CHAPTER ONE

Alexia’s POV

I stood outside my boss’s door with a look of shock on my face. My palms were sweating profusely as I clutched the summons letter in my hand. 

I took out a handkerchief from my purse and whipped my forehead in an attempt to clean my sweat and calm my nerves but none seemed to be working. 

My heart pounded against my ribs as I thought about the reason I was here in the first place. 

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had been accused of embezzlement of company funds. Me? Of all people? The accusation was ludicrous. 

I had dedicated myself to the company and my boss for five years, working tirelessly and gaining merit from everyone including Ethan who was a very hard man to please. I was in my prime professionally. 

I woke up this morning hoping to have another fruitful day at the office when I was summoned by Ethan this morning to come to his office to give reasons why I had embezzled company funds. 

With that summon, everything I had worked for and built for the past five years would unravel and I would be left with nothing. 

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. 

I had to clear my name and prove my innocence. But how? Ethan claimed he had damning evidence that linked the incident to me and it made me question whether I had done it or not. My mind was in a total mess.

“Alexia, come in.” my boss’s voice boomed from inside his office. 

I flinched slightly before I caught my bearings. I hesitated for a moment before entering the office. 

Ethan Blackwood, my boss, sat behind his massive mahogany desk, he fixed his green eyes at me and the way he stared at me with such a pointed gaze made me shrink in fear. 

I had never seen Ethan like this, he was mostly a carefree boss. He was a playboy extraordinaire and he was even actively hitting on me a few months ago before I drew the line and made it clear to him I only wanted a professional relationship. 

This Ethan, before me, looked like a stranger with his cold expression and I just knew that this was about to get messy. 

“Alexia, we’ve received some disturbing news. I’m sure you must be aware by now.” Ethan went straight to business without even offering me a seat.

 “It appears you’ve been embezzling company funds.”

My eyes widened in shock. I mean, I knew why Ethan summoned me but I was still in denial. 

I had hoped that Ethan would call me over to razz me up with one of his occasional wacky pick-up lines. I would rather have Ethan swooning over me than be in this sort of situation. 

“It’s not what it looks like, I swear, I’ve never taken a single cent that didn’t belong to me. There has to be some mistake somewhere.” I choked out in frustration. 

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “The evidence suggests otherwise, Alexia. We have records of transactions, accounts traced back to you…it’s quite damning.” Ethan replied as he pushed a manila folder towards me. 

“These transactions were flagged by internal security, Alexia and they all trace back to your account.” 

I grabbed the file and opened it. I flipped through the file and the blood seemed to drain from my face. 

Each page held a receipt that was proof of expenses that were way too lavish for the lifestyle I lived. 

There was a receipt for a five-carat diamond necklace, the kind that the crème de la crème of the society wore. A weekend getaway to a secluded island resort.

 Bills for clothing stores and luxury car rentals. I could swear with everything in me that I had never purchased anything in that folder.

“This is impossible,” I said desperately, the tears I had been holding in finally let loose and they streamed down my cheeks. 

“There must be a mistake,” I pleaded. “I’ve never been to that island and that necklace… I could never afford something like that!” I continued to stammer as my gaze darted between the receipts.

I pointed at a receipt for a Parisian spa weekend. “This spa? I’ve never even heard of it! And luxury clothes? I wear the same fucking suit three times a week, Ethan, you know that!” Panic clawed at my throat threatening to choke me. 

“Someone must be using my account! There has to be some other explanation!”

I slammed the folder shut. I began to think of possible ways to prove my innocence when an idea came to mind. “We need to call IT and get them to investigate. This is fraud, identity theft! Someone is trying to frame me!”

Ethan didn’t as much as flinch as he just continued to stare at me with a stoic expression. The silence that ensued was very uncomfortable and I couldn’t stand it anymore.

 “Say something!” I nearly screamed at Ethan.

“IT has already been notified, Alexia,” Ethan finally spoke up. “They’re conducting a full investigation, of course. However, preliminary results indicate that these transactions originated from your employee access point. Your login credentials.”

The air seemed to be sucked out of my lungs as I heard what Ethan said. 

“My login credentials?” I asked quietly. “But that’s impossible! No one else knows my password”

“Maybe it’s a system glitch? A hacking attempt? There has to be another explanation.” 

I was in complete denial, I mean who wouldn’t? When you’ve been accused of embezzling millions and all the evidence pointed back to you, you would be in denial too. This was slowly turning into a nightmare.

“Alexia, I know this is a lot to take in. But the evidence is clear. These transactions all originated from your account. The bank statements, the receipts, everything points to you.” Ethan said with a grave tone as he leaned back in his chair and steeped his fingers.

 “You do know the consequences of embezzling company funds, yes?” 

Tears racked my body as the world around me seemed to tilt on its axis. Of course, I knew the consequences, I would lose my job. 

The job I worked so hard for for the sole purpose of catering for myself and my twin brothers Austin and Aiden. I would even be arrested and jailed. This wasn’t how I envisioned myself ending up at all.

“There might be a way for me to blow this all away Alexia.” I turned my head to stare at Ethan with hope surging in me. At that moment, I was willing to do anything to get this swept away.

Ethan stared at me before he took out another file and passed it for me to read. I was dumbfounded to find out that it was tagged “contract marriage"