My boyfriend, Austin Carter, had a female childhood friend he grew up with. On his birthday, I rushed back from a business trip just to celebrate with him. She looked me up and down, letting out a sharp scoff. "I’ve seen plenty of girls like her. Straight out of some cheap socialite boot camp!" "They target rich guys like you, Austin. She’s probably memorized all your likes and dislikes. This whole relationship? A tailor-made trap!" Hearing this, I smirked. She was only half right. I was indeed a high-society heiress. But Austin? He wasn't worth the effort of a "tailor-made" trap. I walked over, sat directly opposite her, and sneered, "And which Madame trained you, then? You seem to know an awful lot about that industry." Hearing this, she grabbed Austin’s arm, whining, "Austin, I told you we shouldn't have invited her! But you insisted I help you check her out!" Austin glared at me, his eyes cold and stern. "Chloe, that’s out of line!" I couldn't believe my ears. It wasn't out of line when she insulted me, but the moment I fought back, I was the bad guy? "Austin, did you leave your brain at home today?" "You asked her to 'check me out'? What, is there something about me you don't know that you need her as your consultant?" Austin stood up, his voice dripping with disappointment. "Chloe, stop pretending. Tell me, where did all your designer clothes come from? And that luxury car you drive—the one you swap out every few weeks? Where did you get the money for that?" "You told me your family was in business, ranked in the top three of the city's wealthiest. But guess what? There’s no one named 'Sterling' on that billionaire list!" "Chloe, you've disappointed me so much." With every word he spoke, my fists clenched tighter. But when he mentioned that there was no "Sterling" on the billionaire list, I almost burst out laughing. I took my mother’s last name. Is that a crime? Ashley Vance, his little green-tea bestie, sighed dramatically. "Austin, forget it. It's good you saw her true colors early. Some gold diggers just don't know their place." I raised an eyebrow. "Gold digger?" Austin cleared his throat. "Alright, Chloe. Now that we’ve exposed you, stop acting. Today is my birthday. Don't make a scene." "Make a scene? Austin, I cut my business trip short and flew back just to celebrate with you, and you bring this toxic snake to slander me?" "I must have been blind to ever date you. You really think you're something, don't you?" Before he could reply, I grabbed my wine glass and splashed the red wine right in his face! "You want a scene? I'll give you one. And remember—I'm dumping you!" Ashley screamed in horror. "How dare you splash him!" "Oh right, I almost forgot about you!" Before she could react, I swung my arm and delivered a harsh, echoing slap right across her face! Then, I grabbed her jaw, forcing her mouth open, and poured a dirty glass of ashtray water right down her throat! "Clean your mouth out. It reeks, and I wouldn't want it ruining your precious Austin's night." Ignoring her gagging and hysterical screams behind me, I slammed the door and walked out. In my world, Chloe Sterling never wastes time arguing. If I can swing a punch, I do. Otherwise, a loser like Austin would have never gotten a chance with me in the first place. On my drive back, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Austin: "Chloe, you've gone too far! Ashley is calling the cops. Just you wait!" I let out a cold laugh. Did he really think I was afraid of the police? What a coincidence. I was going to report them too. Slander has consequences. I spun the steering wheel and drove straight to the police station. As soon as I walked in, I saw Ashley. Her face was swollen, tears welling in her eyes as she hid behind Austin. Seeing me, she whimpered, "Chloe, physical violence is wrong. I only pointed out the truth. You are psycho!" The officer nearby turned to me. "Ms. Sterling, this lady is filing a report against you for assault." "I did it. I hit her," I admitted outright. "But..." I paused, pulling out my phone. "...it was with provocation. She defamed me and tried to seduce my boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now. That's why I reacted." I pressed play, and Ashley's voice from the VIP room echoed through the station. "She claims I went to a 'socialite boot camp.' Unless she can present solid proof, I will be suing her for defamation. Sure, I slapped her. At most, I'll pay a minor fine for a misdemeanor. But as for her swollen face? Who knows how many times she slapped herself to make it look worse for the cops." "Why don't we check the venue's security cameras?" Ashley's face paled instantly. "No! That's... that's not necessary. We're all friends here." She tugged at Austin's sleeve. "Austin, it's your birthday. It's all my fault we ended up at the police station." Austin’s expression softened immediately. "It’s not your fault, Ashley." He then looked at me coldly. "Chloe, Ashley is being generous enough not to press charges. Let’s just drop this."
"Drop this?" I sneered at her. "She might want to drop it, but I don’t! Slander and defamation—I’m taking this to court." "Then what the hell do you want?" Austin snapped. "A 3,000-word written public apology from her!" Ashley’s eyes flared with anger, but with Austin watching, she had to play the victim. She bit her lower lip, trembling. "Austin... I really didn't know speaking the truth would get me treated like this." I scoffed. "You better make sure it’s the truth before you open your mouth. You dragged me down in front of him just to get his attention, didn't you? What, every woman in the world is a gold digger except you?" Her body went rigid. She quickly deflected, "Austin, your girlfriend is just jealous!" Austin grabbed my wrist. "Enough, Chloe! She was just joking. We're all friends!" He turned to the officer. "Officer, I'm sorry. My girlfriend is just having a tantrum." Before I could speak, Austin clamped his hand over my mouth. "That's enough, Chloe. Stop embarrassing me. Fine, I'll make her apologize to you!" Ashley immediately bowed to me. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sterling. I just have a big mouth. Please don't be mad. It’s really bad of us to waste public resources over such a small thing." I couldn't take her fake, nauseating act anymore. I swung my studded handbag and whacked Austin right in the face. The sharp metal studs left a bright red scratch across his cheek. He went ballistic. "Chloe! Know your limits!" "Shut your mouth, you bastard!" I turned to the officer. "Officer, Ashley Vance intentionally fabricated and spread rumors to damage my reputation and character. Under state law, that constitutes criminal defamation. Am I correct?" Seeing that I knew my rights, the officer nodded. "Yes. Young lady, the demand for a written apology is very reasonable. Miss, you should write it. Defamation can lead to serious legal consequences." Ashley looked like she wanted to murder me, but she had no choice. I pointed at Austin. "This is between me and Ashley. I have the receipts. If you say one more word, I’ll have my lawyers charge you as an accomplice!" Austin was shaking with rage. "Chloe, you are completely delusional! Don't you dare come crawling back to me!" "We are broken up, Austin. Who the hell would crawl back to you?" He was speechless. A calculating gleam flashed in Ashley’s eyes before she quickly masked it with tears. Reluctantly, she sat down and wrote the apology. Once it was done, I took the police report and the signed apology, walked out, and slammed my foot on the gas pedal of my car. Since I had returned early, the expensive birthday gift I had bought for Austin was still in my bag. I immediately listed it on eBay, sold it within minutes, and called my friends out for drinks. When they heard I had broken up with Austin, they all laughed. "Chloe, stop playing!" "Everyone knows you treated him like a prince. Last time we said he was a jerk, you almost fought us. Now you're broken up?" "Give it two days, and you'll go crawling back to him once you calm down." I sighed. I couldn't believe they saw me as some desperate, lovesick girl. "I’m serious this time." "Well, Austin is hot," one of my friends shrugged. "Good looks are rare these days. It’s fine if he has an attitude. But if you really dumped him, please tell me you slept with him first. Otherwise, what a waste!" I shuddered at the thought. "Just thinking about him and his 'childhood bestie' makes me want to throw up. Sleep with him? I'd rather not catch an STD." My best friend burst out laughing. After a long night of drinking and two days of rest, I packed up everything Austin had ever given me and threw it in the trash. Finally, I opened my phone. The first thing that popped up on my feed was a cozy picture of Austin and Ashley together on Instagram. Childhood friends, my foot. They hooked up faster than a microwave meal. I was about to block them, but then I stopped. I’d keep them unblocked—for the free entertainment.
After sorting out my personal life, I headed to the Art Exhibition Center. My business trip had been to organize this very art exhibition, specifically to invite the world-renowned painter, Mr. Raymond, to the city. As the chief director of the project, I was overseeing the entire setup. Today was the grand opening, and visitors were already pouring in. I finally let out a breath of relief. But as I turned around, I ran straight into two very familiar, very annoying faces. Ashley was clinging to Austin’s arm, walking toward me. Talk about a small world. I looked Ashley up and down. In just three days, she had completely upgraded her wardrobe. She was covered in designer logos from head to toe, though all those luxury brands couldn't hide the cheap, manipulative scent rolling off her. Austin stepped up to me, a smug smirk on his face. "What's the matter, Chloe? Dumped me and couldn't wait to find another rich guy, so you sneaked into a high-end place like this?" "Can't you have some self-respect? Do you really have to be a gold digger?" To him, I was just a girl wearing fake designer clothes. He assumed I was here to hunt for a sugar daddy. I chuckled. "To be fair, I couldn't 'dig' anything out of you anyway. With your net worth, buying me a single bag almost gave you a heart attack. Now that you have a new girlfriend, try not to be so cheap." His face darkened instantly. "So you admit it! You're just a gold digger. Everyone attending this exhibition today is from high society. Are you trying to bag a billionaire?" Ashley chimed in, her voice dripping with mock pity. "Ms. Sterling, as a fellow woman, you are an embarrassment to our gender. Trying to stage an 'accidental meeting' here is just pathetic." "Now that you've lost Austin, you'll never find a man as good as him. Do you really think these billionaires are stupid? Why would they ever look at a cheap girl like you?" She raised her voice, deliberately drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd. Austin wrapped his arm around her waist, looking down at me. "Chloe, if you don't want to ruin your reputation even more, get the hell out of here. It won’t look good when security drags you out." I almost laughed. "And who are you to tell me to leave?" "Based on the fact that we were invited," Austin sneered, pulling out an elegant invitation card. "Do you even have one of these?" Ashley smirked. "Yeah, do you? This is an exclusive invitation. Hand-written by the eldest daughter of the Harrison family—the richest family in the city. Do you have one?" Hearing this, I remembered. When we were preparing for the exhibition, I had indeed hand-written a few invitations because my assistant was overwhelmed. Later, I got too tired and stopped. I didn't expect one of those rare hand-written invitations to end up in his hands. It must have been a mistake by the PR department. The crowd began whispering, looking at Austin with admiration. "To receive a hand-written invitation from Ms. Harrison herself... Mr. Carter must be someone truly special." "If that girl doesn't have an invitation, security should throw her out. She's obviously here with bad intentions." "She thinks she can get away with anything just because she has a pretty face." Austin glared at me. "Chloe, get lost! This is a high-end art gallery, not a place for trash like you." "Just wait until the museum director gets here. Let's see how tough you act then!" Right on cue, Director Jenkins walked over in a hurry. Seeing the crowd gathered, he frowned, and his eyes landed on me. He froze. Ashley immediately pointed at me. "Director Jenkins! This girl is a gold digger who sneaked in to harass the guests. Please have security throw her out so she doesn't ruin the experience for everyone else!" Others joined in. "Yes! She looks decent, but her morals are trash!" "How did someone like her even get past the door?" "She's an eyesore!" I scoffed. "Throw me out? You blind fools wouldn't know class if it hit you in the face." The crowd gasped in outrage, demanding the guards remove me. But Director Jenkins stepped forward, his voice booming over the chatter. "Silence! Ms. Sterling is the chief director and organizer of this entire exhibition! Without her, none of you would even be standing here looking at Mr. Raymond's masterpieces!" The gallery fell into a dead silence. Ashley's eyes widened in shock, and she shrieked, "I wondered why you were so confident, Chloe! You must be sleeping with the Director and Mr. Raymond!" "Wow, Chloe. You must be really busy serving both of them!" Her eyes were filled with pure jealousy and malice. I smiled coldly. "I am busy. But I always have time to slap a bitch." "SMACK!" An incredibly loud slap echoed through the entire gallery. Ashley’s scream pierced the air!
Before she could even start cursing, I swung my hand back and delivered another brutal slap. Both of her cheeks instantly turned a violent red. Austin tried to lung at me, but the security guards tackled him to the ground immediately. I pulled out a silk handkerchief, calmly wiping my hands as I looked around the room. My voice was ice-cold. "You people really never learn, do you?" "Ashley, the last time you slandered me, the police made you write a 3,000-word apology. Yet, here you are again. Let me educate you on the law. If someone repeatedly and intentionally defames another person, the court doesn't allow out-of-court settlements. You'll be facing real jail time. Still want to keep talking?" Ashley trembled, her mouth hanging open but no words coming out. Director Jenkins was furious. "I have worked for the Harrison Group my entire life, and I have never been so insulted!" "I will not let this slide. You, and you—for accusing me of having an affair with Ms. Sterling, my lawyers will be contacting you. Security, drag them out!" The guards immediately grabbed Austin and Ashley, dragging them toward the exit. Austin screamed like a wild animal. "Chloe! You bitch! How dare you lay a hand on her! Just you wait!" I scoffed. "Wait? You aren't even worth my time." I turned back to the guests who had joined in on the insults. "As for the rest of you, I’ve memorized your faces. The Harrison Group's legal team will be sending you letters shortly." "And anyone who spoke ill of me today—your companies will never, ever partner with the Harrison Group again." The crowd gasped, utterly terrified. I nodded to Director Jenkins and turned to leave. Behind me, whispers broke out: "Who is she? How can she be so powerful?" "What is her relationship with the Harrison Group?" "Wait... she looks familiar. Isn't she the heiress of the Harrison Group?" "But her last name is Sterling!" "You idiot, she took her mother’s maiden name! Helena Sterling!" The regrets and groans behind me were satisfying, but it was already too late. Once outside, Austin and Ashley were nowhere to be seen. I smiled coldly. This was far from over. Later that evening, Mr. Raymond sent me a text asking if I was alright. He had heard about the incident. I apologized profusely and assured him everything was under control. I couldn't believe those two idiots had brought their drama in front of him. And of course, Ashley wasn't done. The next day, she tried to start a smear campaign against me on TikTok. She posted a video of herself crying to the camera, claiming she was a victim of bullying. She even hinted that I was a home-wrecker. "I was at the New World Art Center, and I experienced the most humiliating moment of my life. I simply pointed out her true colors, and she had me assaulted and thrown out!" "As a woman, I’ve always believed in female empowerment. I only advised her not to be a gold digger. But what did she do? She seduced my boyfriend, and when I confronted her, she beat me!" "We are both women, yet your actions are an embarrassment to our entire gender!" Using the banner of "female empowerment," she whipped up a massive wave of outrage online. She painted me as a gold-digger who went to a socialite boot camp, a girl wearing fake luxury items who specifically targeted wealthy men. With Austin backing her up and posting old photos of "their beautiful memories," the video went viral. They leaked my name, and within hours, my social media was flooded with hate. However, they hadn't managed to dig up my real identity. To the internet, I was just a nameless high-class escort. I compiled all the screenshots and handed them straight to my family's lawyers. When my parents saw the news, they were furious. They demanded to handle it, but I told them I wanted to settle this myself. First, I had Ashley’s TikTok account permanently banned. Then, I pulled every single corporate contract and partnership Austin’s company had with the Harrison Group.
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