جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 9

My phone buzzed. A bank notification popped up on the screen, indicating an outgoing transaction of 100 thousand dollars. I set my cutlery down and looked at my fiance, Shawn Harrison.He didn't look back at me. He was busy shelling crab meat for his godsister, Tiffany White. His head was lowered, and he was completely focused. Tiffany was holding his phone. The screen was still lit, displaying the "Payment Successful" page on a luxury brand's website.She casually spun the phone in her hand and waved it at me. "Hey, Meredith. I've been eyeing this bag for ages. Shawn said you're usually too frugal and don't understand fashion. So, he figured I could help him spend some money and keep up appearances."There were seven or eight people at the table. All of them were Shawn's close friends and business partners. Everyone stopped eating, their eyes darting between me, Shawn, and Tiffany. One of them let out a short laugh.After shelling the crab, Shawn put the freshly picked meat on T

"Come on, Meredith, don't be such a killjoy," Tiffany said. "Shawn's under a lot of stress. I help him relax at the office. For that, I need special work attire. That counts as contributing to the company, right?"She reached for the pen in my hand. "Nice pen. Let me play with it."I didn't let go, and she yanked hard. Her nails scraped the back of my hand, sharp and hot, drawing blood. The pen eventually fell into her hand.She popped the cap off and, without hesitation, dragged the nib straight across my solid mahogany desk. She drew a donkey, then wrote my name on its back.Tiffany giggled. "See? It looks just like you—stubborn and slow-witted."She spun the pen between her fingers, then knocked it twice against the desk corner. The nib broke. Just like that, a limited-edition Montblanc worth over a million was ruined.I stared at the pen, then at the scribble, and took out my phone to snap photos of the desk and the cut on the back of my hand.Tiffany pouted. "Gosh. All you

A week later, I returned home and found my study door wide open. The floor was a mess, with shreds of paper scattered everywhere.Tiffany was sitting on the carpet, scissors in hand, cutting up my audit working papers and archival documents to pieces. She folded the pieces into paper planes and flung them across the room."Woohoo! Here comes the plane!"Seeing me enter, she didn't stop. She even picked up an official notice with a letterhead and waved it at me. "Meredith, you're back! I saw all this paper taking up space, so I thought I'd help you clean it up."My blood ran cold. These were the core audit working papers for the initial public offering of Harrison Group—the only backup of the original supporting documents!There were also several top-secret materials I had been compiling so I could submit them to the regulators as whistleblower evidence. Now, they were all in pieces.If these working papers were lost, I wouldn't just risk having my certified public accountant lice

Two weeks later, Shawn and I had our wedding at the most luxurious hotel in the city. At the same time, this was also his Pre-IPO Investor Appreciation Reception.To ensure he would make the most out of that day, he invited all the creditors, investors, and business partners to attend. He also gathered a few financial media outlets to livestream this milestone.The venue glittered with excess. Crystal lights blazed overhead, and fresh flowers covered the entire hall.Dressed in a custom white suit, Shawn stood at the entrance, greeting guests and smiling as if everything in the world had gone his way. Tiffany was beside him. She wore a white "bridesmaid" dress, though the word hardly fit. The cut, the fabric, the long train sweeping three yards behind her made it indistinguishable from a wedding gown.It was more elaborate than mine could ever be.She held onto Shawn's arm and stood at his side so naturally that anyone who saw them would assume she was the bride.Whispers rippl

I stood to the side calmly, neither sad nor happy. The police forcibly separated Shawn and Tiffany and led them away.As Shawn passed by me, he glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "You… you have the heart of a viper! How could you?"I adjusted my newly fitted glasses. "I gave you chances. When you spent 100 thousand dollars on a designer bag, when I got the lingerie invoices, and when you two tore up my working papers—I warned you every single time, but you chose to ignore the rules."Ignorance is no excuse, Shawn. You have to face the consequences."In the end, Shawn was pushed into the police car. Meanwhile, Tiffany continued wailing, "My bag! My apartment! My money! I'm not going to jail! I can't survive without my favorite food!"The sirens blared, cutting through the city's chaos. What had been a grand wedding had become a spectacular arrest scene.…Three months later, the court issued its verdict.Shawn was convicted of multiple crimes, including wire fraud, securities fra