare do?! If Mr. Sterling sees this, our entire department will be in big trouble!” Brenda said, then lunged at me, trying to pull off my headpiece. My golden tiara was brutally yanked off, my scalp stinging with pain. “Brenda, are you crazy?! I told you this is *my* wedding! Ashley is a fraud, *I* am…” I didn’t even finish my sentence when Ashley slapped me. “You’re right! Strip her of that wedding dress, and then throw her out!” At her words, Mr. Davies’ repulsive gaze lingered on me, full of malicious intent and offense. I recoiled, trying to warn him off with my eyes, but he showed no sign of stopping. “The lady’s orders, I have to obey them, don’t I? Who told you to wear a wedding dress to your doom?” My mind raced, frantically trying to figure out how to escape this terrible situation. I wanted to scream for help, but Mr. Davies quickly covered my mouth, holding it shut. “Go ahead and scream! Everyone here works for the lady. Who’s going to help you? You might as well just take off your clothes quietly!” As he spoke, he reached for my waist. The wedding dress was strapless, easily torn off. I clung to it with all my might, struggling desperately to break free, but the strength difference was too great. I was pinned to the ground, unmoving. Just then, the bridal suite door opened again. “Ma’am, your…” Mrs. Miller saw the scene and dropped the tray she was carrying with a clatter. I saw my savior and screamed at her, “Mrs. Miller, tell them who the *real* Mrs. Sterling is!” Brenda laughed. “Does she even need to ask? I think you’ve lost your mind! Mrs. Miller, this lowlife dared to wear a wedding dress and cause trouble. Just tell her who the *real* Mrs. Sterling is, and make her give up!” “Exactly! This person has been causing trouble for our Mrs. Sterling at the company. We absolutely cannot let her off today!” Mrs. Miller stood there, her eyes darting back and forth between me and Ashley. She looked at Ashley, as if she were afraid of something. Chapter “Mrs. Miller, I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Today is my wedding, and I’ll be taking these colleagues to another hotel in a moment.” Mrs. Miller bit her lip, her eyes on me filled with a strange mix of confusion, guilt, and reluctance.
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