02~ Accused

The continuous ringing of an alarm echoed in the room and a very tired Rita kept snoozing the alarm clock and covering herself with the duvet to sleep a bit more.

After the fifth ring, she jolted out of bed as if she had been electrocuted. Taking her phone from the bedside table, she slumped her shoulders when she didn’t find a text from Eric.

Trying to be positive, she texted him instead. Communication was a two way thing anyway, if he doesn’t text, she can text him.

She quickly rushed into the bathroom and had a warm shower. It was past 6 and she was supposed to be at the office by 7:30, as a boss, she needed to lead by example.

Dressing up in a black business suit and combing her chestnut auburn hair into a high ponytail, she put on her pointed toe stiletto high heels and left for work.

“Morning Jenny,” Rita greeted her secretary, Jenny Parker who was already at her desk and entered her office as Jenny quickly followed behind with some papers in her hand.

“Morning Ma’am, I would like to report an abnormality in the financial records,” Jenny reported professionally as she placed the documents in her hand on Rita’s table.

Rita, now sitting in her comfortable leather chair behind a huge mahogany desk, took the documents and perused through.

A frown etched on her face the more she read. Whatever was written on the documents was not good news at all.

“Jenny, call for an emergency meeting right away, someone has been taking company funds and transferring them into ghost accounts,” Rita ordered, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

“Yes Ma’am,” Jenny replied. She had just turned to leave when the door to the office was burst open and men in police uniform strode in roughly.

“Excuse me, you’re not supposed to be here!” Jenny anxiously exclaimed but the tall man with blonde hair ignored her and approached Rita’s desk.

“You’re Miss Jones right? My name is Joseph Porter, an inspector from the anti-corruption commission,” the man said, showing his badge to Rita then put it back in his pocket.

“I am here with the police to arrest you for tax evasion and fraud. All the documents in this office shall be seized for further investigation. You are hereby required to remain silent, as anything you say will be used against you in the courts of law,” Inspector Joseph said as he cuffed Rita’s wrists and pulled her out of her chair.

She was too shocked to react to the situation. ‘What the hell is happening?’ She asked herself as she was led out of her office in a daze.

“Officer, it must be a mistake, there’s no way Miss Jones would have done that!” Jenny screamed, running after them, but they turned a deaf ear to her.

Rita was in shock as they rode the elevator to the ground floor. Her heart thudded in her chest as she looked down at her cuffed hands.

The stares of her employees were making her uncomfortable. It was a very embarrassing situation and she hoped they would all forget about it later on.

Stepping out of the building, reporters swarmed over to her, shoving cameras and microphones in her face.

“Miss Jones, is it true that you committed fraud?”

“Miss Jones, who will take over the company now?”

“Miss Jones, aren’t you ashamed to taint your late father’s company’s reputation in such a way?”

The reporters kept throwing absurd questions at her and Rita clenched her hands tightly, raging in anger.

She caught a figure in her peripheral vision and furrowed her eyebrows. ‘When did Eric come back?’ She thought, confused but perked up when she thought of how he was her only hope.

But before she could call out to him, he opened the passenger door of his Ferrari, revealing a beautiful lady in a red dress. After hooking hands with her, they strode into the building, ignoring her completely as she was being dragged to the police car.

‘Eric….’ She called out to him mentally until she was pushed into the car and it drove off.

….

“I won’t repeat myself, where’s the money from the investors?” Inspector Joseph asked as he slammed his palm on the table making Rita flinch.

She was brought directly to the interrogation room and they started bombarding her with questions before she could even catch her breath.

“I said I don’t know anything about the money you are asking about.” She spat angrily, glaring at the inspector with a busted lip. He had slapped her earlier because he didn’t get the answers he wanted.

The way they were asking questions was as if they had already labeled her as the culprit.

“Listen woman, let’s not waste each other’s time, I am not talking from without, all the evidence is pointing towards you.” Inspector Joseph said, taking the paper that was on the table and placing it in front of Rita.

“See for yourself, that’s your signature, approving the transfer of millions of dollars into ghost accounts.” He said, pointing at her signature with his forefinger.

Rita’s head buzzed. ‘When did I approve these transactions?’ She thought in agony, trying to recall but she came up with nothing.

“Inspector, I really don’t know where that money is. That company is mine, does it make sense for me to steal from my own sweat and blood?” She denied having anything to do with the transfer.

The inspector went quiet, seemingly pondering on what she had said.

“You’re right, it doesn’t make sense. But right now, all the evidence that we have in our hands is pointing towards you Miss Jones. Do you have proof that this is not your signature?” Inspector Joseph questioned while he leaned over with both his palms on the table.

“I.. No.. the signature is mine yes but I don’t know how it got on those papers. Let me talk to my lawyer.” Rita demanded and the inspector chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter even if you try to buy time, as long as I’m in charge of this case, you will go to jail Miss Jones.” Inspector Joseph said, handing her a phone.

“You have 5 minutes.” He said and Rita perked up, feeling grateful, the inspector must have seen that she was not guilty.

Rita dialed familiar numbers on her phone, but the phone kept ringing until 3 missed calls. Her heart kept pounding heavily as she now dialed her lawyer, Mr Perry’s line. But just like Eric’s, Mr Perry’s line went unanswered.

Rita’s heart sank and her stomach twisted. A foreboding sense crept up inside her as she continued to dial both lines. ‘Why are they both ignoring my calls?’

Finally Eric’s line went through but the voice on the other side was of his secretary, Linda.

“Please call back later, the CEO is in a board meeting.” Linda said.

Rita’s heart flipped and she swallowed painfully.

“Linda.. what do you mean? Which CEO?” She asked over the phone and Linda gasped on the other side, seemingly recognizing Rita’s voice.

“It’s Mr Thompson Ma’am, he’s the new CEO of the Jones group.” Linda delivered the shocking news and Rita’s heart exploded into a thousand pieces. ‘What the fuck is going on?’

But she calmed herself down telling herself not to overthink. ‘He’s probably sitting in for me since I’m away.’ Rita convinced herself.

“Can you give him the phone and tell him I want to talk to him?” Rita asked and after hesitating for a second, Linda agreed.

“Sure, hold on a sec.”

“I’m sorry Miss Jones, Mr Thompson has said he’s busy.” Linda said trying to be as polite as possible as if the sword-like words that she was relaying would not hurt as much.

The phone in Rita’s hand slid off and dropped on the table as realization dawned upon her. ‘I have been framed!’

She did not want to believe her assumptions but if up to now, she didn’t know what was going on then she was really gullible.

“Inspector, I have been framed. That’s the only explanation right now. You have to believe me.” Rita pleaded as her eyes brimmed with tears.

This was the first time she was going through such a situation so naturally she didn’t know how to tackle it.

Her body had lost its strength and her heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand arrows.

‘Eric.. did you really fool me? But why? All I did was love you but is this how you repay me?’ Rita screamed internally, the lines etched on her face were proof of the anguish she was going through.

“Miss Jones, the investors want their money back or you go to jail, not forgetting the tax evasion charge you’d go in for a very long time. If I were you, I would first start with paying back the investors so that they don’t make things more difficult,” Inspector Joseph mocked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Rita’s mind was in turmoil as she felt lost and didn’t know what to do. ‘What should I do?’

“Why should I start paying back money that I don’t even know about. Inspector, you know the rules, find me a lawyer to bail me out, or help me out with a phone I call my lawyer friend to bail me out as I prepare to go to court.” She said after realizing crying wouldn’t stop anything and snapped back to her senses.

“You already used up your calls Miss Jones, I will apply for a public lawyer for you but I doubt they can help you with this case.” Inspector Joseph remarked coldly.

‘Why didn’t I think of calling Glenda first?’ Rita hit herself mentally for being stupid, but she forgot that, that was her natural reaction, Eric being her boyfriend would be the first person she thought of when found in a dire situation.

But it was clear she’s the only one who thought like that. Eric wasn’t sincere to her at all. The moment she got into trouble he rushed into having a board meeting and making himself the CEO of her company.

Inspector Joseph had gone to arrange for a lawyer for her so she was left alone in the room pondering about how she could have found herself in such a situation.

A lightbulb went off in her head when she remembered something..

~Flashback~

Six months earlier…

Eric was acting distant as usual and Rita was at her wits end, not knowing how to fix their relationship that seemed to be hanging by a thread.

“Eric, why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you? You’ve been distant,” Rita asked as they ate dinner at the mansion.

Eric didn’t even look at her and just kept typing on his phone as he responded, “it’s all in your head.”

He said it in a way that left Rita with no leeway to say something in return. She smiled, trying to make the pang in her chest go away. Returning to her plate, she promised herself to bring it up with him later…

It was an hour later and Eric finally said what was bothering him, “I just don’t feel like we are compatible.. I am just someone who became a vice CEO using connections.. they say I depend on a woman, it’s degrading..”

Rita’s heart squeezed painfully when he said that, she thought all was well between them. Realizing that he saw himself inferior she blurted out without thinking.

“I’ll make you a co-owner of my properties.. what’s mine is yours anyway..”

After a moment of silence, Eric suddenly agreed and after some late night sex, he went back to chatting on his phone leaving Rita to lay on her side of the bed, with a huge gap in between them.

~end of flashback~

It was only after being betrayed that Rita suddenly put two and two together. Eric constantly being on phone and him becoming a co-owner of her properties without resisting were huge red flags that she had overlooked.

Rita realized how stupid she has been and it cost her greatly.

…

Inspector Joseph walked back to the interrogation room with a constipated look on his face.

“Miss Jones, no lawyer is willing to take up your case and I have been told from the higher ups that your case is unbailable so you’d have to remain detained for the time being.” Inspector Joseph said, averting his eyes.

“You’re kidding me right?!” Rita yelled, desperation laced in her voice. Her chest felt heavy, like a boulder was pressed down on it, suffocating her.

“You’re a flight risk so you will be kept here until further notice.” Inspector Joseph said and after giving her an apologetic look, he left the room and went to prepare a cell for her.

Rita was hit with a whirlwind of emotions as she mourned the loss of her love and company.

A police officer suddenly opened the door to the interrogation room and announced. “Your friends are here to see you. You have 20 minutes.”

Glenda and Rita’s other two friends entered through the door and she immediately perked up.

‘Oh sweet Jesus! Thank goodness I’m finally saved.’ Rita thought excitedly as a ray of light shone through her heart, grateful that not all hope was lost.