Don't Mess With The Billionaire's Secret Sister

Ethan started dating a luxury boutique sales associate. Victoria wanted me to check her out beforehand. Over the weekend, I stopped by the high-end boutique where Ethan's girlfriend worked. I barely looked at two items before a sales associate blocked my path in disgust. "Don't touch if you're not buying. You can't afford to ruin it." "This is a designer boutique, not a flea market. Anyone thinks they can just walk in." Embarrassed, I was about to leave when Ethan's girlfriend, Jasmine, stepped in front of me. "A brooch just went missing. I suspect you stole it." "Young and already a thief. Do your parents know what you do?" I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan right away. "Ethan, your girlfriend is accusing me of stealing." "If Victoria finds out, she'll never let her set foot in our family!" The call didn't go through; Ethan was probably in a meeting. My call went straight to his voicemail. Hearing what I said, Jasmine exchanged a look with another sales clerk, Fiona, and burst out laughing. "Jasmine, she's really putting on a show!" "Faking a connection is one thing, but claiming to be Mr. Sterling's sister? Everyone knows you're his real girlfriend!" Jasmine sneered and reached out to snatch my phone. I stepped back quickly. She lunged forward, digging her fingers into my wrist. Her sharp acrylics sank into my flesh, making me gasp in pain. "Still trying to play the part? I deal with girls like you all the time." "You pretend to browse, swipe a small accessory when no one's looking, and drop names the second you're caught!" I shook my head. "I didn't steal anything, and I never would!" Jasmine looked me up and down. "Whether you stole it or not, a search will tell." I struggled to pull away. "No!" Fiona chimed in immediately. "What are you scared of if you're innocent? Open your bag and show us." "People always talk tough until the evidence comes out." Watching them play tag team, I finally understood why Victoria wanted me to scope her out first. Jasmine was undeniably gorgeous, and she knew how to play her cards right. Around Ethan, she was probably sweet, considerate, and gentle. Yet standing before a plain-dressed, seemingly ordinary girl, she could barely hide the raw contempt in her eyes. It was an ingrained habit of looking down on people. There was no way I would ever accept her into our family. Not wanting to waste any more time, I slipped off my canvas tote and dumped its contents onto the glass counter. Keys, tissues, lip balm, student ID, a dog-eared paperback, and a box of stomach medication Victoria had slipped into my bag this morning. Nothing else. "See? No brooch." Fiona frowned. Jasmine froze for a second. Instead of apologizing, her expression turned even colder. "Just because it's not in your bag doesn't mean it's not on you." My heart dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?" Jasmine crossed her arms, raking her eyes over me in a way that made my skin crawl. "That brooch is worth forty thousand dollars." She spoke slowly. "You walked through the display area, and you were in a hurry to leave right after it disappeared. You have to submit to a search." I countered, "I wanted to leave because your clerk insulted me!" Fiona raised her voice. "Insulted you? We just told you not to touch things." "Don't blame us for being sensitive." "Can't afford it and can't handle the truth?" A crowd had already gathered. Some raised their phones to film, while others whispered among themselves. "Did she steal something?" "She looks so young." "Girls these days are bold, shoplifting in a luxury store." "Forty grand? That's felony grand larceny."Listening to the murmurs, my hands curled into tight fists. Our parents died in a car crash when we were very young. Ethan was only two years older than me, and it was Victoria who raised both of us. Back then, the thing Victoria dreaded most was seeing me wronged. In elementary school, a classmate mocked me for being an orphan. The next day, Victoria showed up at school in her faded uniform, holding my hand, demanding to see the teacher and the boy's parents. "My sister may not have parents, but she has someone who loves her." "If anyone ever talks to her like that again, I'll make sure they regret it!" After that, no one ever dared say those words to my face. Yet now, trapped under the glaring lights of this boutique, facing the judgment of strangers, that familiar feeling of helplessness came rushing back. Holding the phone she had snatched from my hand, Jasmine shouted, "Get security over here!" I stiffened. "What are you doing?" Jasmine said flatly, "Since you refuse to cooperate, security will handle it." I turned to leave. Fiona blocked the door and shoved me back. "Think you can run after stealing?" I stumbled, my lower back slamming hard against the display case. The sharp pain made my vision blur. Fighting the pain, I looked up at her. "I told you, I didn't steal anything!" Jasmine scoffed. "If you didn't, why run?" Two burly security guards arrived in no time. "What's going on here?" Jasmine walked over, sighed, and pointed at me. "Our boutique is missing a high-jewelry brooch." "This young lady was in the display section. She refuses to cooperate with a check and tried to make a run for it." I spoke up immediately. "I didn't refuse to cooperate!" "I emptied my bag for them to see." "They have zero proof, yet they want to strip-search me." The guards hesitated. After all, this was a high-end luxury mall, not a place where they could just roughhouse anyone. Fiona pressed them. "Officers, hurry up and search her." "That's forty grand! We could work a whole year and not cover that loss." "If she's innocent, what's she hiding?" Ignoring them, I told the guards, "I want to call the police." "No one touches me until the cops get here." At that, Jasmine's face darkened completely. "Call the cops? You think I'm scared?" "When the police show up and find it on you, you'll be facing criminal charges." She turned to the guards. "Search her." The guards still hesitated. Jasmine pulled rank as the assistant manager. "Search her! I'll take full responsibility!" "If that brooch isn't found, everyone on shift takes the blame." "Besides, I have dinner with my boyfriend tonight, and I don't have time to waste." Everyone knew her boyfriend was loaded—the heir to the Sterling Group. Not wanting to cross her, the guards moved toward me. Two men grabbed my arms. I fought back with everything I had. "Let go of me!" "This is illegal!" Nobody listened. Fiona stepped in, yanking my jacket off my shoulders. With both arms pinned, I couldn't stop her. My jacket was ripped away, and Jasmine shook it out violently. Nothing. Her eyes locked onto my hoodie pockets. "Take it off!"I gritted my teeth. "Jasmine, do you have any idea who I am?!" "Touch me again, and you'll regret this for the rest of your life!" Enraged, Jasmine swung her hand and slapped me across the face. My ears rang with a deafening crack. My head snapped to the side, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Gasps rippled through the crowd. "Did she just hit her?" "Isn't that taking it too far?" Jasmine's eyes welled with tears instantly, her voice trembling. "She stole from us and won't admit it." "I'm just trying to recover the store's property. What did I do wrong?" With a few tears, she flipped the script and became the victim. The bystanders fell silent. Someone even murmured, "Retail workers have it rough." "It's forty grand. Anyone would panic." It was sickening. Just because she cried, she had the right to hurt me. Just because she claimed to be stressed, I deserved to be humiliated. Jasmine glared at me, hissing, "Take off the hoodie. Search her underwear too!" I snapped my head up. "Are you insane?!" Her voice was ice-cold. "A brooch is small. It could be hidden anywhere." Emboldened, Fiona reached for my hem. "Exactly. What if she stuffed it in her bra?" My blood ran cold. This wasn't about finding the brooch. They wanted to destroy me. They wanted to strip away every shred of my dignity and grind it into the dirt. I thrashed against them frantically. "Get off me!" "Don't touch me!" "I'm Ethan Sterling's sister!" Smack! Jasmine struck me again, even harder than before. My face burned, my vision spun, and my knees nearly gave out. She pointed at me, shrieking, "You dare pretend to be Ethan's sister? Who do you think you are?!" "Hold her down!" "Nobody leaves until we check everything!" They pinned me again. My arms were twisted behind my back, a searing pain shooting through my shoulders as cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance. Someone whispered in shock, "Ms. Sterling is here." "Which Ms. Sterling?" "Who else? Victoria Sterling." Jasmine's face froze. Through my tangled hair and the boutique's glass walls, I saw Victoria walking in. She wore a tailored black suit, her hair pinned up, flanked by her assistant and bodyguards. Jasmine clearly recognized her. The woman who had just been acting like a ruthless tyrant suddenly went pale as a sheet. Realizing what was happening, she gave the security guards a frantic look. "What are you standing around for? Drag her to the back!" My chest tightened. "Victoria!" Before another sound could leave my lips, Fiona clamped a hand over my mouth. The two guards dragged me toward the back room. I dragged my heels across the marble floor, leaving screeching marks. Victoria's eyes scanned the room. Jasmine rushed over to block her line of sight, forcing a fawning smile onto her face. "Ms. Sterling! What a wonderful surprise to see you here today." "Ethan mentioned yesterday that he was going to take me to dinner with you tonight." Victoria's gaze fell on the glass counter—at the canvas tote and the familiar box of stomach medicine. She froze. That was... Jasmine hurried to explain, "We had a small incident in the store. Please excuse the mess." Victoria's brow furrowed. "Where is she?" Jasmine blinked. "Who?" Victoria looked directly at her. Her gaze was chilling, dangerous, vibrating with suppressed fury. "My sister."