Chapter 1

I had just stepped out of my brother's brand-new luxury grocery store when the security alarm started blaring.

The store clerk, her face twisted in a scowl, grabbed my arm with a tight grip.

"Ma'am, you haven't paid for those items," she snapped.

I realized my bra clasp was likely metal and had triggered the sensor. I tried to explain calmly, hoping to lighten the mood.

"The owner of this place is my brother," I said with a small smile. "He'll take care of the bill."

The clerk let out a cold, mocking laugh. "The owner is your brother? Why don't you just say he's your husband while you're at it?"

"You're a thief and a liar. Pay up right now, or I'm calling the cops!"

She crumpled a receipt into a ball and threw it hard, right into my face.

I winced at the sting and smoothed out the paper. A single baby pacifier was listed at ten thousand dollars.

Two packs of baby wipes were twenty thousand.

A security 'inconvenience fee' was another thirty thousand.

With all the miscellaneous charges, the total came to exactly one hundred thousand dollars.

I laughed out of sheer anger. "A hundred thousand? This is highway robbery!"

"Go get Sterling Vance out here right now. I want to see when my brother turned into such a shark."

She rolled her eyes. "If you're too broke to pay, stop acting like a big shot. Mr. Vance doesn't have time for trash like you."

I pulled out my phone and dialed home immediately.

"Mom, Dad, tell Sterling something for me," I hissed into the receiver.

"In this family, it's either her or me. Pick one."

1

"Ma'am, please pay the bill and stop wasting everyone's time."

The clerk's face was dark with annoyance. She held my arm with one hand and kept the other hovering over the alarm.

She looked ready to call the police the second I moved.

The crowd gathered around us, whispering and calling me a thief.

I had explained myself three times already and was officially out of patience. Just as I was about to call my parents again, a large hand slapped the phone out of my grip.

"Look at this!" the clerk shouted to the onlookers. "This woman steals from the store and then tries to call for backup!"

My phone hit the floor and shattered into pieces. I gritted my teeth, forcing back my rage as I spoke in a low, dangerous voice.

"I am going to tell you one last time. My name is Skylar Vance. The owner of this store, Sterling Vance, is my brother."

"He posts photos of me on his social media all the time. Just open your app and look for yourself."

I expected her to back off after that.

Instead, her expression grew even more twisted. She let out an exaggerated gasp.

She turned to the crowd, mocking me openly.

"The nerve of some people! You think knowing my boss's name makes you his sister? I know who Elon Musk is, does that make me his wife?"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Older men and women shook their heads at me in disgust.

"Too young to be such a dedicated thief," someone muttered.

"Look at how she's dressed. She's probably selling herself on the side," another whispered.

"Kids these days have no shame. If she were my daughter, I'd disown her on the spot."

I stood there, face burning with humiliation as the insults rained down. I opened my mouth to fight back.

Suddenly, the clerk lunged forward and jerked me toward her. Her voice was a venomous whisper in my ear.

"Sister? That's hilarious. Since when do side-pieces get so bold?"

"Sterling sends you ten thousand dollars every month, and you actually take it? That's our community property!"

"You little brat, I'm going to make sure you spit out every cent you took."

I froze, my eyes dropping to the name tag on her chest. It read: Jade Thorne.

A wave of realization hit me. This was the girl Sterling had been dating against our parents' wishes.

He was so worried about her fragile ego that he had been pretending to be poor just to be with her.

I never imagined his 'self-made' girlfriend would be this vicious.

She wasn't just accusing me of theft; she was trying to ruin me for a hundred thousand dollars.

Jade saw my silence as a sign of guilt. Her smile widened into something triumphant.

She barked an order to the security guards.

"Lock this thief in the back room! We'll let the cops deal with her when they get here!"