Chapter 8: The Leak
441 Words
It was 6:12am when Aisha’s phone exploded.
100+ w******p messages. 20 missed calls. #ColeFoundationScam was trending #1 in Nigeria.
She opened Twitter with shaking hands.
BREAKING: Cole Foundation Embezzled 80M From Cancer Patients - Insider Documents Leaked
Attached: Bank statements. Forged signatures. And a photo of Aisha walking into the foundation office last week.
Her stomach dropped.
The door to her room opened. No knock.
Damian. In a suit at dawn, tie loose, jaw tight.
"Did you do this?" he asked. No hello.
Aisha stood up fast. "What? No! Damian, I would never—"
"Then explain why your name is on the transfer memo." He threw a printed document on the bed. Her signature. Fake, but perfect.
For the first time, his cold eyes looked hurt. Betrayed.
"The board wants you gone by noon. Victoria called an emergency meeting."
Aisha’s legs gave out. 4 years of hustling. Smiling through rejection. And now this.
"I didn’t do it," she whispered. "Someone’s setting me up."
Damian stared at her for a long second. Then he turned.
"Boardroom. 9am. If you can’t prove your innocence, the contract is over. And I can’t protect you."
9:00 AM. Cole Towers Boardroom.
20 suits. Cold air. Victoria sitting at the head, fake sympathy on her face.
"Poor Damian. To think you married her to save the foundation’s image."
On the big screen: The leaked documents. News headlines. Comments calling Aisha a "gold-digging fraud."
Damian didn’t sit. He stood behind Aisha’s chair.
"Speak," he told her quietly.
Aisha’s hands were sweating. But she remembered 4 years of being told "no".
She stood up.
"You want proof? Here."
She pulled out her own phone. Pulled up CCTV footage from the foundation.
Timestamp: Last Tuesday 11:43pm.
Victoria’s assistant. Sneaking into the office. Accessing the system with Victoria’s keycard.
The room went silent.
Victoria laughed. "That’s edited—"
"Check the metadata," Aisha cut in, voice steady. "And check who paid the blogger to post this at 5am. Same account that paid for your white dress at the gala."
Gasps.
Damian finally looked at Victoria. "You tried to burn down the foundation to get me back."
Security walked in.
As Victoria was escorted out, she turned to Aisha. "You think you won? This isn’t over, Mrs. Cole."
The board voted. Unanimous. Aisha stays. Foundation cleared.
After, in the elevator, silence.
Then Damian spoke. "You fought back."
Aisha looked at him. "I’ve been fighting for 4 years. I’m just tired of losing."
The elevator dinged.
Damian didn’t move. "Thank you... Amelia."
He used her real first name for the first time.
For a second, it didn’t feel like a contract anymore.
- Writer
