1 - A Sudden Attack

Daniella's POV 

"Mrs. Hills! Mrs. Hills!!" I heard the familiar voice shouting through the hallways as I made my way toward the office.

I stopped to look at the person calling me, and it was Miss Rosa, the leader of the marketing department. I've grown quite close to her since I started working here.

She's the only one who talks to me freely, while the rest seem to either envy or fear me. I don't know—most people are just jealous of me. I don't actually care because I'm used to them looking at me that way.

Especially this morning, I couldn't help but notice the way everyone kept staring at me. The attention I got today was far more than usual. I wonder what is going on with everyone.

"What is it? Why are you running so fast?" I asked her.

She stopped, breathing heavily. "Are you okay? Are you sure you want to come to work today? I saw the news."

"What news? I didn't see any news. And why wouldn’t I want to come to work?" I asked her.

"There’s news all over the company that you embezzled company funds, and it even has a lot of proof! Didn’t you see it?"

"Wait, what?" I asked, utterly confused.

I didn’t understand what kind of situation this was or what she was talking about. Embezzlement of company funds? Why would I even do that? I don’t have access to company funds, even though I’m the secretary to the CEO.

"It’s the truth! Look..." She brought out her phone to show me the screenshots. "It’s been taken down, but I have screenshots of everything."

I collected the phone from her and saw the anonymous post. It claimed I embezzled company funds with so-called proof showing money entering my account and my bank statement from the same day. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

I had no idea what was going on or why I was suddenly being accused of embezzlement.

"I... I don’t understand. I need to quickly talk to my husband. This is bullsh*t, and I don’t know who is doing this to mess with me," I told her, trying to defend myself.

She nodded quickly. "That’s exactly why I screenshotted this—so you can find a way to prove your innocence. I know you can’t do something like that. I can’t believe someone is trying to slander you!"

Slander me? But who could it be?

Just as I was about to respond, the CEO, William Hills—my husband—passed by. He had a cold look on his face that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Miss Rosa, can we talk later? I need to quickly resolve this before it turns into a big issue," I said to her and hurried after William.

We’ve been married for two years, and our anniversary is next week. It’s just a few days away, and I can’t wait. I’ve been preparing so much for it, and I can’t believe I’m facing problems right now. But I believe in my husband.

I know he loves me so much, and there’s no way he would believe something like this over me. I followed him all the way to his office since we worked close to each other. I’d accepted the job as his secretary because I wanted to be near him.

It was a win-win for me. I got to see my husband and also make money. That way, I could keep him away from other women. William is gorgeous, and I’m not exaggerating just because he’s my husband. Everyone knows he’s one of the most handsome men in the city.

He used to be the most eligible bachelor—not just because he’s smart, rich, and strong, but because he’s the perfect husband material.

Because of this, he has a lot of women around him, which makes me feel insecure. I might be pretty, but I still can’t compare to him when it comes to looks. His mother is very beautiful, and he looks just like her.

When I entered his office, he went to stand by the window, looking out at the city. I stood beside him, ready to talk about the situation.

"Honey... Did you see the ridiculous post someone made about me this morning? I can’t believe someone would accuse me of doing something like that. You know me, and you know I would never—"

"There was proof," he cut me off and turned to look at me.

My heart dropped when I saw the way he was looking at me. This wasn’t the same look he gave me this morning before I left home. This wasn’t the same way he usually looked at me.

Normally, he would’ve kissed me the moment I walked into his office. I’m the one who always stops him from showing affection at work. But now... what is going on?

He looked so... cold.

"W-what are you talking about? Of course, that proof is useless and fake. Would you even believe something like that?" I said, laughing nervously.

But he wasn’t laughing.

"Do you think this is funny? Do you think I’m mad only about the embezzlement? It’s also the fact that you decided to go back to your old ways. Didn’t I tell you that you were married now and didn’t need to mess around with other men?"

My smile dropped immediately. I didn’t understand what was going on. He believed that I embezzled company funds? He wasn’t even trying to defend me. Instead, he was accusing me of something else. Me, with other men?

"What are you talking about? What do you mean by other men? I only have you and no one else," I tried to explain, desperate for him to believe me.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest. My breathing felt tight. I just wanted him to trust me so this nightmare could end. This situation itself is so weird. 

Without saying anything to me, he went to his desk, retrieved his bag, and pulled out some items. Then he threw everything at me. At first, I didn’t understand why he was doing this, so I bent down to pick up the things he had thrown at me. They appeared to be pictures—photos of me being intimate with someone from this company.

In these alleged pictures, I wasn’t just kissing the man; we were in bed, naked. This man was supposed to be the marketing director of the company, someone I’ve been working with for the past few weeks to complete a project.

But this is strange. That’s not even me. I have never been intimate with this man. We haven’t even been alone together before. So, what is this?

"What is all of this? This is so ridiculous!" I exclaimed.

He scoffed. "I’ve been getting these for the past few weeks, and you think it’s ridiculous? I just decided to show you now that I know why you were secretly embezzling funds. I know all that money is in your account."

I couldn’t believe he was saying this to me.

"Are you seriously going to believe something like this? This is not me! Can’t you see this is edited? Why would you believe something like this over me?" I fired back.

"I believe in evidence. You know I hate liars. I told you never to lie to me or cheat on me, but what did you do? All the evidence points at you, and you think it’s ridiculous?"

I stared at him for a moment, stunned and at a loss for words. I had expected him to defend me, but what the hell was he saying? Without another word, I rushed out of the office to call my parents.

I dialed my mom’s number and told her about the situation, explaining that I was being accused and needed help.

"Mom, can you believe what is happening to me right now? I’m being accused of embezzling company funds and cheating on my husband. I don’t understand why—"

"I am so disappointed to have you as my daughter!" Mom shouted, cutting me off. "I can’t believe you would do something like this and bring shame to our family. How could you?"

"Mom, you don’t believe me too? How can you say something like this to me? Don’t you know what I can and cannot do?" I pleaded.

"I not only saw the picture evidence but also the video evidence. What more do I need to know that you’ve been wayward? You better make sure your husband doesn’t divorce you, or else don’t you ever come back to us!" she yelled before cutting the call, not giving me a chance to explain.

What is this? My husband doesn’t believe me, and now my parents don’t believe me either. Why is everyone so quick to judge me without hearing my side?

I decided to go back to the office to talk to William, but I bumped into the marketing director, Mr. Smith, along the way. He tried to avoid me and walk away, but I grabbed his arm.

"Mr. Smith, I heard you and I are supposed to be in some sort of relationship. Thank goodness you’re here. Let’s go into my husband’s office and explain the truth to him!" I said, dragging him along.

He resisted, pulling his arm away. "Mrs. Hill, I told you this is enough. We shouldn’t do this anymore. Why are you doing this to me?"

"W-what the hell do you mean by that? I’m trying to fix this useless situation!" I yelled at him.

"What do you want from me? I told you I want nothing to do with you anymore. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you. Please, leave me alone!"

"What?" I whispered, shocked. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He was accusing me of being in a relationship with him—a relationship that never even existed.

That’s when I realized someone was standing behind me. I turned around to see William, his face filled with disappointment.

"William, this is not true at all! I don’t even talk to this guy that much. I don’t know why he’s doing this to me!" I explained.

I grabbed Mr. Smith by the collar. "Tell my husband the truth right now! You and I have nothing to do with each other! Why are you lying?"

William stared at the both of us and shook his head. "You’re both fired. Get out of here before I call security."

I let go of Mr. Smith and ran after William, trying to follow him into his office, but he pushed me away and locked the door. I kept knocking and calling for him to open the door, but he didn't answer. Soon enough, security came and dragged me out of the building.

It wasn't until I was outside that I fully realized the gravity of the situation. My breathing became heavy, but I tried to control it.

What is this? Am I losing my mind? I didn't do it!

Why won't anyone believe me? It feels like they're all trying to get rid of me as quickly as possible!