The Heiress They Never Saw Coming

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The moment the meeting ended, I knew this thirty-million-dollar deal was in the bag.

I had just closed my laptop when my supervisor, Miranda Hayes, walked over with her arms crossed. She looked me up and down, her tone dripping with mockery.

Nice choice of dress. But I think educated women like us shouldn't submit to beauty standards.

I froze for a moment, then explained, "We were hosting an important client. Dressing appropriately is basic respect, isn't it? Besides, the proposal itself is what really matters."

She immediately raised her voice so the entire department could hear: "Respect? The client's a man, and you're the only woman in the room wearing a dress. Isn't your intention obvious? Stop catering to men! Wake up!"

One of the male colleagues tried to smooth things over. "Miranda, that's too much. She really did well in the presentation today..."

She immediately cut him off. "Of course you men would defend her! She's a classic case of being disciplined without even realizing it, thinking she's so professional and dedicated!"

"If we professional women want respect, we need to break free from this mindset first."

"Next time, I suggest you come bare-faced and let your ability speak for itself. Don't embarrass the rest of us women."

......

When you're utterly speechless, you really can't help but laugh out loud.

I had simply put on light makeup and worn an appropriate dress, yet somehow I was being labeled with all these accusations.

"Miranda, you should really spend less time scrolling through social media. Just because someone feeds you content doesn't mean you should swallow it whole. Do you even actually know what the term 'disciplined thinking' means?"

"Your binary, single-track mindset is what really needs some training."

Her face instantly turned red. She'd probably never been talked back to by a subordinate in public before.

"Jane! How dare you speak to me like that?!" She slammed the table, her finger almost poking my nose. "I'm your superior! Do you have any sense of propriety?!"

I didn't back down an inch, throwing her own words right back at her. "Propriety? Weren't you just saying we should let our abilities do the talking? I just closed a deal. Let me see your abilities?"

She was just a parachute manager with no real competence.

She flew into a rage and swung her hand toward my face.

I didn't react in time. My cheek stung with burning pain.

After hitting me, she seemed to regain her confidence, breathing heavily as she shouted.

"Let me tell you something, Jane! I know you're capable! But everyone knows how you got those abilities!"

"Right now, in this company, I am your superior! You need to learn respect! Don't think that just because you can seduce men with that face and land some small projects, you can throw your weight around here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several colleagues who had always been jealous of my better performance immediately crowded around, chiming in one after another.

"Capable? Who knows what kind of capability? Shady tactics will never be respectable."

"Dressing like thatwho are you trying to impress? Miranda is trying to save you. Don't be ungrateful."

"Exactly. We honest people earn our living with real skills, not by flirting. Why don't you thank Miranda?"

I covered my face, fury burning in my chest, about to lash back regardless of consequences.

The director grabbed my arm.

"Alright, alright, Jane, say no more! You worked hard today. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner to help you cool off!" He half-dragged me toward the cafeteria, lowering his voice.

"Why are you going head-to-head with her? She's Mr. Hayes's only daughter! We're just employeeswe can't afford to offend her!"

Mr. Hayes's daughter?

How come I didn't know my dad had given me such a sister?

But before I could say anything, the director had already pulled me to the employee cafeteria.

He kept rambling on about how I should just endure it for the sake of peace, while I mindlessly pushed the food around on my tray.

Just then, my phone buzzed. Messages in the company group chat were flooding the screen.

I opened the chat. The top few messages were photos and videos posted by Miranda!

She had actually gone to my desk while I was away.

In the photos were all my personal belongings:

A pair of stockings I'd just taken off to bring home and wash, high heels I kept at the office for emergencies, and my commonly used lipstick and perfume.

Then came a voice message from her, sickeningly affected, played on speaker.

"Everyone take a look! Our company must eliminate this kind of unhealthy atmosphere! We're banning behavior that sells one's body and appearance to please men! Things like lipstick, perfume, stockings... none of these should appear in the company anymore!"

"Today, I've confiscated some dirty items from a certain colleague. Following the principle of not being wasteful, I'm holding a little auction here!"

"Let's see if anyone's interested in our project goddess's personal items! Highest bidder wins!"

My stomach churned. I felt so sick I almost threw up the food I'd just eaten.

And there were actually sleazy men in the group responding, with bids popping up one after another.

I cursed under my breath, unable to take it anymore, and rushed back to the office.

When I reached my desk, the scene before me made my blood pressure spike even higher.

Miranda hadn't just gone through my storage lockershe was now going through my personal laptop.

"What are you doing?!" I rushed over and slammed the laptop screen shut. "This is my personal computer! It has my private information!"

Miranda jumped at my action, then raised her chin, looking self-righteous.

"What am I doing? Inspecting, of course! You use a computer at the company, so I need to check whether you've stolen company secrets or made deals with that project manager using company interests. After all, someone like you... who knows what you're capable of?"

I was shaking with anger, my fingers gripping the edge of the laptop tightly. I was about to argue when a male colleague wearing black-framed glasses shamelessly approached.

"Miranda, I'm here to pick up the stockings I bid on."

Miranda nodded knowingly, pulled out my stockings, and handed them to him.

"You look honest, but I didn't expect you'd be into this. Take them. Just transfer me the money."

"Miranda Hayes! What gives you the right to auction off my things! I'm not selling!"

"What gives me the right? Because these items that cater to men cannot appear in the company! I'm purifying the workplace environment!"

I was completely enraged and fired back. "Necessary attire is professional etiquette! Just because I dress appropriately and look presentable, that means I'm pandering to men? By your logic, when I wear a skirt, should I also wear bright red long underwear underneath to be considered proper?!"

My voice wasn't quiet, drawing whispers from colleagues who had been watching the show.

Some couldn't help but chuckle softly, clearly finding Miranda's behavior too absurd.

Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment, her eyes growing more vicious.

"Jane! Are you crazy? Believe it or not, I'll make sure you can't survive in this company!"

I didn't want to waste another word on her.

"Move. I need to get to work." I said coldly, reaching to close my laptop.

But she pressed down hard on the computer, her fingers rapidly scrolling through my SnapChat conversation interface.

"Work? Your work is having in-depth exchanges with CEOs from various companies on SnapChat, right?" Her voice was shrill, deliberately making sure everyone could hear.

"Come on, let me read a few lines for everyone to learn from!"

She cleared her throat, imitating an affected tone.

"'Mr. Hayes, thank you so much for today. I'd love to treat you to dinner sometime!' Look, a blatant invitation! Jane, don't you know this Mr. Hayes is a married man? His wife is famously fierce, and you still dare to throw yourself at him? You've got some nerve!"

I was almost amused by her stupidity. "It's just normal business courtesy. What else should I say?"

"Courtesy? Then look at this one!" She clicked open another chat window with the contact name "Old Hayes."

The conversation inside was indeed more casual, with me complaining about work being tiring and the other person reminding me to eat on time, the tone intimate.

"Oh my! You're even closer with this Old Hayes! Acting all sweet! Calling him 'Daddy'? How disgusting! What kind of fetish is this? Some rich old man must be keeping you! No wonder you get project after project. I bet your sugar daddy is this guy, right?"

Looking at her face twisted with jealousy, my inner mockery deepened.

Idiot, she can't even recognize my dad's SnapChat, yet she dares to call herself Mr. Hayes's daughter?

When I graduated, I made a bet with my old man that without using any of his connections, I'd join the company and close deals worth a hundred million dollars on my own merit, and then I could take over as general manager.

But I never expected that right before the finish line, I'd be humiliated like this by this clown who claims to be the chairman's daughter.

Fine, if you want to put on a show this badly, I'll play along to the end.

Let's see how much longer you can enjoy yourself.

Seeing that she had no intention of backing off and was instead escalating her invasion of my privacy, I completely lost patience.

I suddenly turned around, rushed directly into her office, grabbed her laptop, and returned.

"What are you doing! Put down my computer!" she shouted in panic.

I ignored her, my fingers randomly sliding across the touchpad.

Actually, I'd long heard rumors about Miranda's office affairs.

But everyone, out of deference to her position as supervisor, never mentioned it to her face.

I clicked open a hidden file. The next second, embarrassingly explicit moans and gasps streamed from the computer speakers.

"Is that voice Miranda's?"

"Playing it pretty wild, huh? Even filming yourself in the office as a keepsake?"

The surrounding colleagues instantly erupted in whispers.

Her face turned pale. She rushed over and snatched the computer, slamming it shut, shaking all over as she pointed at me.

"Jane! Stop framing me! I'm completely innocent! You must have just snuck in and copied that filth onto my computer!"

"The woman in that video is probably you! For projects, what wouldn't you do?"

But everyone still looked at her with suspicion.

She immediately stood up and loudly announced her identity.

"I didn't want to say this, but I'm the chairman's daughter! I came in undercover to help my father clean up the company culture! Employees like Jane who got ahead through improper means and maliciously slander others are exactly who we're targeting for removal!"

She looked around, her eyes carrying naked threats. "Anyone standing here watching and laughing at me today better think carefully about whether you want to have good days in this company in the future!"

This tactic of making an example worked immediately.

Colleagues who had just been mocking the supervisor instantly changed their expressions.

Several female colleagues who had always been jealous of me were the first to jump out.

"How vicious! Your own hands aren't clean, yet you want to drag the supervisor down with you!"

"Exactly! Always making jokes about women's reputationsher heart is truly wicked!"

"An educated woman? I think she hates women! She wishes all women would rely on men like she does! She's the typical man-pleaser who hates women!"

I couldn't be bothered with those buzzing behind me.

I picked up my personal computer and contract and left to sign that thirty-million-dollar deal.

The process was exceptionally smooth. The client representative even reassured me.

"Miss Jane, although we've heard some rumors, we absolutely recognize your professional ability and project proposal. Looking forward to our cooperation."

On the way back to the company, I called my dad.

"Dad, mission accomplished. The cumulative amount exceeded a hundred million long ago. You should honor your agreement and prepare for the handover, right?"

His gratified laughter came through the phone. "Haha! As expected of my daughter! Dad keeps his word!"

I paused, then asked out of the blue. "Dad, you've never betrayed Mom, have you?"

My dad's voice immediately rose eight octaves, full of survival instinct.

"How could that be possible! Heaven and earth as my witness, I've only loved your mother my whole life! Sweetheart, who's been feeding you nonsense?"

"Never mind." I hung up the phone, a cold smile forming at the corner of my mouth.

As soon as I returned to my workstation, I heard Miranda being surrounded by a group of people.

"At the company restructuring meeting in a few days, I'll probably be taking the general manager position." She pretended to be modest as she brushed her hair.

"I remember everyone who's been good to me. You'll all benefit in the future."

Immediately, a chorus of flattery rose around her.

"Miranda is amazing! This is real advancement based on ability, not relying on men!"

"Exactly! So much better than certain people who use underhanded methods!"

"From now on, we're following Miranda!"

She glanced at me smugly, provocatively.

"What's wrong, Jane? Jealous? Someone like you who relies on men could never reach such a high position."

I ignored her, focusing on preparing my performance report.

Jump all you want. The higher you jump, the harder you'll fall.

Over the next few days, my colleagues found all kinds of ways to sabotage me.

My cup tasted like dish rags, dead cockroaches appeared on my seat from time to time, printed documents disappeared...

I didn't bother with it, just took my laptop and moved to the coffee shop downstairs.

Soon, the day of the election arrived.

I deliberately wore a sharply tailored, high-quality professional dress, with exquisite makeup and a commanding presence.

As soon as I walked through the company entrance, Miranda stopped me.

She looked me up and down, jealousy flashing in her eyes, then put on a stern face.

"Jane! How many times have I told you! Don't come to the company all dressed up like this! Who are you trying to seduce?"

I looked at her, noting that she had also obviously dressed up carefully, and retorted. "Miranda, aren't you also dressed quite formally today?"

She immediately raised her chin, looking superior.

"Me? I'm completely bare-faced! Not like certain people who can only rely on makeup to cover up their ugliness and gild their faces!"

I smiled, and without another word, pulled out a small bottle of makeup remover from my bag and splashed it directly at her face!

Miranda screamed.

The liquid ran down her cheeks. Her carefully drawn eyeliner and mascara instantly smudged, her face turning patches of purple and red, like an overturned palette, utterly disheveled.

"If you're bare-faced, then what's this stuff on your face?"

"Jane! I'll kill you!" She was shaking with rage, lunging at me with claws out, trying to slap me.

The director nearby quickly held her back. "Miranda! Calm down! The meeting's about to start! Quick, go to the restroom and clean up!"

Miranda was dragged away, her resentful eyes almost boring through me.

I straightened my collar and walked toward the top-floor conference room.

Just as I reached the entrance, the receptionist stopped me, her face wearing a formulaic fake smile.

"I'm sorry, Miss Jane. Today's senior management restructuring meeting is invitation-only by name. Your name isn't on the list, so you cannot enter."

Miranda and a few of her followers had also cleaned up and rushed over. Seeing the situation, they immediately mocked.

"Oh my, you actually dared to come?"

"Shameless, aren't you? This is a place you can enter?"

I looked at them and smiled. "How about making another call to confirm with higher-ups?"

The female receptionist's face showed impatience, clearly thinking I was being unreasonable.

She reluctantly picked up the internal phone and walked aside to inquire in a low voice.

A few seconds later, her expression changed dramatically. She ran back, bowed respectfully to me, her voice trembling.

"Miss Jane, please come in! Your seat is at the head table. Please take your seat!"