My fiancée, Vanessa, embezzled five million dollars from my private fund. Even worse, I discovered she and Jason, the company’s project manager, had been secretly having an affair for ages, plotting to take over *everything* I owned! Three years of my life, my love, reduced to nothing but a meticulously planned scam! “Where’s my money?” I kicked open her office door. “Oh, *that*.” Vanessa dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “Jason’s project needed some quick funds. I just made a temporary transfer.” “Temporary transfer? Five million is just a ‘temporary transfer’ to you?” “Aren’t we practically family? Why are you being so difficult?” She actually sounded righteous. “Family? Does ‘family’ cheat on each other behind their backs?” I slammed photos of her and Jason at a hotel onto the desk. Vanessa’s face went white, but she quickly composed herself. “What’s there to explain? Jason and I have a purely professional relationship.” “Professional relationship that requires sharing a bed?” Looking at the woman I once loved deeply, my rage boiled like molten lava. Three years of tenderness and care, all just an act! She treated me like an ATM, used my love as a bargaining chip!
Today was supposed to be a regular Wednesday, until I saw that gaping hole in the financial report. Five million dollars, gone. “Mark!” I yelled for my assistant. Mark rushed in, his hands shaking. “Mr. Blake…” “Where did the five million from the Orion Fund go?” I slammed the report onto the desk. “It was… it was approved by Ms. Vanessa,” Mark stammered. “She approved what? That’s my private fund!” My voice shot up an octave. “Ms. Vanessa said… she said it was a temporary transfer…” “Temporary transfer?” I stood up immediately. “What right does she have to touch my money?” Mark flinched, taking a step back. “Mr. Blake, I was just following Ms. Vanessa’s instructions…” “Get out!” Vanessa, my fiancée, was also the CEO of Skyline Investments. We’d been engaged for three years, with plans to marry next month. Now, it looked like that wedding was on hold. I stormed straight into her office. Vanessa was putting on makeup. When she saw me kick open the door, the lipstick in her hand clattered to the floor. “Where’s my money?” I walked to her desk, leaning my hands on the surface. “What money?” Her eyes darted around. “Don’t play dumb! The five million from the Orion Fund!” My voice was so loud the entire office could probably hear me. Vanessa stood up, straightening her clothes. “Lower your voice. What will people think?” “I *want* everyone to hear!” I pointed at her. “Why did you touch my money?” “Oh, *that*,” Vanessa said dismissively. “Jason’s project needed some working capital, so I made a temporary transfer. It’ll be back next week.” “Temporary transfer?” I scoffed. “Five million is just a ‘temporary transfer’ to you?” “Aren’t we family?” Vanessa started to sound annoyed. “Why are you being so particular? Don’t you trust me?” “Family?” My voice grew louder. “Does ‘family’ touch each other’s money without permission?” Just then, Jason knocked and walked in. He was the company’s project manager, undeniably handsome – the kind of guy who could make any woman melt. “What’s going on? I could hear you arguing all the way outside.” Jason feigned concern. “Perfect timing, Jason.” Vanessa’s expression immediately shifted. “Explain to Blake why your project needed that money.” Jason instantly looked remorseful, even his eyes were misty. “Mr. Blake, it’s all my fault. My incompetence caused issues with the project.” “If I hadn’t desperately needed the money, I wouldn’t have bothered Ms. Vanessa…” “You bothered *her*?” I glared at Jason. “Did you know that was my private fund?” “I… I didn’t know.” Jason lowered his head. “I thought it was company working capital. I’m truly sorry!” “If ‘sorry’ fixed everything, what would we need cops for?” My voice was ice-cold. Vanessa suddenly slammed the table. “Blake Davis, that’s enough! Jason has apologized, what more do you want?” “What do I want?” I turned to her. “I want my money, and I want it now!” “We don’t have it now!” Vanessa yelled back. “The money’s already invested in the project. It won’t be back until next week!” “Next week? What if the project fails?” “It won’t fail,” Jason quickly said. “I guarantee it won’t fail.” “You guarantee?” I stared at him. “What are you guaranteeing with?” Jason opened his mouth but couldn’t speak. “It better be back next week,” I pointed at Vanessa. “Every single cent!” I walked away, but then turned back at the door. “And next time, before you touch my money, you’d better ask me first!”
Back in my office, Mark cautiously brought me coffee. “Mr. Blake, should I look into the specific whereabouts of that money?” “Yes. The more details, the better.” Two days later, Mark brought a stack of photos, his hands trembling. “Mr. Blake, take a look at this.” In the photos, Vanessa and Jason were leaving a Michelin-starred restaurant. Vanessa was adjusting Jason’s tie. They were laughing happily, and Jason’s hand was resting on Vanessa’s waist. “When were these taken?” I picked up the photos, examining them closely. “Last night, 11:15 PM,” Mark said, pulling out his phone. “I followed them until 11:40 PM, when they finally parted ways.” I remembered clearly: last night I messaged Vanessa, and she said she was exhausted, her phone almost dead. “Anything else?” Mark pulled out another stack of documents. “This is Ms. Vanessa’s itinerary for the past week.” I flipped through page after page, growing angrier with each one. The itinerary listed meetings with important clients, but the actual locations always overlapped with Jason’s activities. “That jerk!” I slammed the documents onto the desk. “Mr. Blake, there’s something even worse.” Mark played a recording from his phone. “I recorded this yesterday in the break room.” Jason’s voice came through the recording: “Vanessa looked beautiful in that black dress last night, even more feminine than usual.” Another male voice asked, “What’s your relationship with her?” Jason chuckled. “You know.” I immediately smashed my water glass on the floor. Shards scattered everywhere. “Keep digging! I want to know their every move!” The next day, I decided to test Jason myself. I cornered him in the break room. “How was the Japanese place yesterday?” I asked deliberately. Jason was pouring coffee. At my words, his hand twitched, spilling coffee all over the counter. “What… what Japanese food?” He frantically wiped the counter. “Don’t play dumb.” I stepped closer. “That upscale place last night. The food was good, right?” Jason’s face instantly went white, then he forced a calm smile. “Oh, *that* place. Yeah, it was pretty good. Ms. Vanessa said she liked it too.” As soon as he said it, he realized his slip and immediately shut up. “Is that so?” I stared into his eyes. “Ms. Vanessa said she was working late last night.” “I… I…” Jason stammered. “Maybe I remembered wrong.” “Remembered wrong?” I scoffed. “Or have your dates become so routine that you forgot to keep it a secret?” “Mr. Blake, you’re misunderstanding!” Sweat beaded on Jason’s forehead. “Ms. Vanessa and I are strictly professional!” “Professional?” I pulled out my phone and opened the photos Mark had sent me. “Is this professional?” The photos showed Vanessa and Jason laughing and talking in the restaurant, Vanessa even feeding Jason with a fork. Jason’s face turned completely white when he saw the photos. “This… this is…” “This is what?” I held the phone up to his face. “Explain?” Jason opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word. Just then, Vanessa pushed the door open. “What are you two talking about?” “About your date.” I showed her the phone directly. “Explain?” Vanessa’s face also changed when she saw the photos. But she quickly regained her composure. “What’s there to explain?” she retorted, acting righteous. “Jason and I were discussing work, and we grabbed a bite. Is there a problem?” “Discussing work requires feeding each other?” I pointed at the photo. “You call this work?” “That was… that was an accident,” Vanessa began to panic. “We were talking about the project, I had documents in my hand, so I just…” “…fed him anyway?” I sneered. “Vanessa, do you think I’m an idiot?” “Blake, you’re overthinking.” Vanessa started to play the victim. “Jason and I are truly just colleagues.” “Really?” I pulled out another photo. “Then how do you explain *this* one?”
In the second photo, Jason’s hand was on Vanessa’s shoulder, both standing at a hotel entrance. This time, Vanessa was utterly speechless. “I can explain!” Jason suddenly blurted out. “I drank too much that day, and Ms. Vanessa drove me back to the hotel!” “Drove you back to the hotel?” I smiled. “Did she take you all the way to the room?” “No!” Jason hastily waved his hands. “Just dropped me off downstairs!” “Is that so?” I pulled out my phone and played a recording. The hotel front desk clerk’s voice came through: “Room 411, two guests, check-in 11:20 PM, check-out 9:00 AM the next day.” The room fell terrifyingly silent. “Anything else to explain?” I looked at both of them. Vanessa and Jason exchanged glances, not daring to speak. “Good.” I put my phone away. “Since you’re not talking, I’ll take that as an admission.” With that, I walked out, leaving them staring at each other. Another week passed. It was the company’s annual gala. The gala was held at a five-star hotel, with over three hundred attendees, all industry bigwigs. I sat at the main table, Vanessa beside me, impeccably made up, wearing a designer gown worth tens of thousands of dollars. “This year’s Outstanding Employee Award goes to our Project Manager, Jason!” the host announced. Applause erupted throughout the ballroom, and Jason walked onto the stage, beaming. He looked especially dashing today, in a crisp suit, his hair perfectly slicked back. “Thank you, everyone!” Jason held the microphone. “This year, our project department achieved excellent results…” He started his presentation, the first slides showing normal performance data. I was about to clap, when suddenly, the visuals changed. The big screen displayed examples of my early failed investments. It even had a giant meme with the word “FAILURE” plastered across it, strikingly prominent. The entire room burst into laughter. “Hahaha, Blake really had a rough time back then!” “How much did he lose that time? Thirty million?” “It’s still so funny to think about!” The whispers from the audience grew louder. Everyone was staring at me, some chuckling, some pointing. I sat there, expressionless, watching my past failures displayed as a joke on the big screen. Even worse, Jason feigned panic on stage: “Ah! My apologies, Mr. Blake! This is an old template that wasn’t properly deleted! I’m truly sorry!” But even as he apologized, a smirk played on his lips, clearly intentional. Vanessa didn’t stop him; instead, she joined in the laughter. She covered her mouth, shaking with laughter, tears streaming down her face. “Vanessa, you find this funny too?” I turned to her. “No, I just…” Vanessa was still laughing. “I was just remembering that incident back then…” Some people in the audience started discussing loudly: “Blake really has had some bad luck these past few years!” “I heard he lost a lot of money!” “He’s probably just being propped up by his family’s connections now!” “If it wasn’t for his dad, he’d have gone bankrupt long ago!” ———-此处为截断点———- Every word that reached my ears felt like a knife. Jason was still playing innocent on stage: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Blake! My assistant made this presentation, maybe they got it wrong!”
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