Chapter 1The Audacity! My Butler's Girlfriend Thinks She Owns My Penthouse

My butler told his girlfriend that I was just a cheap mistress trying to sleep my way to the top!

That day, I took my mother to The Zenith Club for dinner. I wanted her to try the new menu crafted by our newly hired French head chef.

But the moment I pushed open the doors to my private VVIP suite, I froze.

A woman in a neon pink minidress was lounging in my seat, her legs crossed. She was holding up her phone, filming an Instagram Live.

"Look, guys! This is my boyfriend’s private dining room on the top floor of The Zenith Club. You can’t even book this place with money!"

Seeing me walk in, she lowered her phone and sneered.

"Who are you? You look so cheap. How did you even sneak in here?"

I frowned. "Get out. This is my room."

She immediately stood up, strutted over to me, and poked her fake acrylic nail right into my shoulder.

"Your room? Do you even know who owns this club? My boyfriend does!"

Too bad her boyfriend was just my family's butler.

* * *

I stared at her for a few seconds, and it suddenly clicked.

This was Chloe Bennett, the girlfriend of my new estate manager, Ryan Miller.

I took a deep breath, refusing to waste my energy arguing with her. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ryan’s number directly.

"Ryan. Your girlfriend is in my private suite right now. Get up here and explain this. Now."

On the other end of the line, Ryan’s voice instantly went into a panic. "Miss Vance! I—I’ll be right there!"

I hung up, leaned against the doorframe, and looked at Chloe coldly.

Seeing that I had no intention of leaving, Chloe scoffed. "What? Still here? Waiting for my boyfriend to throw you out?"

"Your boyfriend?" I looked at her. "He told you he owns this place?"

Chloe raised her chin, her face full of smug pride. "Of course! Ryan told me the entire Zenith Club belongs to him. A cheap girl like you probably can't even afford a basic membership. You don't belong here."

I didn't answer. I just watched her quietly.

My silence made her uncomfortable. She huffed, "What are you staring at? Let me tell you, I’ve seen plenty of girls like you trying to hit on my boyfriend. You just want his money and power, right? Give it up. Ryan would never look at someone like you."

I still said nothing.

She got bolder, stepping closer. "I heard you linger around the club every day, trying to 'accidentally' bump into him. How shameless. Ryan told me you’re just a desperate cleaning girl. He let you work here out of pity. Don't get ahead of yourself."

A cleaning girl.

I let out a cold laugh in my head.

So that was what Ryan had been telling her.

I never would have thought that as the founder of this elite private club franchise, I would be mistaken for a cleaning lady.

And all of this was because I had soft spot for Arthur’s grandson.

Arthur had been my family’s loyal butler for fifty years. He was honest, meticulous, and never caused any trouble.

In half a century, he had never made a single mistake. He even hesitated for hours before accepting the holiday bonuses I handed him.

Three months ago, Arthur was diagnosed with a severe joint condition and had to retire for long-term recovery.

On his last day, he stood before me, rubbing his rough hands together. After hesitating for a long time, he finally asked, with an embarrassed look, if I could give his grandson, Ryan, a job, since Ryan had just been laid off.

Arthur was an honest man who had never asked for a favor in his life. That was his first time.

Out of respect for him, I agreed.

For the first two months, Ryan did a decent job.

He wasn't as perfect as his grandfather, but he kept the mansion organized and handled my requests well enough.

But a few days ago, Ryan came to me, rubbing his hands nervously.

"Miss Vance, I started dating this girl. She’s from a really good background, and I wanted to treat her to a nice dinner at the club to impress her... Could I borrow a membership slot? Just once, I promise. It won't affect you at all."

I looked at him. Arthur had asked me to look out for him, so I didn't want to be too harsh.

"Fine. Just this once."

Ryan thanked me profusely and left.

But I didn't expect that this "one-time favor" would turn into a disaster.

The "one-time" dinner became a daily routine.

Even after the suite incident, Chloe didn't back down. Instead, she came even more frequently.

Every single afternoon, she would show up at The Zenith Club, taking photos in various VIP rooms and posting them on her Snapchat.