They Framed Me, I Revealed My True Identity

The quarterly review meeting was halfway through in the conference room on the top floor of our Mantuis headquarters when the giant screen suddenly went black. A second later, it switched to a heavily edited piece of security footage. Eve Rhodes, one of the junior nurses, stood beside the projector in four-inch heels, holding a laser pointer aimed straight at my face on the screen. She announced, "Everybody, take a good look. This footage shows Serena taking five boxes of premium Blue Blood Skin Boosters out of the restricted pharmacy right before she left work last night." The room exploded with whispers. Every senior doctor at the table turned to look at me. Eve lifted her chin, clearly enjoying the attention. She continued, "This is our clinic's most confidential premium product. She abused her position, stole company inventory, and sold it on the black market for her own profit." I stayed where I was at the front of the room and didn't rush to defend myself. Those five boxes weren't stolen. I had authorized them myself through my family's ownership rights. They were a gift for my mother as part of her regular skincare routine. The funny thing was, this so-called number one aesthetic clinic in Mantuis used to be nothing more than a struggling basement operation that could barely pay rent. Years ago, when I walked away from my family's world to avoid an arranged marriage, I kept my real identity from my husband, Lucas Prescott. Nobody here knew I was the heir to one of Wall Street's biggest fortunes. I quietly funneled resources, technology, and connections from my family's companies into this place. I helped turn a dying business into a money-printing machine. And now, the very people whose paychecks existed because of me were accusing me of stealing things from my own company. I turned toward the head of the conference table. Sitting there was my husband, Lucas. I expected him to shut the whole thing down. After all, when I brought those products home the night before, he was the one who helped me put them into the CRT cabinet. Instead, he looked away, avoiding my gaze. Without saying a word, he pulled a stack of documents from a folder and slammed them onto the table. He said coldly, "Serena, for the last three years, how much money have you drained from this clinic as the co-founder?" For a second, I couldn't process what I had just heard. My stomach dropped. I stared at him, searching for some sign that this was a joke. His face was serious. The only things I saw in his eyes were calculation and disgust. He continued, "You can stop making excuses. Eve already tracked down the black-market transactions. "Those five boxes sold for half a million dollars. This clinic is supposed to help people. It's not your personal ATM." Hearing him say half a million dollars, I almost laughed. The annual fee on my Relianan Express Black Card cost more than that. For a relatively small payout, he was willing to team up with Eve and throw me out the door? I took a slow breath and forced down the ache building in my chest. I asked, "Lucas, are you really going to pull a stunt this cheap?" I didn't bother sugarcoating it. "Tell me something. Last night, who put the cooler into the cabinet?" "Shut up!" Lucas slammed his palm onto the conference table, cutting me off before I could finish. Eve immediately stepped forward and pressed herself against the back of his chair. She said with a smug smile, "We've got the evidence and the stolen goods, and you're still trying to pin this on Mr. Prescott? Give me a break." The doctors I had hired, trained, and mentored were suddenly gossiping. "I never would've guessed she was so shady." "She always acted so high and mighty. Turns out she's a thief the whole time." "If we let this slide, it'll destroy the clinic's reputation." I looked around the room, studying every face. These were the people I had personally recruited from medical schools. I had spent years opening doors for them, making calls for them, and helping them earn opportunities they couldn't have reached on their own. When they needed advanced training, I paid for it myself and brought in the best specialists in the country. Now, they couldn't wait to throw me under the bus. Every one of them was trying to score points with Lucas, hoping there'd be a reward waiting on the other side. By then, I had completely lost interest in defending myself. The whole thing was ridiculous. Lucas had spent three years riding my coattails. The anti-aging equipment that built this clinic's reputation had cost millions. I was the one who got it for him at a fraction of its value. He landed a few celebrity clients, got some attention from Hollywood, and suddenly started seeing himself as a healthcare mogul. Now that the business was making real money, he was in a hurry to get rid of the wife he thought had outlived her usefulness. That way, he could put his mistress in my place without having to hide it anymore. Lucas slowly rose from his seat and adjusted the sleeve of his tailored suit. He looked less like a doctor and more like a man passing judgment. He spoke up, "As the clinic's director and majority shareholder, I owe everyone an explanation. "We can't allow people like this to stay in our company." Then he looked straight at me. "Serena, you're fired. As for your shares, they'll be used to cover the losses you've caused." The last bit of hope I had disappeared. Everything finally made sense. This was a power grab, a carefully planned one. I didn't argue. A cold smile slowly spread across my face. 'Fine. Have it your way. Lucas, I hope you're ready for what comes with everything you're about to take.' Lucas straightened his cuffs and walked toward me. When he stopped in front of me, his voice carried the same arrogant confidence he'd been wearing all morning. "Hand over every VIP client file." Eve hurried to his side and slipped her arm through his. The two of them stood together openly, bodies pressed close, no longer bothering to hide their relationship. Looking at them, I felt nothing. Even anger would be a waste. Lucas turned back to the crowd and announced, "Effective immediately, Serena is removed from her position as co-founder." "Out of consideration for our past, I won't call the cops. But you'll be reassigned as a janitor and remain on probation. "You have three days to return one million dollars. That covers the stolen money and the damage you've done to the clinic's name. "If you're short by even a single dollar, Wall Street's best lawyers will send you to jail."