The moment I stepped into the office, the CEO's wife slapped me. Before I could even process the pain, a stack of photos of the affair was thrown in my face. "You slut. How dare you sleep with my husband? I'll make sure you never work in New York again." "Where is Legal? Tell HR to fire her immediately. I want her blacklisted everywhere." My best friend, Chloe Sterling, stood nearby with red, teary eyes. She looked at me with deep disappointment. "Stella... I can't believe you're the mistress who seduced the boss. No wonder I saw you at that hotel last time..." I was completely stunned. I was single. How could I possibly be a mistress? Just as I opened my mouth to defend myself, a series of glowing chat comments suddenly flashed before my eyes like a live stream. "Chloe is the real mistress. She is framing you." "She stole your ID card to book those hotel rooms. She even bribed the hotel receptionist. If you say 'it wasn't me' right now, she will pull out fake video evidence to destroy you." "It's promotion season. If you get fired, the department manager position is hers." "Defending yourself won't work. Cry. Start crying right now. Pretend you were drugged and assaulted. Play the victim." I immediately choked back my explanation. In a split second, tears welled up in my eyes. I looked at Chloe with gratitude. "Chloe, thank you." Under the bewildered stares of everyone in the room, I pulled out my phone, dialed 911, and put it on speakerphone. "I'd like to report a crime. I was drugged and assaulted. I have physical evidence and witnesses."
"Stella, are you crazy?! You're filing a false police report just to escape the consequences?" I sidestepped Chloe as she tried to snatch my phone, staring straight into her eyes. "But I have absolutely no memory of what happened in those photos." "And what you just said about seeing me at the hotel? I don't remember a single thing about that either." "Unless I was drugged and lost consciousness, or literally brainwashed, is there any other explanation?" I hung up the phone. I pulled back a chair and sat down calmly. Victoria Harrington, the CEO's wife, let out a cold laugh. She slammed her limited-edition Hermès bag heavily onto the conference table. "Stella Vance, stop putting on a show!" "Do you really think calling the cops will clean your name after you seduced my husband?" "Whether my name is clean or not is for the police to decide," I replied, looking directly at her. "Since you came here today to catch a mistress, wouldn't a full police investigation be better for you anyway?" "That way, you won't be manipulated by someone else and blame the wrong person." Chloe's eyes grew redder, her voice trembling. "Stella, how can you still be so shameless at a time like this? I truly regret being your friend for all these years!" She turned around to face Victoria and the other executives in the room. "Mrs. Harrington, everyone, I actually noticed something was wrong a long time ago." "Stella's spending habits have been way too high lately. It completely exceeds her salary as a regular employee." "Last month, I saw her checking into the InterContinental Hotel with my own eyes." As she spoke, she opened a video on her phone and projected it onto the large screen in the conference room. The video angle was clearly from the hotel lobby's security camera. In the footage, a woman wearing my limited-edition trench coat and my custom star-themed bracelet was standing at the counter. After checking in, the woman took the room key and walked into the elevator. Although the camera only caught her back and a slight side profile... With that outfit and body shape, anyone would swear it was me. "Where did you get this video?" I asked, looking confused. "I got it from a friend who works at the hotel," Chloe said proudly. The executives looked at me with immediate disgust. "Wow, I couldn't tell. She acts so innocent at work, but she's so wild behind our backs." I didn't rush to defend myself. I just quietly stared at the screen. The trench coat was mine. The bracelet was mine. But during that exact weekend, my ID card had indeed gone missing for a few days. Later, it mysteriously reappeared in my office desk drawer. I turned my head to look at Chloe. "Since you have the security footage, please hand it over to the police when they arrive." "Identity theft and drug-facilitated sexual assault are major felonies. This video is crucial evidence." Chloe's face stiffened. She gritted her teeth. "You're still lying! You booked that room yourself! There was no drug or assault!" I smiled and asked, "If I were sober and sneaking out to meet a married man, would I be that stupid?" "Would I brazenly use my own ID card to register at the front desk, basically begging to get caught?" Victoria frowned, a sliver of doubt flashing in her eyes. Chloe immediately raised her voice, cutting in: "Who knows what goes on in your twisted mind! Maybe you did it on purpose!" "Is that so?" My voice remained flat. "Then let the police find out who that woman really is." "The police won't frame an innocent person, and they certainly won't let a criminal go!" Just then, the conference room doors were pushed open. Two uniformed police officers walked in.
"Who called 911?" The lead officer, Detective Carter, scanned the room with a sharp gaze. I immediately stood up and raised my hand. "I did, Officer." I pointed to the photos scattered on the table, and then to the video still playing on the big screen. I explained the entire situation to Detective Carter from beginning to end. Detective Carter's face turned serious. He carefully placed the photos into an evidence bag. "Aside from these photos, do we have any other leads?" Chloe bit her lip and stepped forward. "Officer, don't listen to her! She's just trying to cover up her guilt!" She pointed at the screen and shouted: "This is the video of her using her own ID to book a room at the hotel." "She wasn't drugged. She was perfectly sober when she went to sleep with our boss!" Detective Carter looked at the screen, then at Chloe. "Where did you get this footage?" "I got it from a friend at the hotel front desk." Detective Carter gave her a stern look and held out his hand. "Hand over the original video file and your phone." Chloe's face turned pale. Reluctantly, she handed over her phone. I immediately spoke up. "Officer, I request a forensic analysis of this video." "At the same time, I want to submit my dashcam footage, my apartment building's security log, and my phone's GPS data from that day." Chloe let out a cold snort, seemingly prepared. "That was a weekend, and your apartment building had a power outage, so the cameras weren't working. You could easily alter your dashcam and GPS yourself." "Did you plan all of this beforehand?" She turned to the detective, her tone confident. "Officer, she definitely snuck out during that time!" I ignored her provocation and continued addressing the detective: "I request the police to track this woman's exact movements." Detective Carter nodded and instructed the younger officer behind him: "Get the high-definition footage from the hotel lobby, hallways, and parking garage for that day." "Verify the ID number used for the room, the key card logs, and the payment account." Right then, the door was pushed open again. Liam Harrington, the CEO, walked in in a rush. Seeing the police, he froze, his footsteps halting. His eyes locked with Chloe's for a brief second. The moment Victoria saw him, she rushed over and slapped him across the face. "Liam Harrington! You still have the nerve to show up! Look at what you've done!" Liam's head snapped to the side. He took a deep breath. Then, he turned to look at me, his face suddenly twisting into a mask of pain and betrayal. "Victoria, I'm sorry." He pointed at me, gritting his teeth. "Stella Vance kept seducing me! That day, she blackmailed me into going to that hotel." "I wanted to reject her, but she drugged my water." "By the time I woke up, the damage was already done." The room erupted into whispers. The high-and-mighty CEO was actually throwing me under the bus in front of the police. Not only that, but he was turning the tables and accusing me of drugging him! Victoria was shaking with rage. She pointed at my face. "Stella Vance! You shameless bitch!" She lunged forward to grab my hair. I quickly took a half-step back, avoiding her hands, and looked straight at Liam. I said calmly: "I suggest we both take an immediate hair follicle drug test, and let the police sweep the hotel room for forensic evidence."
Liam's expression changed instantly, but he quickly forced a hardened look. "This happened almost a month ago! What forensic evidence could possibly be left?" I stared him down. "If you are truly the victim here, Mr. Harrington, you should want the police to investigate this even more than I do." Liam avoided my eyes. He pulled out his phone and handed some screenshots to Detective Carter. "Officer, these are the Snapchat messages she sent to invite me to the hotel." The detective took the phone. The account name was "Starry Night," and the profile picture was a selfie of me. "Hey Liam, this Saturday at 2:00 PM. InterContinental Hotel, Room 8026. See you there. Don't keep me waiting." "Stella, we can't do this." "If you don't show up, I'll tell Victoria about you embezzling company funds." Seeing the screenshots, Victoria blew up again. "Not only is she a slut, she's an extortionist!" "Stella Vance, I will make sure your life is ruined! You will never work in this industry again!" Chloe stood to the side, dabbing her tears and adding fuel to the fire. "Stella, the boss showed the messages. Are you still going to deny it?" "That Snapchat account is your burner. You used to borrow money from me using that exact account." She turned to Detective Carter. "Officer, is this enough proof of blackmail and seduction?" Watching their coordinated performance, I sneered inwardly. "Since Mr. Harrington has provided these screenshots, I request a full forensic investigation of the digital evidence." "First, I want a subpoena for the registration email of that Snapchat account." "Second, I want to verify the IP addresses and device MAC addresses used to send those messages." "Third, Chloe claims I used that account to borrow money from her. I want her to show the corresponding bank transfer records." I pressed forward, my voice echoing in the room. Liam's eyes twitched. Chloe hurriedly interrupted, "Everyone knows you majored in Computer Science! Changing an IP address is child's play for you!" "Mr. Harrington, we need to take your phone back to the station for digital forensics," Detective Carter cut her off coldly, putting Liam's phone into an evidence bag. Liam opened his mouth but didn't dare to object. But Victoria wasn't done. She pulled a bank statement from her bag and slammed it onto the table. "Officer, this is our corporate bank statement!" She pointed at a bolded line of transaction data, her voice screeching. "Liam used the company account to transfer $50,000 into Stella's personal bank account!" "This is the sugar daddy money! The proof is right here!" The executives whispered among themselves again. "Fifty grand... she really took it." "The evidence is undeniable. Let's see how she explains this." I glanced at the statement. The account number indeed belonged to an old, rarely used bank card of mine. "Mrs. Harrington, can this bank statement be handed over to the police as evidence?" "Of course! It's key evidence!" "Great," I said calmly. "Officer, I request an immediate freeze on this Chase bank account." "Furthermore, I want to track all transaction paths and ATM withdrawal camera footage associated with this $50,000 after it was deposited." I turned my cold gaze toward Chloe. "Let's see whose pocket that fifty grand actually ended up in."
Chloe's breath hitched. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to stay calm. "Stella, you obviously withdrew that money in cash. What's the point of tracking the digital trail now?" "Do you think the police are stupid enough to believe you?" She seemed to make up her mind about something. She reached into her bag, pulled out one last document, and handed it to the detective with a trembling hand. "Officer... actually, there is one more thing." "I didn't want to bring this up because it concerns a woman's dignity." "But I can't let Stella keep lying." She unfolded the paper. It was an abortion consent form from New York Central Hospital. In black and white, "Stella Vance" was written on the patient line. At the bottom right, there was a signature that looked exactly like my handwriting. "Last Tuesday afternoon, Stella took a half-day off. She actually went to the hospital for an abortion." Chloe wept dramatically. "The baby was the boss's! She was terrified of getting caught, so she quietly terminated the pregnancy." "I was worried about her, so I secretly followed her to the hospital. I managed to get a copy of this form from the nurse's desk when she wasn't looking." The room was in shock. Even Liam was stunned. Clearly, he had no idea Chloe had prepared this dramatic piece of evidence. Victoria was so angry she almost fainted. She leaned against the table, pointing a shaking finger at me. "Fire her! Legal, draft the lawsuit right now!" "I'm not just firing her. I want her to spit out every single penny she took, and then I want her in prison!" Detective Carter took the abortion form, frowning deeply as he turned to me. "Stella Vance, is this your signature?" I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I took a deep breath and let my eyes sweep across everyone in the room. "You all really went all out to paint me as the mistress, didn't you?" My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. Chloe came over to grab my hand. "Just confess, Stella! I will beg Mrs. Harrington to show you mercy!" I slapped her hand away and looked at Detective Carter. "Detective Carter, please list all the evidence Chloe and Mr. Harrington have provided today." I raised my fingers, counting them down one by one. "First, the hotel security footage and booking records under my ID." "Second, the Snapchat burner account using my photo to message Mr. Harrington." "Third, the bank statement showing $50,000 transferred to my account." "Fourth, this abortion consent form from New York Central Hospital." I turned to Chloe and Liam, my voice rising with absolute authority. "You two, in front of the police, confirm this one last time." "All of this evidence involves actions taken by me personally." "None of this was forged by anyone else, correct?" Chloe yelled without hesitation, "Of course it is you. The evidence is rock solid. What else can you say?" Liam gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes, she and I did those things. I am willing to testify under oath." "Excellent. Wonderful." I smiled slightly, reached into my inner jacket pocket, pulled out a USB drive, and placed it next to the evidence bag. "Detective Carter, please play the files on this drive." The screen flickered, and everyone in the room held their breath.
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