I HAVE BEEN FRAMED!

The room was filled with a heavy silence as John struggled to process what he had just heard. He had never thought that his actions would be discovered, and he was caught completely off guard. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The board members were waiting for him to say something, to defend himself, but he was lost for words. After what felt like an eternity, Scott finally spoke.

“This is a very serious accusation," he said, his voice stern. “Do you have any proof to back up your claims?”

“As I mentioned before, I have concrete proof of the transactions that I've mentioned. The records are available for you to examine, so you can see for yourself that what I'm saying is true. I have no interest in deceiving you or anyone else in this room. I'm simply trying to ensure that we make the best decision for the company.” Monica put forward with no regard for John's feelings, deliberately not staring at him.

John stared at Monica, his mind reeling from the shock of her proposal. He had never expected her to speak up like this, to call for his removal as CEO. His heart pounded in his chest, and he struggled to find the words to respond. “Monica,” he began, his voice trembling slightly, “I don't understand why you're doing this. I thought we were a team, that we were working together for the good of the company.”

The board members exchanged glances, their expressions serious. They began to thumb through the papers in front of them, their eyes scanning the documents intently. One by one, they looked up from the documents, a mixture of concern and determination on their faces. Monica stood before them, her posture confident and her gaze unwavering, ignoring John's earlier said words.

After a long and tense silence with board members going through the documents, Scott finally broke the silence. “John,” he began, his voice betraying his surprise, “Did you embezzle two billion dollars under the guise of a fake charity organization?”

John was caught off-guard by the accusation, and his face showed his confusion. “I didn't do any such thing!” he exclaimed.

“But the evidence is right here in the documents," Scott countered, holding up the papers. “I suggest you take a look for yourself."

John hesitated, unsure what to believe.

John's hands trembled as he picked up the documents and began to read. His eyes widened in shock at what he read, and his face went pale. “This is not true,”he said calmly in disbelief, trying to regain his composure.

Monica's eyes locked onto his, a daring challenge in her gaze. “Care to explain?” she asked, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

John got the understanding of what she was trying to do, took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. Then, in a cold and calculated tone, he spoke. “Yes, it's true,” he admitted, a slight smirk playing on his lips while he rested his back on his seat, his gaze focused entirely on Monica. The board members' jaws dropped in shock.

The board members sat in stunned silence, their attention captivated by John's words. Monica's lips curled into a sly smile, though her eyes betrayed her confusion. George felt the gravity of the situation, but was at a loss for words. Missy's eyes widened in shock, her brow furrowed in disbelief.

As the shock wore off, the board members began to bombard John with questions.

“How could you do this, boss?” demanded George, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment. John casted a glance at him, throwing some words to him through eye contact.

“Boss…” Missy's voice was shrill with disbelief.

John stood his ground, his face impassive. “Let me explain," he said coolly.

John knew he had already admitted to the act, but he wanted to explain himself further. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, Monica interrupted him. “No need to explain yourself,” she said, her voice cold and emotionless. “You already admitted to the act, there is no point explaining!” John's heart sank, feeling the heat of his words, he felt the blood drain from his face. He opened his mouth again, but before he could speak, the board members began to speak among themselves.

“I don't know if we should trust Monica,” Scott said. “We need more evidence before we make a decision.”

“But we have John's confession,” one of the board members said. “What more do we need?”

“I don't know,” Scott replied. “But I don't feel comfortable making a decision based on just one piece of evidence.”

As the board members continued to argue, John felt more and more hopeless. He was desperate to explain himself, but it seemed that no one was willing to listen.

Monica cleared her throat, and the board members fell silent. She looked them each in the eye, her expression serious. “Board members,” she said, “I'd like to ask you to focus on the evidence I'm about to present. I believe it will be clear that John has to go!” She gestured to the large screen at the front of the room. A murmur of surprise and interest rippled through the board members. They leaned forward in their seats, their eyes fixed on the screen.

Monica clicked a button on her computer, and the screen came to life.The board members sat in silence, their eyes fixed on the screen. Monica exited her seat and stood in front of them, a tablet in her hand.

“As you can see,” she began, “the bank statement on the screen has been altered. The account number, the amount of money transferred, and the date have all been changed. This is not the original statement.” She turned to face the board members, her eyes burning with determination.

Monica turned to the screen and swiped her finger, revealing a series of documents from the finance department. She took a deep breath and began to explain the contents of the documents. “Furthermore, I have documents from the finance department that back up my claim.” She revealed, swiping at the documents with her finger across the tablet. “These documents show a trail of money that was transferred from the company's accounts to a fake charity organization. The transactions are listed in detail, and they show a clear pattern of embezzlement.”

“In addition to these documents,” Monica continued, “I have the hand-written statement from a witness who claims to have seen the money being transferred. The witness is the owner of the charity organization in question.” The board members exchanged glances, their faces etched with confusion.

The tension in the room was palpable. The board members turned to look at John.

“The witness is a woman named Lisa Smith,” Monica continued. “She worked for John for several years, and she claims that he approached her with a plan to create a fake charity organization. He promised her a large sum of money if she would help him set it up and make it look legitimate.” The board members listened, their eyes wide with shock.

“Lisa agreed to help him, and she set up the organization as he instructed. But then she began to have second thoughts. She realized that what they were doing was wrong, and she decided to come forward with the truth.” Monica said as the screen revealed the picture of Lisa Brown and a handwritten letter next to it.

“On behalf of everyone, I'll read out the handwritten letter from the screen.” Monica announced as she focused her gaze to the large screen instead.

“I was afraid to come forward,” she wrote. “I was worried about what would happen to me if I told the truth. But I know now that I had to do the right thing. I can no longer sit by and watch this happen. I know that I will face consequences for my actions, but I hope that by coming forward, I can help to put an end to this.” The board members were silent, taking in every word. The room was filled with tension, and no one knew what to say.

John remained silent, his expression unreadable. His eyes were fixed on the ground, and he seemed lost in thought.

John rose from his seat, exited it and headed for where Monica was situated, standing in front of the board, his mind racing but his face calm and collected, giving off an impassive vibe. He had no idea how they got Lisa's handwritten statement. Monica is staring at him, a smug look on her face.

Suddenly, Scott speaks up. “John,” he says. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

John takes a deep breath and begins to speak... “I have been framed by Monica!”