I was in the middle of reviewing my company's nine-figure revenue stream when I got the call. They had found my birth parents. They said that if I wanted to be officially welcomed into the Donovan family, I would have to pass their test. I’d have to go through five rounds of written exams and interviews to get a job at their company, prove my worth in an entry-level position, and only then would they consider accepting me. A few days later, I received the interview notification. The HR manager in charge of my assessment was none other than the fake heiress they had accidentally raised as their own. "Luna is the heiress we've groomed her whole life," they’d told me. "She's currently training in Human Resources. She’s meticulous and sharp, the perfect person to vet you." "Frankly, she's a better fit as a Donovan than you are. If she finds any serious flaws in your character or abilities, we'll have to reconsider acknowledging you at all." I had to laugh. I instructed my secretary to clear my schedule for the interview. I was dying to see just how "meticulous" the HR department of Donovan Corp—the same company that had been crying and begging for a partnership with me just last week—could possibly be. 01 At the request of Thomas and Laura Donovan, I dressed down, sitting inconspicuously in the interview waiting area of Donovan Corp while my boyfriend, Leo, chattered endlessly in my ear. "Zoe, can you believe our luck? Do you know who the lead HR interviewer is? The Donovan heiress, Luna Donovan!" "I heard she's been the apple of their eye since she was a child, the guaranteed successor to the Donovan empire. If we can get on her good side, we're set!" I raised an eyebrow. I had to admit, Luna’s public image was solid. No one seemed to know she was a complete fraud. Leo, annoyed by my lack of reaction, nudged me with his elbow. "You'd better be on your best behavior. I know you have a simple background, but who knows? You might get lucky." I scoffed internally but said nothing. My boyfriend of four years had become a different person the moment he’d received this interview notice—arrogant, insufferable, already dreaming of his shortcut to the top. My patience was wearing thin. I’d tried to break up with him several times, but his relentless pleading always wore me down. The door to the waiting room swung open. Luna entered, flanked by an entourage, and glided to the microphone. "Good morning, everyone. I am Luna Donovan, the head of this recruitment cycle." Her voice was soft and sweet. Her eyes scanned the room, and when they landed on me, her chin lifted slightly. Her next words were clearly a veiled jab. "Here at Donovan Corp, we believe in quality over quantity." "As you know, our compensation is very generous. Many of our new hires start with a salary of around $200,000 a year. However, I don't want people joining our group who are shortsighted, willing to do anything for a bit of money." I almost burst out laughing. My own secretary made more than a million a year. Two hundred thousand dollars? That was less than five minutes of my company's cash flow. Beside me, Leo nodded vigorously. He leaned in and whispered, "See? Miss Donovan is warning people not to get any funny ideas. Just be honest later. Don't exaggerate anything. I bet she can spot a liar a mile away." I pursed my lips, speaking just loud enough for those around us to hear. "If her eye for detail is so sharp, why is she wearing last season's collection? I gave that same dress to my housekeeper last year." The girl next to me let out a snort of laughter before quickly clapping a hand over her mouth, nodding at me in solidarity. On the stage, Luna, disappointed at not seeing the flustered reaction she'd expected from me, bit her lip. But time was short, so she announced the start of the interviews. "We'll go in groups of ten. When your name is called, please enter. First group, Zoe He!" I blinked in surprise. Not only was it a group interview, but I was first. It seemed the little heiress wanted to make an example of me in front of everyone. 02 Luna picked up my resume, flicked through it with an air of impatience, and tossed it aside. "Zoe He, is it?" She scanned me from head to toe. When she spoke again, her voice was still sweet, but it dripped with a manipulative innocence. "First question. Looking at your resume, your family background is quite... ordinary." "Walking into a major corporation like Donovan Corp for the first time, you must be nervous, right? Terrified? Don't even know where to put your hands and feet, I imagine?" I was genuinely stunned for a second. I never imagined such a brainless, leading question would be her first attempt at an assessment. "I'm… fine?" The question was so utterly unrelated to professional competence that it actually stumped me for a moment. I had to quickly organize my thoughts to respond to her sudden bout of idiocy. "It's just, uh, the chairs in your company are a bit firm. I guess I'm not used to it." Luna's face took on an expression of profound understanding. "Oh, of course. Our chairs are all made of high-quality wood, not the cheap plastic ones you're probably used to. You'll have to get accustomed to it." I rolled my eyes, suddenly missing the $30,000 Italian leather sofa in my office. Seeing my silence, Luna assumed she'd hit a nerve. Suppressing a smile, she continued in a mock-sympathetic tone. "Alright, let me ask you something else. Let's say—and this is just a hypothetical—someone from your kind of background suddenly gets incredibly lucky and wins five million dollars in the lottery. What would you do with the money?" "Would you quit your job immediately? Start splurging? Buy a luxury car, designer clothes, eat at fancy restaurants, travel the world?" This question earned a few slight frowns from the other interviewers. It was completely irrelevant to the job assessment, but this was clearly Luna's show, and they couldn't intervene. My mouth twitched. I was ready to walk out. But then I glanced over and saw Leo through the glass window of the waiting area, frantically waving his hands, signaling for me to answer properly. A reluctant smile played on my lips. Fine. If she wanted to play, I'd play along. Five million? The spare change I donated to a charity fund last month was more than that. "Well," I said thoughtfully, "I suppose I would probably buy a new car." After all, I was getting tired of the ones in my garage. It wasn't exactly a lie. Luna covered her mouth with her hand and let out a theatrical little giggle. "That's understandable! It's more money than you could ever dream of seeing in your entire life, after all." Before I could respond, she launched into her third, even more ridiculous question. "Okay, let's follow that thought. Let's say you're hired as the CEO's executive assistant, against all odds. On your first day, you need to drive the company's Rolls-Royce to take me to meet an important client." "You've never driven such a nice car before, so you're nervous and you get into an accident. The repair costs could be over a million dollars. What do you do? Would you just burst into tears on the spot? Or would you try to sneak away?" She winked playfully. "This is a test of your ability to think on your feet, you know." Watching her, practically salivating at the thought of my humiliation, I answered with a perfectly straight face. "That would depend on your condition, Ms. Donovan." "If you were merely injured, I'd call a car to take you to the hospital. If you were seriously injured, I'd call an ambulance immediately. And if, god forbid, you didn't make it..." I paused for effect. "I’d slam my head on the steering wheel too. Get some of that worker's comp, you know?" The other candidates in my group erupted in laughter. Luna's face turned a shade of sickly green. "You—!" Furious that her attempts to fluster me had not only failed but had backfired, she scrambled to regain control. "Someone from your background probably doesn't even know how to open the door of a Rolls-Royce! It's easy for you to talk big here!" "You have to understand, as the sole heiress to Donovan Corp, I've been surrounded by this level of luxury my entire life. My perspective, my knowledge—it's in my blood." Warming to her theme of superiority, she straightened her back, her chin held even higher. "My eighteenth birthday present was a custom sports car. The kind of scenario I just described could never happen to me." "Unlike some people who think they can just change their status and become a princess overnight. When it really matters, they're completely useless and just embarrass the company." I was about to roll my eyes so hard they'd get stuck. Just as I was about to drop the act, the glass door opened again. 03 The newcomers were none other than Thomas and Laura Donovan, my birth parents. They were beaming, their faces plastered with fawning smiles. I was wondering what was going on when I saw who they were ushering in: a tall, impeccably dressed young man with an air of effortless command. I froze. It was Caleb Vance, the heir to the Vance Conglomerate. Luna’s eyes lit up instantly. Her face transformed into a mask of sweet innocence, her voice becoming soft and delicate. "Caleb! What are you doing here?" She instinctively fluffed her hair and tilted her head, affecting a cute, girlish pose. Thomas Donovan chuckled. "Mr. Vance is here to discuss some business and tour the facility. We happened to be passing by and thought we'd check on the interviews." As he spoke, he gave Luna a pointed look, urging her to seize the opportunity. Laura quickly chimed in. "Yes, Luna is in charge of recruitment this year. She's always so meticulous and serious about her work. We have complete faith in her." Luna got the message. She immediately began shuffling papers on her desk, trying to look professional. Caleb’s gaze, however, had sailed right over her from the moment he walked in and landed squarely on me. A smirk he couldn't quite suppress played on his lips. My stomach dropped. I felt a wave of social death wash over me. Of all the people to see me here, it had to be him. To maintain a low profile, I'd always operated from behind the scenes, letting my VP act as the public face of my company. Caleb was one of the very few outsiders who knew my true identity. After he'd figured it out, we'd become surprisingly good friends. Just last week, he'd found out about my Donovan connection and had mercilessly teased me for finally escaping poverty by building my own empire, only to be dragged back down by my "new" family. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes asking the silent question: What in the world are you doing here? I held up my resume to hide my face, feeling utterly defeated. Don't ask. My birth parents are having a moment, and I'm here to play doctor. "Mr. Vance, you're interested in our recruitment process?" Thomas asked, following Caleb's gaze. He seemed to notice me, his biological daughter, for the first time, and his eyes narrowed. Laura shot me a warning glare, silently telling me not to cause trouble. Caleb tore his eyes away from me and turned back to Thomas, his expression once again cool and distant. "Yes, I happened to walk into something quite interesting. You don't mind if I sit in, do you, Mr. Donovan?" As he spoke, he shot me a secret wink. I just... I couldn't. Was it too late to pretend I didn't know him? Seeing Caleb's request to stay, Luna was ecstatic. "Of course not!" she chirped. "Caleb, please, have a seat." She personally brought over a chair, eagerly placing it next to hers before shooting me a triumphant glance. I just wanted the floor to swallow me whole. The interview continued. I thought Luna might tone down the ridiculous questions, but she chose to double down on her foolishness. She cleared her throat. "Zoe He, let's continue with another hypothetical. If, after this interview, you were hired by Donovan Corp against all odds, but you soon discovered that your abilities were completely inadequate for the job, what would you do?" Caleb, listening from the side, let out a low chuckle, watching me with amusement. Luna, thinking he was impressed by her sharp questioning, became even more animated. "Would you hide in the bathroom and cry every day from your own incompetence?"
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