Good Riddance!

Esther, with tears streaming down her face, said in a trembling voice, "Shirley, I know you’re proud, and I get that everyone has their secrets, but… But wasn’t Joel your boyfriend? Why couldn’t you just tell him?"

I let out a cold laugh, knowing that explaining anything to them would be a waste of time. "Esther, did your dad, who’s worked as our family’s butler for so many years, ever tell you one thing? My dad is the most doting father you’ll ever meet. If he finds out about this, what do you think would happen?"

Esther’s face paled as she looked nervously at Joel. “It’s not like that, Joel! Shirley is probably just trying to find a way out…”

Tears started rolling down her cheeks again. "It’s fine… If it makes her feel better, let her have it."

Joel immediately wrapped her in his arms, protective as ever. "She’s always been this shallow. Just ignore her."

I was too tired to deal with either of them, so I squatted down and started searching the grass for the ring. That ring was worth millions, a gift from my dad to celebrate my graduation with a master’s degree from MIT, so it meant the world to me.

I didn’t know how long I searched, but behind me, Joel scoffed. "Typical of someone from a poor background, ready to fight to the death over a piece of glass."

Without looking up, I shot back, “If you can mistake a diamond for glass, no wonder you fell for Esther.”

"You–" Joel’s face turned red with rage. "Esther’s the daughter of this mall’s owner! Aren’t you afraid of getting fired for treating her like this? I’m only trying to help you!"

Just then, something caught the light in the grass. I quickly picked it up, dusted it off, and slipped it into my purse.

I turned to find Esther standing there, hugging herself, looking fragile and about to collapse. “Shirley, if you had just said you liked it, I would’ve given it to you. No need to embarrass yourself like this.”

I walked briskly to my sports car, got in, slammed the door, and locked it in one swift move. It was my car, after all.

Seeing the two of them standing there frozen outside, I rolled down the window and sneered, “You’ve lived off me for years, and now you really think you’re in charge, don’t you?”

The “you” was directed at both Esther and Joel.

With that, I hit the gas and sped off.

The next morning, I woke to find dozens of missed calls from Joel, who had apparently spent the entire night trying to reach me. When I opened the door to leave, there he was, standing outside, fuming.

He grabbed my arm and practically yelled, "Come on! You need to apologize to Esther! Because you took the car last night, she caught a cold and got sick! She had a high fever all night because of you!"

I almost laughed out loud. “I drove off in my car. How on earth is that my fault? She’s sick because of me?”

Joel tightened his grip and tried dragging me outside. "It’s your fault, and you need to take care of her! Her dad is furious, and he’s waiting for you at the hospital to apologize! Now, let’s go!"

Her dad? Wait… Could Esther really be my dad’s secret daughter?

I shook my head. No, I trusted my dad. As such, I decided to go to the hospital with Joel. I wanted to see who exactly had the nerve to claim my identity.

On the way, I sent a quick text to my dad.

When we arrived at the hospital, we hadn’t even gotten close to the room when I heard a man shouting, “Who dares to bully my daughter? Whoever it is, they better hope I never find out!”

Joel quickly shoved me through the door. “Mr. Jones, here she is. I’ve brought her to apologize to Esther.”

The so-called "Mr. Jones" whipped around, and when he saw me, he was so shocked he couldn’t even speak.

At that exact moment, my dad burst into the room, visibly anxious. “Shirley! What kind of nonsense is this? Are you trying to ruin your old man’s reputation? Since when have I had a secret daughter?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two "Mr. Joneses" locked eyes. The air in the room froze instantly.