Chapter 6: Birthday Betrayal & The Heiress Reveal

During a break, I addressed the trainees.

“I’m not here to hype you up—just to share a real story.”

“You all know Derek Ford, right?”

I told them everything the company had done for him.

“He wasn’t as talented as you, but even so, he got his shot at fame.”

“What I want to say is, the company will do everything it can to help you. If you seize the opportunity, you could be the next star.”

“But the industry moves fast. Whether you’re a flash in the pan or a lasting success is up to you.”

I laid out the harsh truth, so they’d be prepared.

“Making it takes luck; not making it does too. Many lose sight of why they started. If you’re that kind of person, better quit now.”

Derek had his chance, but he wasted it.

“Autumn, you can’t have me, so now you’re trying to ruin me?”

An angry voice cut through the room.

I turned to see Derek storming in, finger pointed at me.

“So you’re using me as a cautionary tale? Why don’t you tell everyone how you dumped me for a sugar daddy?”

His words silenced the room. The trainees looked at each other, some in disbelief, some too nervous to meet my eye, others whispering.

But I wasn’t fazed. Before I could respond, the boss jumped in.

“Derek, are you misunderstanding something?”

He clearly didn’t want a scene, but Derek was determined to make one.

He snorted. "Yeah, right."

“So you do know how much I sacrificed for you.”

I smiled, a little bitter.

“But you thought it was all your due. You trampled my efforts and never saw anything good in me.”

“You even accused me of being obsessed with my brother because I sent him twenty thousand, when you were the one cheating. Right, Derek?”

How did I ever fall for this loser? I should get my eyes checked.

“Sacrifice? Being with me was already more than you deserved. What more could you want?”

Is this guy for real?

He was a total turn-off.

“I rented that place to be closer to you and take care of you. Wore cheap clothes and ate cheap takeout because I knew your finances and didn’t want to pressure you. Gave up shopping and facials because I spent all my time helping you.”

Even though we’d broken up, some things needed to be said.

“But that’s over. I was blind before, but believe what you want. Let’s just wait and see how things turn out for you.”

“And as for your rich girlfriend—don’t count on her caring about you. Go get your head checked.”

Back home, my brother called.

“Someone’s looking into you—what’s going on?”

Carter was at least a caring brother.

“Derek, right?” I hadn’t made many enemies.

“Yeah. Did he find something out?”

I told him about the training room incident.

“Derek clearly didn’t believe me or the boss, so he’s trying to investigate. He’s not as dumb as I thought.”

But he’d never find anything. My family kept everything airtight, and with my different last name, he’d never put it together.

So he started digging into Carter instead.

Since my brother was a public figure, it was easy to find info on him. Once Derek realized Carter was out of his league, he backed off a bit.

I thought he’d finally behave, but then he sent me an invitation.

It was for his birthday party, specifically asking me to bring Carter.

Of course, I accepted.

“There’s a birthday party—come with me.”

I handed the invite to Carter.

“No way. What kind of little brother goes to parties with his big sister? So embarrassing!”

He barely glanced at it before trying to toss it back.

“It’s Derek’s birthday.”

“But for my sister’s sake, I have to go! So, how do you want me to crush him?”

He changed his tune instantly, taking the invite back.

“Total annihilation. Trust me, you outclass him in every way.”

I patted his shoulder, totally confident.

If he dared mess with me, I’d make sure he couldn’t show his face!

On the day, Carter and I arrived dressed to the nines.

Word spread that he was there, and business leaders flocked to us. We barely made it through the door before we were surrounded.

We completely overshadowed the birthday boy.

I had to laugh—Derek really shot himself in the foot. His birthday party turned into a business networking event.

Savannah, standing next to him, looked furious, and her glare at me was full of resentment.

When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and glared at Derek instead.

She stormed off, Derek trailing after her. When they finally came back, both looked like they’d been through the wringer.

As Derek approached, I had a feeling their argument was about me.

But I had no interest in talking to him.

Just then, the boss called me aside to the lounge.

“Take a look.” He handed me his phone, showing a surveillance video.

“Is that Derek and Savannah?”

It looked like the banquet hall. I watched curiously.

“My friend owns this place. I noticed them acting sneaky, so I checked the footage. Sure enough, I caught their scheme.”

He hit play.

I saw Savannah pull Derek into a corner.

“Isn’t Autumn your ex? Don’t you think she still has feelings for you? Go seduce her—if you can steal her from Carter, I’ll have my shot at him!”

“Savannah, what are we? I’m your date, and you want me to do that?”

His pride was wounded.

“What are we?” She laughed. “You’re just my pet. Who are you to talk about relationships?”

“Did you forget how you chased me?”

She sneered. “We just had a drink, and you think I was pursuing you?”

She poked him in the chest. “Look in the mirror. You’re just my plaything. Who do you think you are?”

Unable to take the humiliation, he tried to leave, but she stopped him.

“Don’t forget, after paying off your debts, you’re broke. Since your reputation tanked, you can’t get work. I’m paying for everything—including this party. Think you can just walk away?”

“What do you want?”

His fists clenched, veins bulging, rage in his eyes.

“I already told you—seduce Autumn and get her away from Carter. In return, I’ll help fix your reputation and get you into showbiz.”

He said nothing, which meant he agreed.

But did they really think I’d take him back after seeing his true colors? Did they think I was that naive?

At the party, Derek came up to me, acting bashful.

I guessed Savannah’s words forced him to swallow his pride—his tone was suddenly gentle.

“Autumn, can we talk privately?”

His eyes were full of fake emotion. He even tried to grab my wrist, but I dodged.

“I know I was wrong. Can we start over?”

I stared at him in silence, curious what else he’d try.

“Don’t ignore me. I know you still care—that’s why you came back to the company. I care too. Let’s give it another shot?”

He sighed. “Savannah’s nothing compared to you.”

Wow, he really could lie with a straight face.

When I still didn’t answer, he got anxious and hugged me.

“Autumn, I’m really sorry. Please forgive me!”

If I wasn’t planning to turn the tables, I’d have kicked him right then.

Just as I was about to, Savannah and Carter burst in.

“Oh wow, what’s going on here?”

Savannah’s shrill voice echoed through the lounge.

She looked at Carter.

“Mr. Whitman, I heard Miss Harper was your girlfriend. Why is she here tangled up with my date?”

“Is she two-timing, trying to have both money and her ex?”

I saw the smug look in her eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Miss Harper, how can you still laugh?” Savannah glared at me.

“I just think since everyone’s here, let’s clear things up.”

I stopped smiling and looked at Derek.

“First, there’s nothing between us anymore. Stop trying to win me back. Second, your contract with the agency is up—you’re no longer one of our artists.”

“What? I’ve worked here for years! Where’s the boss? He’ll want to renew my contract!”

He was desperate. The agency was all he had left.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I made you famous, I can make someone else famous too.”

I told him, “The boss put me in charge of this department.”

“Someone with no potential and a bad reputation—why would we keep you?”

His face grew uglier by the second. I knew I’d gotten to him.

Red-eyed and frantic, he turned to Carter.

“Mr. Whitman, you have power and connections, but you probably don’t know what kind of person she really is.”

He pointed at me, ready to smear my name.

“I’ve always suspected Autumn was faking her background. I just realized—where did her money come from? She never had that much at once, always paying in bits and pieces.”

“Now I get it! Someone must’ve been keeping her! That’s how she could support me! She lied about being a rich girl!”

He looked at Carter, agitated. “You probably don’t know, but she has a brother. I saw her send him twenty thousand. Her brother’s so broke he can’t afford a meal—how could she come from a wealthy family? Don’t let her fool you!”

“Is that so?”

Carter drew out the words, clearly amused. “Funny, I didn’t know Autumn had a deadbeat brother.”

“See? She must’ve hidden her real family background from you.”

Derek’s voice rose, as if trying to convict me with his words.

“Looks like Miss Harper really gets around—always looking for a sponsor, keeping everyone guessing.”

Savannah chimed in at just the right moment.

But they had no idea how ridiculous they sounded to Carter.

“You just said I’m powerful, but in some ways, Autumn outranks me.”

He smiled at me. “Isn’t that right, Sis? I’m just a nobody of a brother.”

“Sis?”

Derek stared at me in shock. “Mr. Whitman, why did you call her ‘Sis’?”

“Why? Because Autumn Harper is the Whitman family heiress, successor to Whitman Holdings, and your former agency’s real owner. She’s my biological sister.”

Carter calmly revealed everything.

The look on Derek and Savannah’s faces? Priceless. They looked like they’d seen a ghost.

I saw utter despair in Derek’s eyes. Savannah’s face was a mess of confusion.

But I didn’t have time for them. Now that everyone knew who I was, the big shots were all lining up to toast me.

For a while, I was surrounded, with no reason to spare a glance for Derek or Savannah.

Leaving the banquet hall, I turned to Carter.

“Don’t try to trick me. If anyone’s inheriting Whitman Holdings, it won’t be me!”

The way he introduced me earlier—no way I was taking over!

I was doing great at the agency. After launching our new artists, everything was moving in the right direction.

My own business was thriving. No way was I taking on the family empire. Just thinking about Whitman Holdings’ empire gave me a headache.

I’d stick to my own company, thanks!

But Savannah was relentless. After learning I was Carter’s sister, she started sucking up to me, trying every way to apologize.

I ignored her. I had better things to do—like sign new talent—instead of listening to her fake apologies.

As for Derek, I heard from the boss that he got nothing out of all this. He’d hoped for money and resources from Savannah, but after embarrassing herself at the party, she wanted nothing to do with him. He tried to pester her several times, but always got thrown out by her bodyguards.

After that, Derek changed. His hunger for money and power only grew after repeated setbacks.

Now that he was free from his contract, he started taking all kinds of sketchy endorsements and gigs—the kind the agency never let him touch before.

The fast cash felt good, but he was digging his own grave.