I Was Framed, My Hubby Exposed The Truth

Chapter 5

A hush fell over the open office floor the second the words "Hayden's cousin" left Linnea Oakmere's mouth.

My coworkers exchanged wide, stunned glances, then turned as one to join Linnea in criticizing me.

"Yvaine, you've gone too far," one said sharply.

"Linnea only spoke the truth, but you? You're using your position to settle a petty grudge."

"That's right... you don't dare push around the senior staff, so you pick on Linnea just because she's younger."

"We don't go looking for fights, but we won't back down from one either. Do you really think you can walk all over all of us?"

When they finished snapping at me, every last one of them switched to broad, sycophantic grins and crowded around Linnea to fawn over her.

"Linnea, is it true? You're really Hayden's cousin?"

"Hayden Reed? The country's richest man, CEO of our parent company?"

"The same Hayden who visited our luxury hotel last quarter? The whole place went crazy, and he was all over the news... everyone was talking about how handsome he was. You're his cousin?"

Linnea's tears, which had been streaming down her face moments before, dried up completely at the stream of questions.

She gave a small, deliberate nod.

At her confirmation, my coworkers' eyes lit up with naked excitement.

Just then, my assistant Mara Corbray stepped back into the office, returning from a week-long work trip.

She pushed through the throng of people surrounding Linnea and pressed a thick stack of files into my hands... her full week of completed work, heavy enough to make my wrist ache a little.

Mara had no idea what had unfolded while she was gone. She frowned in confusion, glancing first at Linnea, who sat perched in the center of the adoring crowd, then at me, alone at my desk with no one beside me.

Mara was the closest friend I had at the company, and the only person who was consistently kind to me.

I told her exactly what had happened from start to finish. She said she believed me, patted my shoulder gently, and told me not to worry.

She only stayed by my side for a few minutes, though, before curiosity got the better of her.

She walked over to Linnea, who was still the center of everyone's attention, took both of Linnea's hands in hers, and said in a soft, warm, smiling voice:

"I can't believe you're Hayden's cousin! Why did you keep it a secret from all of us for so long?"

Linnea's face crumpled like a hurt child's as she explained, her voice heavy with fake sadness.

"I wanted to see how far I could get on my own hard work, without anyone knowing who I was related to. Besides, we all work together... I didn't want to be treated differently from everyone else. I didn't want special favors just because of my family."

She spoke with such convincing sincerity that I immediately ran through every single one of Hayden's living relatives in my head.

I could not recall a single cousin, distant or otherwise, with the last name Oakmere.

My coworkers, however, did not share my doubt. If anything, they admired Linnea even more, heaping praise on her for her supposed humility.

"Our Linnea is just so thoughtful and kind. To have that kind of powerful family behind you, and still work this hard, never bragging about who you are? It's almost unheard of these days."

"Linnea, don't waste your energy being upset with people like Yvaine. She's not worth it."

One by one, they built Linnea up while tearing me down, every comment calculated to win her favor.

My modest corner office was soon packed wall to wall with people, all of them comforting and fussing over Linnea.

I, meanwhile, had been cast as the unforgivable villain of the hour.

I watched Linnea across the room. She had started sniffling again, working herself into fresh tears as her audience showered her with sympathy, putting on a perfect show of being wronged and fragile.

After a long moment, I spoke up, my voice calm and steady enough to cut through the noise.

"Words are just words. What proof do you have that you're actually Hayden's cousin?"

Linnea's face flushed bright red with rage.

For a split second, I saw panic flash across her features, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

She lifted her chin, her tone sharp and arrogant as she replied, "Tomorrow's Friday, as it happens. I'm throwing a party at Reed Estate right after work. Everyone here is invited. Yvaine? Tomorrow I'll make you eat those words. You'll see exactly who I am."

I looked at her, all puffed up and certain she would humiliate me the next day, and a sudden thought clicked into place.

Reed Estate was a wedding gift from my mother-in-law to me. Three years prior, Hayden and I had stopped there for a few days on our way home from a high-end auction.

It was too far from my office to visit regularly, so I rarely made the trip out.

It looked like I would be paying a visit tomorrow, after all.

If I waited much longer, I might just come back to find someone else claiming Reed Estate was theirs.