Evelyn let out a quiet sigh of frustration.

Why were they so convinced she was related to the Sterlings? She had been perfectly clear.

She was about to set the record straight once and for all.

But her explanation was cut short.

A group of imposing bodyguards suddenly arrived, accompanied by Miriam Croft and another Sterling family servant.

"There she is!" Miriam's voice was sharp as she pointed at Evelyn, her face contorted with malice. "Mr. Sterling's orders are clear! Anyone who dares steal Miss Sterling's birthday gift must be punished severely! Seize her!"

At Miriam's command, the bodyguards swiftly moved to surround Evelyn.

The curious guests who had been questioning her were unceremoniously pushed aside.

"What is the meaning of this?" Madeline Fitzgerald, the woman who had engaged Evelyn, called out indignantly.

She was frustrated; she hadn't even heard the full story.

The sudden appearance of the Sterling guards, encircling Evelyn, sent a shockwave through the room. Guests murmured in confusion.

Evelyn calmly set down her glass. She faced the approaching guards with a steely gaze.

"As an invited guest, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded sharply.

Miriam stepped forward from the crowd. She scanned the bystanders before announcing loudly, "A gown, intended as Mr. Sterling's gift for his sister, has gone missing. Security footage implicates this woman as the thief!"

She pointed an accusing finger directly at Evelyn.

A wave of shock rippled through the assembly.

"Can you believe it? Stealing at Miss Sterling's birthday?"

The murmurs grew louder. "This is getting interesting."

"That woman... isn't she the one who looks like Jonathan? I've heard the whispers all night."

"I'd wager she's Charles's illegitimate daughter!"

"Absolutely. Probably jealous, so she stole Miss Sterling's gift."

In under thirty seconds, without Evelyn uttering a single word in her defense, the crowd had labeled her both a bastard and a criminal.

Evelyn nearly laughed at the absurdity.

Steal something? She had been standing in this very spot all evening. How could she have possibly taken Amelia's present?

Her face remained impassive as she turned to Miriam.

Then it hit her. This was the woman who had tried to push her down the stairs at a previous Sterling event.

Clearly, this woman was in the Sterlings' employ.

Evelyn observed Miriam quietly, her mind racing.

Under Evelyn's intense scrutiny, Miriam's confidence flickered.

This scheme was Miriam's own creation, devised without Jonathan's knowledge.

She knew she had to act fast.

Using the gossip already swirling through the party, Miriam aimed to pin the theft squarely on Evelyn.

Her plan was clear: by the end of the night, Evelyn's reputation would be destroyed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Miriam, adept at deception, effortlessly accused Evelyn. "You had the audacity to steal Miss Sterling's gift, yet you lack the courage to confess?"