Signed for Lace, Sentenced for Life

Silence fell over the table. The man who had laughed earlier froze, his wine glass hovering in midair inches above the table.

Shawn's face flushed a deep, ugly red. He shot to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor.

"Are you out of your mind? This is between Tiffany and me. Who asked you to turn it into a legal lecture? Embezzlement? Prison? Are you so desperate for attention that you can't stand me being nice to someone else?"

Tiffany's eyes immediately reddened. Tears spilled on cue, the big drops sliding down her cheeks.

"Meredith, why are you humiliating me like this? All I did was buy a bag… You're just mad because Shawn treats me well. You can take it out on me, but don't drag him into this."

She sobbed, burying her face in Shawn's chest.

Shawn wrapped an arm around her, patting her back, then pointed a finger at me. "Meredith, I want you to apologize to Tiffany right now. Otherwise, the wedding is off!"

After saving the spreadsheet, I closed my laptop, switched off the voice recorder, and slipped them back into my bag. Then, I stood up.

"Whether the wedding happens or not isn't for you to decide, but I do get to decide whether the company's accounts are clean. 100 thousand dollars—if it's not returned to the corporate account within three days, I'll personally submit the case to the financial crimes unit. Also…"

I turned to Tiffany. "I recorded your statement when you claimed that Shawn's money is your money. Under the company bylaws and the supplemental clauses in our prenup, I have the right to freeze any assets tied to high-risk relationships that could result in a loss for the company."

Pulling out my phone, I called the bank account manager right in front of them.

"This is Meredith Caldwell. Shawn Harrison's corporate account ending in 7788 has a significant financial risk. Under my authority as the Harrison Group's CRO, I'm ordering an immediate freeze on all non-salary transactions from this account."

A professional voice came from the other end of the line. "Understood, Ms. Caldwell. We'll execute the freeze immediately."

Shawn's phone buzzed. This time, it was a notification confirming the account had been frozen.

He stared at the screen in disbelief, then looked back at me. "Meredith, are you serious?"

I straightened the hem of my blazer. "I always am."

With that, I turned and left the private room. Behind me came the sharp sound of porcelain breaking and Shawn's furious yelling.

"Just you wait, Meredith!"

…

The next Monday morning, I sat in the CRO's office, a stack of reimbursement forms spread out before me.

The door swung open. Tiffany strutted in, wearing a skirt that barely reached mid-thigh and holding a cup of coffee.

The finance manager, Mark Levy, followed behind her hesitantly. "Ms. Caldwell, I… Ms. White insisted on coming in."

I didn't look up, my hand circling items on the forms with a limited-edition Montblanc pen worth over a million dollars.

"Out."

Mark bolted as if he had been pardoned, slamming the door behind him.

Tiffany plopped down on my desk, setting her cup of coffee right on top of my documents. Condensation from the cup seeped into the paper, smudging the ink.

I paused, finally lifting my gaze to look at her.

She swung her legs, the tip of her shoe nearly grazing my face. "Meredith, I have to say, you're so petty. Freezing Shawn's account? He had to borrow gas money from the guys today. That must've been so humiliating for him."

She reached for the reimbursement forms on my desk. "And these—the finance manager says you won't sign them, so there won't be any reimbursement. It's just a few outfits. Shawn said it counts as building the company's image."

I pressed the forms down, pulled one out, and held it up in front of her. "Victoria's Secret, lace lingerie, three sets, totaling 600 dollars. Remarks: Office supplies."

I looked at her. "Ms. White, may I ask, during which business operations are these 'supplies' used? Should I specify in the audit report that special services are being conducted in Shawn's office?"

Tiffany barely flinched. She tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a red mark on her neck.

She was deliberately showing off her hickey.