Amelia Lane never thought she'd see the name Beatty again, not after all these years. She certainly never imagined the day would come when the truth would actually come out.

Standing in front of Andrew Lane now, she could feel her palms sweating. Her mouth was dry, her throat tight, and she was so nervous she couldn't even look him

in the eye.

Andrew didn't say a word.

After what felt like forever, Amelia finally forced herself to speak. Her voice was so tense it sounded rough. "Andrew, how did you find out about this?"

Andrew lowered his gaze. That one question was as good as admitting it, admitting that Isabella Austin had taken credit for something she never did.

He glanced at the sponsorship list on his desk. “Beatty joined us two months ago. She transferred to the secretarial department at the end of last month. She recognized me. I had someone check into it."

Amelia felt stunned. The Lane Group was famous around the world, and it was almost impossible to get in. They only hired the top graduates from the best universities. You could walk down the hall and bump into people with master's degrees, doctorates, or fancy overseas diplomas. The standards were seriously high.

She just couldn't believe that the awkward, dark-skinned girl from the mountains all those years ago had somehow made it out and gotten this far. It was like someone had broken through the wall between worlds. In Amelia's mind, Beatty didn't belong here. She belonged somewhere else, in another life. And now, she'd made it all the way here, thanks to the Lane Group's financial support.

Amelia lifted her hand to cover her face.

Andrew's voice was steady. "Tell me what happened back then. Every detail. No more lies."

She dropped her hand and sighed, resigned. She went over everything that happened, every single detail, nothing left out. This time, she told the truth. All of it. Andrew listened quietly. He didn't show any emotion.

When she finished, Amelia couldn't help but ask, "Now that you know who she is, are you going to repay her?"

He looked straight at her. "What else would I do?"

Amelia pressed her lips together, suddenly uneasy. Andrew was the kind of person who cared deeply about loyalty, but when he cut someone off, it was final. She'd seen it with Isabella Austin.

He had treated sabella so well, all because he thought he owed her. He was ready to marry her. But the

second he found out the truth, met?

dropped her-just like that. It was as if none of it had ever mattered, like

they were total strangers.

Amelia was afraid he might do something to Isabella now that he knew she'd lied to

him. Isabella was already in prison. She couldn't handle anything else.

But what bothered Amelia even more was the thought that, all this time, she'd believed Isabella was the only person who could be Mrs. Lane. Now She wasn't

So Sure How did

Beatty end up here, after all these

years?

It was just too much of a coincidence. Beatty getting hired at The Lane Group, recognizing Andrew Lane after so long, and being on the sponsorship list—it didn't seem possible.

She started to think this wasn't luck at all. Maybe Beatty had planned it. Maybe she came here on purpose to get close to Andrew.

Amelia imagined Beatty might have already talked to Andrew in private, using that story about saving his life to get close to him, maybe even aiming for something bigger the title of Mrs. Lane.

Amelia had seen plenty of women like that, women who threw themselves at Andrew, hoping for a taste of his success. Beatty might be just like them, maybe even more calculating.

Her anxiety grew. If Andrew was willing to marry Isabella out of gratitude, maybe he'd do the same for Beatty. If that happened, Beatty would take Isabella's place. How was she supposed to protect Isabella's spot as Mrs. Lane now?