The internal auditors were doing a routine sweep when the lead investigator looked up from his clipboard, his eyes narrowing as he pinned me with a cold stare. "Naomi, we need to ask as a matter of protocol: have you ever received any personal favors, financial or otherwise, from your CEO?" I opened my mouth to give the standard, honest "No," but the words were cut off by a sharp, mocking laugh from the desk next to mine. Tyler, a senior accountant who had been a thorn in my side since I started, leaned back in his chair with a smirk that set my teeth on edge. "Define 'favors,'" Tyler drawled, loud enough for the entire open-plan office to hear. "Does it count if they regularly share a bed? Or if he leaves a stack of cash on the nightstand when they’re finished?" The air in the room didn’t just cool; it turned to ice. The auditors went from bored to predatory in a heartbeat. The lead investigator stood up, his expression hardening. "Ma'am, I’m going to need to see your ID and your full personnel file immediately." My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. "I... I was hired through the standard HR process!" I stammered, frantically digging through my desk for my badge. "I don’t know what he’s talking about!" "Oh, sure," Tyler chimed in, his voice dripping with faux-sympathy. "Standard 'sleeping-your-way-to-the-top' process. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven't charged the company for the luxury bags you’ve been stashing away. Tell me, Naomi, do those go under 'office supplies' or 'consulting fees'?" He looked at the auditors, playing the role of the concerned whistleblower. "Is that legal, guys? Embezzling for Chanel?" The auditors moved in, effectively boxing me in at my cubicle. "Ma’am, please step away from the computer. We are initiating an immediate suspension of duties pending a full investigation into corporate fraud and misconduct." I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. I wasn't just losing my job; Tyler’s malicious mouth was about to sink the entire operation. We had a fifty-million-dollar contract set for delivery tonight. If I was pulled out now, the logistics would fail, the contract would be voided, and the factory would be shuttered by morning. … "That’s not true!" My voice came out thin and trembling. "He’s lying! Everything he’s saying is a total fabrication!" I slammed my ID card and my original offer letter onto the desk. "I am a senior accountant. I have a professional relationship with the CEO, nothing more!" The lead auditor didn’t even look at the documents. He leaned over my desk, his shadow looming over me. "Do you understand the gravity of these allegations? This man just accused you of a quid pro quo relationship involving company funds. Your ID doesn’t disprove that." He jerked his chin toward the hallway. "Maybe we should continue this conversation in a more private setting. Somewhere more... secure." Sweat beaded on my forehead. Tyler was still there, leaning against a filing cabinet with his arms crossed, watching my world crumble like it was a Saturday morning cartoon. The anger hit me then, hot and sudden. I lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar of his cheap polyester shirt. "Tyler, what the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed. "Why would you say that? I have never—not once—been involved with Arthur like that!" Tyler shoved me off with an air of boredom. "Hey, don't blame the messenger for the message. If you didn't want people to know about your little side-hustle, you shouldn't have been so obvious about it." He turned to the auditor with a wink. "You should check her bank statements. I’m sure they’re... illuminating." He was pouring gasoline on the fire. The auditors were looking at me now with a mix of suspicion and pure disgust. "Do you have any idea what happens if I’m taken out of here?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "The factory will stop. The workers will lose their shifts. The losses will be—" "Not my problem," Tyler interrupted, his eyes crinkling with a cruel mirth. "If the company loses money, it’s because they hired a liability like you. I’m just a citizen doing his duty, right, officer?" He clapped the auditor on the shoulder. "Ms. Rossi," the auditor said, his tone final. "Come with us. If this is a misunderstanding, we’ll clear it up. If not, the authorities will be involved." Tyler started humming a jaunty tune. "Better move it, Naomi. Cooperation is part of the job description, isn't it?" I forced myself to breathe. I looked Tyler dead in the eye. "You are slandering me. I am giving you one chance, right now, to tell these men you made it up. Admit you were joking, or I am calling the police and filing a lawsuit for defamation so fast your head will spin." I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over the emergency dial. Tyler’s smirk faltered. He saw the cold, hard intent in my eyes and his bravado slipped just an inch. He grabbed my wrist, blocking the screen. "Whoa, Naomi, take it easy! Don't be so dramatic." "Admit it," I growled. "Tell them you’re a liar." Tyler huffed, looking at the auditors with a forced eye-roll. "Fine, jeez. You guys can't take a joke? Seriously, what happened to a little office banter? You guys must be real fun at parties." The lead auditor’s face darkened. "So, you’re saying your previous statements were false?" Tyler scratched the back of his neck, looking annoyed. "I was just messing around, okay? Lighten up." "I am asking you one last time," the auditor said, his voice dropping an octave. "Is Naomi Rossi the CEO’s mistress?" Behind him, another staffer was frantically taking notes. "Answer the question." I held my breath, praying that Tyler’s cowardice would finally lead him to the truth. He shook his head slowly. "No," he muttered. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. But it was short-lived. "She’s not his mistress," Tyler said, a slow, toxic grin spreading across his face. "Because she’s his future baby mama. She’s pregnant with his kid." The silence that followed was deafening. The auditor’s eyes snapped back to me, filled with a new, deeper level of revulsion. The adrenaline hit me like a physical blow. Before I could think, I was in Tyler's face, my hand raised to slap the smug look off his face. But he caught my wrist, his grip tightening. "What's the matter, Naomi?" he whispered, his eyes gleaming. "Can't handle the truth? You told me not to lie, so I'm giving them the whole story!" "You're insane!" I screamed, tears of pure frustration stinging my eyes. "He’s lying! I’m calling the police! I’m calling them right now!" I tried to break his grip to get to my phone, but Tyler shoved me back, shouting to the auditors, "Don't let her! She's not calling the cops, she’s calling Arthur! She’s calling for her knight in shining armor to come hide the evidence!" I shook my head, desperate. "Don't believe him! Please!" But the damage was done. "Where there's smoke, Naomi..." the auditor muttered. "Exactly!" Tyler shouted. "Of all the people in this office, why would I pick her? It's because it’s true! Everyone knows it!" "Take the ledgers," the auditor commanded his team. "And Ms. Rossi, you’re coming with us. Now." I stared at Tyler, my heart breaking for the dozens of people on the factory floor whose livelihoods were currently being gambled away by a petty man’s ego. "Tyler, I never did anything to you. Why are you doing this?" "You didn't do anything?" He stepped closer, his voice a low hiss. "A week ago, I brought you my expense reports. Five thousand dollars for my 'business trip' to Miami. You rejected every single one. You told me my hotel and my dinners didn't count as company business." "Because they weren't!" I snapped. "You went on vacation on the company's dime!" "And ever since then, you've been acting like you own the place," he sneered. "I’ve seen the way you walk, Naomi. I’ve seen the designer shoes you try to hide under your desk. I know how girls like you get ahead." He leaned in closer. "And don't bother with the police. Didn't you know? My cousin is Arthur’s wife. One call from me, and you're not just fired—you're blacklisted. I’ll make sure you never work in this town again." I swallowed hard. "This is all because of an expense report?" I looked at him, truly seeing him for the first time. The comments he’d made over the last week—the remarks about the "curve of my legs" or the "way I used my mouth"—they weren't just jokes. They were a targeted campaign. I knew I should go with the auditors. I knew the truth would come out eventually. But "eventually" meant the factory would close today. It meant eighty million dollars in breach-of-contract penalties. It meant families going hungry. I did the only thing I could think of. I doubled over and slammed my own fist into my stomach. "Look!" I screamed, jumping up and down frantically in front of the auditors. "Look at me! I’m not pregnant! If I were, I’d be in the hospital right now! I’m doing this because there is no baby! There is no affair!" It was a bizarre, desperate display, but it worked. The auditors froze, staring at me in shock. "Okay, okay," the lead auditor said, his voice softening with pity. "Sit down. We... we believe you." "Oh, you guys are pathetic," Tyler’s voice sliced through the room. "You’re really going to fall for that? Naomi, you really think you can hide it? Fine. You don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe the CEO's wife." I looked at him, confused. "Tyler, stop it." "Beatrice!" Tyler yelled toward the lobby. "She's right here!" I didn't even have time to turn around before I felt a searing pain in my scalp. Someone had grabbed my hair from behind and yanked, hard. "You little tramp!" a woman’s voice shrieked in my ear. "You think you can use your position to sleep with my husband? I'll kill you!" Before I could see her face, a palm collided with my cheek. The world spun, and I hit the floor hard. "You have the wrong person!" I cried out, shielding my face. "I didn't do anything!" "That's her, Beatrice!" Tyler’s voice was triumphant. "Naomi Rossi. The accountant. I see her sneaking out of Arthur's office half-dressed all the time. And she's carrying his bastard!" That was the trigger. Beatrice—a woman I had only seen in company newsletters—flung herself on top of me with the strength of a woman possessed. "Pregnant, are you?" she screamed, her face contorted. "Let's see how that 'accident' handles this!" She sat on my stomach, using her full weight to bounce and crush me against the hard office floor. I felt the air leave my lungs, a sharp, stabbing pain radiating through my abdomen. I curled into a ball, trying to protect myself, but she was relentless. The auditors tried to pull her off, but she swung at them, screaming about her marriage and her rights. The pain was blinding now. Through the red haze, I reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head down until it slammed into the floor. The room went silent. For half a second, the only sound was the heavy breathing of twenty terrified employees. Then, Beatrice started to wail. The auditors finally managed to drag us apart. I slumped against a desk, my face deathly pale, clutching my stomach. "Call the police," I rasped. "Please... just call them." One of the auditors reached for his phone, but Tyler was there in an instant, blocking him. "You’re going to help a homewrecker? My cousin is the legal wife! This girl destroyed a family! She deserved what she got! In the old days, we’d have dragged her through the streets!" "My stomach..." I gasped, the pain reaching a fever pitch. "Please... an ambulance..." The auditor didn't hesitate this time. He dialed 911. As I lay there, I felt a sudden, warm rush of fluid. I looked down. My white slacks were rapidly staining crimson. My mind went blank. It's just my period, I tried to tell myself. The stress, the physical trauma... it's just my cycle starting early. But Beatrice saw the blood and pointed a trembling finger. "See! She was pregnant! The little slut is losing the bastard right now!" "I told you!" Tyler shouted, his face lit up with a sick excitement. "I told you I wasn't lying!" Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my hand. A text from the floor manager: Naomi, the factory is dark. The lines have stopped. The world tilted. "Why?" I whispered. "I'm still here... why did they stop?" I scrolled through the company-wide alerts. By order of Beatrice Whitlock, all production is ceased. Investigation into CEO's personal conduct ongoing. "She found out he was cheating and shut it down," someone whispered nearby. "She said the factory was a 'gift' he gave his mistress to manage, so she's taking it back." "Naomi, what do we do?" the floor manager’s voice came through a frantic phone call. "We have twenty-five tons of product due by 6 PM. If we don't ship, the penalty is eighty million dollars!" I tried to speak, but the tears finally came, hot and thick. The pain in my gut was so sharp I couldn't form a sentence. The paramedics burst into the room. As they lifted me onto the gurney, Tyler and Beatrice blocked the elevator. "No!" Beatrice screamed. "She doesn't get to leave! Not until she signs a confession!" "Ma'am, step aside," the lead paramedic said firmly. "This woman is hemorrhaging." "I don't care!" Beatrice yelled. "That's my husband's blood she's spilling! I have a right to decide what happens to it!" Tyler was busy filming the whole thing on his phone, shouting to the gathered crowd, "Look at her! Look at the homewrecker! This is Naomi Rossi, the girl who stole a marriage!" Finally, the police arrived and cleared a path. As they wheeled me into the ambulance, I could still hear Beatrice screaming about "justice" and "tramps." Suddenly, a loud, sharp crack echoed through the parking lot. A familiar, booming voice cut through the chaos. "You stupid woman! Who gave you the right to shut down my factory?" It was Arthur. He had arrived. "Do you have any idea how much money I just lost?" Slap. Another crack. "I’ve had enough of your psychotic episodes! I married a monster!" "Arthur! She's your mistress! Tyler told me—" "Tyler is a pathetic liar who can't even file an expense report!" Arthur roared. "Naomi Rossi is my best accountant! She’s the only reason this company hasn't folded!" Arthur’s voice lowered, sounding almost terrified. "Do you have any idea who Naomi Rossi actually is?"
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