They Framed Me, I Revealed My True Identity

Chapter 2

One million? I had supposedly stolen half a million, but now I had to pay back a full million?

Nice setup.

Eve pulled a printed agreement from her limited-edition bag. Clearly, she had come prepared.

Then she shoved the pen and papers into my hands.

She said with a sweet smile, "Just sign it, Serena. Don't worry. I'll take very good care of those Hollywood stars and rich wives for you.

"After all, our most important clients shouldn't be handled by someone with sticky fingers, right?"

I glanced over the agreement.

They wanted me to hand over every client contact and the full VIP schedule for free.

Lucas's assistant moved fast. Before I even finished reading, all my internal accounts were shut down remotely. My office access was cut off too.

I rolled the pen between my fingers.

"These old-money ladies aren't exactly easy to please," I said. "Are you sure you can handle them?"

Eve rolled her eyes and let out a snort. "Oh, save the concern. You really think you're some one-of-a-kind cash cow? They come here for the name. The number one clinic in Mantuis. I already know all your sales lines by heart. And a thief doesn't get to make demands."

Fine. Then they could have it.

I signed my name without a second of hesitation.

The pen scratched across the paper.

It was an ending, but also the start of a countdown.

Then I pulled a silver USB drive from my pocket and placed it in Eve's palm.

I said, "Bonus gift. Private direct numbers for eight top-tier socialites."

I paused and looked her in the eye. "One more thing. Those women have a lot of rules during treatment. Get the water temperature off by one degree, and they'll flip the table. Read the notes twice."

Eve closed her fist around the USB drive like she was afraid I might take it back.

Then she laughed. "I'll handle that."

A flash of contempt crossed Lucas' face when he saw I was so cooperative.

He said, "At least you know when to back down. Go to the cleaning room and get your uniform."

I didn't even take off my white coat. I simply turned and walked out of the conference room.

Behind me, their laughter followed.

I pushed open the door to the cleaning room and tossed my white coat straight into the trash.

Then I took out my private backup phone and called the Zebrilynss headquarters.

I instructed, "Freeze all equipment distribution rights for the Mantuis clinic.

"Cut off their special supply of core ingredients too."

The CEO on the other end answered without hesitation, "Understood, Madam. The orders are already in effect."

I changed into the dull gray cleaning uniform.

The real show had only just begun.

At two in the afternoon, I had barely picked up the mop when the metal door of the cleaning room was kicked open from the outside.

It slammed into the wall with a loud bang.

Eve walked in with two newly hired security guards behind her.

The guards were carrying several beat-up cardboard boxes.

One of them loosened his grip, and everything inside spilled across the floor.

They were my personal things from my private office.

A cup rolled out from the mess.

It was the graduation gift Dr. White had given me years ago.

The cup hit the floor and shattered.

Pieces of white porcelain were scattered across the concrete.

Eve stood over it in her red-soled heels, grinding one of the broken pieces beneath her shoe. The scraping sound echoed through the small room.

"Oh no," she said, covering her mouth with fake surprise. "It slipped and dropped."

She was enjoying every second of it.

Her makeup was so heavy that when she smiled, her eyeliner practically bunched together.

Then she nudged a folder on the floor with the tip of her shoe. "Clean this junk up. The medical waste storage area on the second underground is overflowing again. Go deal with it. And if you don't finish, we'll dock your pay."

I looked at her cramped, reddened toes squeezed into those expensive heels and tightened my grip on the mop handle.

I simply said, "OK."

Then I turned around and headed for the underground.

The ventilation system on the second underground floor had been falling apart for years.

The farther down the hallway I went, the worse the smell became.

I pushed a rusty metal cart through the storage area and sorted medical trash like used bandages, expired medication, and contaminated supplies into yellow disposal bags.

A nearby break room door was cracked open.

Inside, two nurses were chatting while eating snacks.

"Eve is really living the dream now."

"No kidding. The director booked a three-star Michelin place for her tonight. Do you know how hard those reservations are to get? She has all the VIP client files now. She's basically the assistant director already."

"Yeah, she climbed that ladder fast."

I stopped sorting for a moment.

Then I pulled off one of my rubber gloves and took out my backup phone.

A few taps later, an encrypted cloud drive opened on the screen.

Inside sat a collection of documents that nobody else in the building knew existed: the property deed for the entire building and the exclusive distribution agreements for all 135 imported medical devices inside the clinic.

Three years earlier, Lucas had almost lost his medical license.

When tax investigators started asking questions, I had stepped in and protected him.

To keep the clinic safe, every major asset had been transferred into my name.

This so-called number one aesthetic clinic in Mantuis didn't own much of anything.

Even the toilet seats in the employee bathrooms legally belonged to me.

I gathered the files and sent them to my private legal team, along with a short message.

"Get ready for a full asset liquidation. Wait for my signal."

The reply came back almost instantly. "Understood, Madam. Should we leave them at least enough money to buy underwear?"