The arrogance on Sebastian's and Ruth's faces had completely vanished . What remained was pure fear as their lives were being threatened . " Seb , are these people yours ? " Ruth's gaze lingered over the SWAT team's uniforms as she stood frozen in place . She clung tightly to his arm as if she still held on to a glimmer of hope . Yet , had she turned her head , she would've seen that her beloved " Seb " was completely drenched in cold sweat . One of the officers who had rescued me murmured something into his earpiece . Moments later , the doors to the hall were kicked open . A senior military officer , Mr. Zegler , entered with his men . " Reporting in , sir . Hostage successfully recovered , " the officer said . Mr. Zegler nodded . He flinched slightly after noticing the blood on me . " Hope everything's okay , Claudia . " He turned to summon the medical team , but I quickly stopped him . " I'm fine , sir . It's not my blood . " As we spoke , the lasers on Sebastian's and Ruth's faces disappeared . Ruth immediately forgot her fear and charged over furiously . " Claudia Schneider , where the hell did you find these actors ? Do you know that it's a crime to impersonate military personnel ? Can you afford the consequences ? " She tried to hit me , but was stopped by one of Mr. Zegler's men . Still , her words made Sebastian regain his composure . He sounded hesitant . " How much did she pay all of you ? I'll pay double as long as you leave . " Mr. Zegler barely spared him a glance . He icily snapped , " Ridiculous ! You abducted Ms. Schneider in her own hotel and even tried to seal her in a coffin . Your cruel actions were beyond despicable . Both of you will be handed over to the court shortly ! " Ruth staggered backward in disbelief . Sebastian caught her just in time . " Her hotel ? No way . Are you saying that she's the daughter of the Schneiders ? " she demanded . In stark contrast to her despair , Sebastian grew strangely calm . He cleared his throat and declared , " You've all been deceived by Claudia . The real daughter of the Schneiders is right here . " He shoved her forward . " Sir , she has a birthmark on her chest . It's been there since birth . You can verify it any way you like . " As he spoke , Sebastian glanced at me profoundly . " Does this so - called Claudia Schneider over here dare to clear her name ? " Recalling her apparent identity , Ruth rushed to pull down her clothes to prove it , only to be blocked by the officers again . " Clear her name ? " Mr. Zegler looked at the two calmly . His tone was frosty . " The Schneiders have only ever had one daughter , and that's Claudia . Her disappearance ten years ago was just a false lead to throw off terrorists . The birthmark story was all a hoax ! " Both of them froze as the color drained from their faces . 1/3 +25 Bonus Ignoring them , Mr. Zegler turned to his men and ordered , " Take them away . ' Sebastian's voice trembled as he struggled to argue . " Impossible ! A poor peasant like her ? How could she ever be the Schneiders ' heiress ? " Ruth lunged forward to shield him . " Are you all in this together ? I want to see Mr. Schneider ! He'll recognize me ! " A deputy officer couldn't help but chime in . " Save your breath . He did a paternity test back then . " Seeing no one react to what was happening , panic finally took hold of Sebastian . " This must be a mistake ! Ruth is definitely Mr. Schneider's daughter . Think carefully before touching us . If you offend both the Lamberts and the Schneiders , you'll never see the light of day in Hartvania ! " His threats fell on deaf ears . Impatient , Mr. Zegler rubbed his brows . " You clearly don't understand the situation . The Schneiders won't bother dealing with unrelated people . As for the Lamberts , they have filed for bankruptcy due to mismanagement . Asset forfeiture will proceed tomorrow . " The entire hall erupted in confused murmurs . " So who's the real heiress here ? Didn't Ruth call her some poor peasant ? " " There's definitely more to this woman . The Lamberts are one of the richest families - how could they suddenly file for bankruptcy ? " Sebastian's eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at me . " Was all of this your doing ? You're no heiress . You're just that old bastard's mistress ! " He tried pouncing over to strangle me again . I dodged his attack and shook my head with a sigh . " You're beyond saving , Sebastian Lambert . You've just added ' insulting a military officer ' to your long list of offences . Good luck with that . " As I spoke , I glanced at Ruth , who was clinging to him like a parasite . I chuckled . " Don't worry . As his accomplice , you're going to jail with him , too . " Mr. Zegler nodded behind me and ordered , " Feel free to use force on those who resist arrest . " Seeing the gear held by the SWAT team , Ruth's legs gave out , and she dropped to her knees . " Ms. Schneider , we didn't know who you were ! Can't you let us off the hook ? " I smiled faintly at her sudden change in tone . " Are you saying that you'd treat me like trash if I really were just a poor nobody ? " With that , I paid no attention to them anymore . Instead , I turned to the officers who were restraining them before nodding in gratitude . " Please take them away . Thank you for your effort . " Both of them were dragged away , looking as pale as a sheet . As for the crowd that had fueled the chaos just now , they wouldn't be free from the legal consequences either . Sebastian finally remembered to ask me about my identity and called out , " Are you actually the daughter of the Schneiders ? " I smiled , neither confirming nor denying his suspicions . " You don't deserve to know who I am . " 2/3 Chaptere +25 Bonus Chapter 6