Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption

Vera sat upright, her gaze fixed as she stared at the person who had just spoken, her fists clenched on her thighs.

Jessica glanced at her, a wicked grin flashing across her face. "I believe you have all asked your questions," she said to the members.

The murmurs grew louder, spreading around the table like a wave.

A few directors tapped their pens nervously against the polished surface of the mahogany table.

Others exchanged wary glances, sensing that the story Vera was weaving wasn't entirely airtight.

Jessica leaned back in her chair, one hand resting lightly on the file before her. Her posture was relaxed, almost indifferent, as her cold gaze pierced through Vera like steel.

"Seems they have nothing else to ask you," Jessica finally spoke, her voice calm but laced with quiet authority. "But I have."

Vera felt her breath catch in her throat as she caught the cold glint in Jessica's eyes.

Without giving her the luxury of catching her breath, she continued, "So, according to you, Vice President Vera, the Allen Group failed in its capital commitment, leading to the project's stall. Correct?"

"Yes." Vera's voice was firm, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of unease.

Jessica took a deep breath and with deliberate slowness opened the file before her and connected her laptop to the projector.

The rustle of papers and the flickering of the projector drew the attention of every board member, their curiosity heightened as their gazes darted between Jessica and the projector.

Casually, she flipped to a tabbed section and slid out a document, handing it to Luke to distribute to everyone in the room to have a copy.

"Then perhaps," Jessica said, her lips curling into that same cold arc, "you could explain why the records I hold here were signed by Desmond Allen himself and acknowledged by the Louis Group's financial department. I believe it shows that every required fund was injected into the project on schedule. Not once, but twice the amount requested, to cover sudden contingencies raised by the Louis Group."

A collective gasp swept through the room. Several directors leaned forward to study the document before them while comparing it with the data on the projector.

Vera froze. "That… that cannot be…" she stammered, barely audibly.

Jessica's eyes narrowed. "Oh, but it is. And it gets more interesting. Because after this capital injection, funds were transferred out." She paused for effect.

With a click of her mouse, the information on the project revealed another document as she continued, "It was not transferred back to the project but siphoned through shell accounts that eventually linked back to subsidiaries connected to the Louis family."

The room erupted into whispers and gasps. Some members clutched their pens tightly; others sat stiff, staring wide-eyed at Jessica.

Vera's palms grew clammy, and she clenched them beneath the table. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

It wasn't part of the plan, and with the display of the facts, figures, and dates, she drew one conclusion.

She would be fighting a lost battle if she continued, but then she couldn't give up like this.

Luke, standing behind Jessica, allowed himself the faintest smirk. He knew this was the strike Vera hadn't prepared for.

Jessica closed the file with a decisive snap, the sound echoing across the room like a gavel. "So, before we continue pointing fingers at the Allen Group's supposed failures, perhaps we should consider why the Louis family, our so-called allies, chose to make noise in the press about our negligence when, in fact, they were the ones bleeding the project dry."

Silence blanketed the room. Every gaze turned back to Vera.

"Vice President," Jessica continued softly, but her words were as sharp as glass, "would you care to explain why you omitted these records in your 'careful narration' just now?"

Vera's lips parted, but no sound came out. For the first time in her career, she had no script and no pretense to lean on.

One of the older directors cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. "If these records are genuine," he said slowly, "then the fault lies not with Allen Group… but with the Louis family." He paused lightly.

"And perhaps with those within our ranks who aided them." His gaze slid meaningfully toward Vera.

The pressure was unbearable. Vera shifted in her seat, her fingernails digging into her palm.

Jessica's cold smile lingered. "We can debate countermeasures all day, but until we address the real issue, the sabotage within and without, the Allen Group will always remain vulnerable."

Vera swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. The whispers around the table had grown bolder, sharp like daggers.

A few directors were already looking at her as though she were guilty without trial.

She straightened in her seat, forcing her voice to sound steady. "There must be… some misunderstanding. The Louis Group wouldn't deliberately sabotage a project they fought so hard to win. Perhaps these records are… forged?"

Her words fell flat.

Jessica chuckled softly, though there was no humor in the sound. She slid another document across the table, this one bearing official bank seals and timestamped signatures. "Forged, you say?"

Her gaze scanned the audience. "Then maybe the banks, the auditors, and even our internal compliance officers are all part of this forgery?"

One of the directors leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the seals. "These are authentic. I know the compliance officer who signed this personally."

Another director tapped the table impatiently. "Vice President, are you insinuating our own systems and people are complicit in forgery? That's a very dangerous claim."

The air grew heavier.

Vera's jaw tightened. "What I am saying is that this sudden revelation seems conveniently timed. Just as the president is absent. Just as the stock is crashing. How do we know this isn't a ploy to shift the blame?"

Jessica's cold gaze cut through her like a blade. "Convenient? No, Vice President. Necessary. Because unlike you, I dare not stand by and let the efforts of my husband go to waste."

Luke stepped forward, his voice calm yet edged with warning. "The facts are clear. Funds were injected. They vanished under the Louis family's watch. The only question left is… who within Allen Group allowed this breach to go unchecked?"

All eyes swung back to Vera.

Her face flushed hot, then cold. She slammed her palms on the table. "You cannot pin this on me! I did everything according to protocol. I…"

Jessica cut her off, her tone sharp as a whip. "Then why did you fail to disclose these financial records to the board in your briefing just now?"

"Why did you, instead, weave a story that painted the Allen Group as negligent?"

"Who benefits from that narrative, Vera? Us… or the Louis family?"

The silence that followed was deafening, but Vera's head was spinning so hard. She couldn't believe that, at the end of the day, she would be taking the fall for the Louis family.

One of the senior board members, his voice gravelly with age, finally spoke. "Vice President Vera, this is a grave omission. At best, it's negligence. At worst… collusion."

The word struck like thunder.

Vera's lips trembled. "No… no, you can't…"

Jessica leaned forward slightly, her hands resting elegantly on the table. "We don't need to pin anything on you, Vera. The evidence speaks for itself."

"On this note," she continued, "Vera Allen, for having colluded with others to frame the company, is hereby removed from her position as the vice president of this group."

Vera gasped, her gaze scanning their faces, but the board members only murmured in agreement, their earlier panic now replaced by anger and resolve.