365 days with the Billionaire

Jane’s POV “What? What do you mean?” I shouted at my secretary, Stacy, who stood frozen, holding her tablet tightly as she looked down. “The company can’t be bankrupt,” I muttered, sinking into my chair. “It can’t be bankrupt!” I yelled, slamming my hand on the table. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” Stacy said nervously. “The directors have started pulling their investments. Our stock prices are crashing.” The walls of my office suddenly felt like they were closing in. The news on the TV behind me was reporting the company’s financial collapse. Everything was falling apart. My father's company, the one I’d poured my entire life into, was bankrupt? “When did this start! How did this get to the media”I shouted. “This morning ma, the news leaked to the media.” Stacy said. The news was shocking. It hit me hard. When Stacy called this morning about an emergency, I never thought it would be for this. “Stacy… there has to be a way to fix this. This can’t be real. Check again or something!” I said, my voice trembling. “Ma’am, I've checked everything. At first I thought it was a joke or something but the books are right. Our finances have failed. Reporters are calling nonstop, and the news just keeps getting worse,” she said, her voice rising in panic. “What’s PR doing? Why wasn’t this contained? How did the press find out?” I asked as tears streamed down my face. “They’re trying to manage it, but we don’t even know who leaked the information. They’re tracing the source.” She replied. “Ma,am,” she paused and moved closer, setting her tablet on the desk. She had been with me since I took over the company. She has been loyal, hardworking sometimes I wondered how I’d manage without her. “Ma’am, I know you’re in shock, but we need to act,” she said, gently taking my hand. I clenched my fist, trying to stay calm. She was right. “Okay,” I said slowly. “First, we need to hold onto the directors who haven’t pulled their investments yet. Get me a list, everyone who’s left, and everyone still with us.” “Yes, ma’am,” she replied, already heading for the door. Before she left, she paused and looked back. “Ma’am… we’ll get through this.” We’ll get through this. God, I hoped she was right. It felt impossible. Everything I’d worked for was falling apart. My father’s legacy gone. Yes, he’d left some debts when he passed, but I was handling them. It couldn’t have led to this. My phone buzzed interrupting my thoughts. It was Daniel, my fiancé. “Hey, love,” he said casually when I picked up. “Daniel,” I whispered, “everything is falling apart. Where are you?” “Hmm, yeah. Stacy called and said something about the stock prices or whatever,” he said, completely unbothered. “Or whatever? Are you serious right now? The company is crumbling and you’re acting like it’s no big deal?” I asked, choking on my own tears. Daniel and I had been together for three years. We were engaged. He begged to join the company, and I agreed. I made him Chief Financial Officer because of his background in finance. Everything has been going well till now, if anyone should know about this, it should be Daniel. “Babe, it’s probably just a glitch,” he said. “It’ll blow over.” “I need you here, now. If this is nothing, then help me prove it. You’re the CFO! you should be here!” “Yeah, sure. I’ll call you later, okay?” he said quickly, then ended the call. He hung up. Just like that. No answers. No help. Before I could fully process what Daniel said, Stacy burst into the room. “Ma’am! Mr. Ivan is here. He’s demanding to see you!” Just before Stacy could say anything else, Mr. Ivan, one of the company’s biggest shareholders, stormed into my office, his face full of anger. “I will not put up with this, Jane! I won’t sit back and watch my money disappear!” he shouted. “Mr. Ivan, please,” I said quickly, trying to stay calm. “I understand you’re upset, but we’re working on it. We’re going to fix this.” “Fix it?” he snapped. “The company is falling apart, and you’re telling me to wait?” “Just give me a little more time,” I said. “We’re doing everything we can.” “You’d better,” he said, stepping closer. “I only came here out of respect for your late father. But if you don’t fix this mess soon, I won’t just pull my investment. I’ll ruin you.” And with that, he turned and walked out of the office. I stood still, my heart racing. Mr. Ivan wasn’t someone to mess with. If he pulled out his investment, others will follow and If he decided to ruin me, he could and he wouldn’t hesitate. He had the money, the power, and the connections to make my life a nightmare. I had to fix this. Now. I turned to Stacy. “The file. Where is it?” “Right here, ma’am,” she said, handing it over. “Good. Stay here and keep answering the calls. Tell everyone we’re handling the situation. I need to head home and get some documents. Also, tell the finance department to send me a report instantly, I need to know where we’re at financially,” Stacy nodded, and I hurried out of the building. Paparazzi swarmed me as I tried to make it to my car. “Jane! What do you have to say about the rumors that your company’s been producing fake products?” one of them shouted. Fake products? Where were these lies coming from? I ignored them, got into my car, and drove home. The news reports were getting worse by the second. My heart was racing. When I got home, the staff greeted me, but I ignored them and rushed upstairs. And there she was. Amanda. My stepmother. Sitting on the chair in my room like she owned the place which, technically, she sort of did. “Well, look who finally decided to show up,” she said sarcastically. “I don’t have time for this, Amanda,” I said, rummaging through my things. “Funny. I found out at the spa that my company is bankrupt,” she said, standing. I scoffed. “Your company? I’ve worked day and night to build this company after Dad died. If you’re not going to help, then…” “Oh, shut up,” she snapped, cutting me off. “You don’t get it, do you? Your father made me the majority shareholder. You might run it, but I own it. So if I were you, I’d fix this disaster. Or else…” She walked closer, her voice low and threatening. “…or else I’ll kick you out. Penniless. Homeless. And completely alone.” I clenched my fists. She had no right. She’d treated me like trash ever since my mother died. I had earned my place in that company. That’s why I worked so hard to build up my shares so one day, I could finally kick her out. “And Jane,” she added with a smirk, walking to the door, “I always knew you were a bit slow, but even for you… this is impressive. Check your email. The company’s financial report is in there.” She left. I sat at my desk and pulled up the report the finance team had sent. I went through it slowly. My hands began to tremble. There it was, clear as day. Years of financial mismanagement. And the timeline? It started three years ago. The same year Daniel joined the company. The same year I made him CFO. He had been draining the company. The man I loved. The man I trusted… Daniel had been the one bankrupting us all along.