They Framed Me to Steal My Company, Unaware of My Secret

Allie's POV

“It’s still you—”

I leaned in a little closer, lowering my voice. “You actually don’t know how to write my name, do you? So, who exactly was the guy you slept with? Whose ID did you see that night?”

Kiera snapped instantly. “Of course, I know! I just didn’t bring a pen because I rushed out!”

“That’s fine. I have one,” I said. “And I’ve got my ID too. Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of the truth.”

“You— you— you—!” she sputtered, but in the end, she had no choice but to write down my name.

She wrote painfully slowly, like every stroke required deep thought. When she finally finished the last letter, I picked up the paper and took a look. Then I couldn’t help but laugh.

She had written "Ali" while my name was "Allie."

Just two letters different, but enough to tell male and female apart.

She didn’t know I was a woman, so of course she guessed wrong.

I immediately took out my ID and covered everything except the name. “Take a good look. This is my actual name. Miss Hastings, it’s okay to look for someone, but when you rush in blinded by emotion, you only end up hurting yourself.”

The crowd began whispering. People who had yelled at me minutes ago were now wondering if Kiera had accused the wrong person.

Sensing the shift, Kiera burst into loud, dramatic sobs. “You did it on purpose! You got me drunk that night and drugged my drink! Of course, I couldn’t remember clearly! Maybe I forgot exactly how your name was written, but that Porsche you drove? I could never forget that car! You tricked me with it!”

Ah. So, she was after the car.

As for my name, she must’ve heard Gwendolyn call me earlier and made sure to remember it.

I nodded and leaned closer. “Then tell me, how exactly did I trick you? If you hate me so much, surely you remember that part clearly?”

Her face went pale. “That was the most painful night of my life. Do you really want to force me to say it out loud? I’m already miserable enough. Do you have to push me until I break?”

Right after saying that, she lowered her head and pinched her child hard where no one could see. As a result, the kid woke up screaming.

The crowd immediately forgot about yelling at me and scrambled to help her calm the baby down.

But I turned, ready to walk away with Gwendolyn. Yet, suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist hard.

Before I could react, my whole body was yanked backward. My feet left the ground, and I crashed onto the pavement half a meter away.

“Your kid is crying, and you wanna run? Be a man for once!”

“Don’t worry, miss. I’ve caught him for you! He’s taking that kid whether he likes it or not, and if he doesn’t, I’ll beat him until he does!”

Gwendolyn was so terrified she burst into tears. She tried to rush over to help me, but the crowd blocked her.

I slowly pushed myself up, staring straight at Kiera. “What do you want?”

She looked pitiful again, voice trembling. “I just don’t want to raise the child alone. I really… don’t have the ability…”

I lifted a hand, cutting her off, already irritated. “Get to the point. How much? Say a number.”

“I told you, I’m not that kind of person…” She still put on an act.

I let out a cold laugh and slipped my bank card back into my wallet. “Alright then. Since you came here just to dump a kid on me, I’ll accept him. You can go now. No need to thank me.”

Her smile froze. Her eyes looked wounded, like she couldn’t believe I’d said that.

“How could you think that of me? That’s not what I meant. I don’t want your money, but I borrowed from every relative I have just to raise him, so—”

I inhaled slowly and interrupted her. “You want me to pay back your debts?”