Chapter Nine:
Fiona’s POV:
I did not even bother to check my phone. I went straight to the living room to check if I had mistakenly dropped it there.
I put on the flashlight to avoid anyone noticing me in the house.
“Are you looking for this?” Veronica asked as stood behind me and put on the flashlight.
As soon as I heard her voice, I turned slowly.
“Busted.” I said to myself under my breath as I turned.
Veronica stood there looking at me.
“I could not sleep and decided to surf through the net, then I saw your news all over on the internet.” She said.
“My news?” I asked her confused because no one saw me breaking into the building.
“Yes, Fiona, even though they are still trying to find who did that…” She continued.
“I know you did, Fiona. I see the fierceness in your eye and how badly you want to exonerate your family.” Veronica told me.
“I am so proud of you, Fiona,” Veronica said as she hugged me tightly.
“I got to check my phone. I think I have got a text.” I told Veronica as I let go.
“Oh…” I said indifferent as I saw the text.
“What is it?” Veronica asked me in concern.
“Let me have a look.” She said as she took the phone from my hands.
“Wow! You have just gotten a job, Fiona” She exclaimed.
“This is amazing. Finally, you have a job in your field of study.” Veronica said happily.
“Are you for real? In a company that talked down on my father’s company and my skills?” I asked her bewildered.
“Yes, Fiona…” She answered.
“I do not think I can cope in such an environment; they are all talking about how my dad’s company went bankrupt, and we have no money now.” I narrated sadly.
“I understand you, Fiona, but that should be the least of your worries now.” She told me.
“You have a brother who looks up to you, and I hope at some point you would have to fight for your father’s company in court and you’d need a lot of money for that.” She said.
“What they will say about you does not define you or your future and they will get tired of talking about you if you do not indulge them,” Veronica added.
“Thank you, Veronica,” I told her as I retired to bed.
But before that, I made sure I kept all the documents in a safe place, where no one would get access to them easily.
The next day, Veronica woke me early in the morning to prepare for the new job. She also made sure Thomas was ready for school.
It is going to be his first day at school since he recovered.
We got into the car and decided to drive them all to their destinations, but Veronica declined.
“It is your day at work Fiona. You do not want to check in late.” Veronica said as she took the keys from me.
She drove Thomas to school and me to work. Veronica has been like a mother to me.
“Welcome, Miss Fiona.” The receptionist told me as I stepped into the building.
“Follow me please.” She added with a smile.
We got into an elevator and were directed to an office on the right.
Immediately, I got in, I met the man who humiliated me and the woman at the interview.
“It’s nice meeting you again, Miss Fiona.” The woman said as she directed me to sit.
“On behalf of the company, we are so sorry for how the last interview played out.” The lady said.
“It’s fine, ma’am,” I told her forcing a smile, meanwhile within I detested the man with so much passion.
“This is the CEO, Mr. Whitman. After going through your curriculum vitae, we concluded that you are the best fit for the job.” The lady added.
“You have been accepted as the financial advisor. You would be working directly with the CEO.” She said.
” I am Anita, the receptionist will take you to your office.” She said.
“Thank you, Miss Anita, and Mr. Whitman,” I told them as the meeting ended.
Later that day, the accountant handed over to me a flash drive containing the company’s financial history.
After going through the documents, I noticed that the company was struggling financially and if not properly handled, the company could go bankrupt.
“Can I have the company’s sales report for one year?” I asked the secretary as I walked up to her.
“No ma’am. It is not in your position to handle such documents.” She answered me arrogantly.
“Why?” I asked her.
“Oh! In case you are confused I am the new finance…” I started saying before she cut in.
“I know you. I need to get back to work please.” She said ignoring me.
I left there confused so I headed to Mr. Whitman’s office, the CEO.
When I got to the office, his secretary told me that he was in a meeting with the board of directors, so I had to wait.
I went back and I decided to go through the documents again but there was something fishy going on. Nothing was adding up.
“Proposal for a loan, this can be reversed,” I said as I saw a copy of the proposal for a business loan by the company.
Then, something struck me, the signatures. Some looked forged but I couldn’t conclude.
“There is something off with these signatures,” I told myself.
After so many deliberations, I concluded that some of the signatures were forged including the loan proposal.
This was smartly done, that only an expert would figure out.
After so many hours, the CEO got out of the meeting, and I followed him swiftly from behind.
“I need to do this intelligently,” I said to myself as I walked in.
“What can I do for you, Miss Fiona?” The CEO asked me.
“Uh, did you send any proposal to any bank for a loan?” I asked him.
“No, Anita told me about it, but I asked her to hold on.” He answered.
“Unfortunately, a loan proposal has been sent out with your signature on it,” I told him.
“What!” He exclaimed in surprise.
“You need to calm sir, but I need this to be between the two of us,” I told him as he looked at me still in surprise.