Signed for Lace, Sentenced for Life

The year-end company gala was held in a ballroom at a five-star hotel. Hundreds of employees from Harrison Group attended it.

Shawn sat at the head of the main table. As his fiancee and business partner, I should've been beside him, but that seat was taken by Tiffany.

Well, technically, she wasn't sitting on the chair—she was perched on his lap instead.

She wore a low-cut gown and leaned against Shawn as if she would fall apart if she didn't hold onto him. She held his wine glass, feeding him small sips.

The maroon liquid trickled down from the corner of his mouth and onto her chest. He laughed, then lowered his head to lick it.

The crowd erupted.

"Mr. Harrison is in a good mood tonight!"

"They seem really close!"

I sat across from the main table, calmly cutting my steak. The gazes around me felt like cameras—some sympathetic, some mocking, but mostly just there to watch the drama unfold.

Suddenly, Tiffany grabbed the corporate seal from the table—that should have been locked away in a safe. Shawn had actually brought it to the gala just so he could amuse her.

She held the seal and started stamping it repeatedly on the napkins. "This is so much fun! Shawn, can I borrow this for a couple of days? My shell company is short on a guarantor. If I use this stamp, I can go to the bank and get a little loan to spend!"

Shawn's face had turned red from the wine. He waved his hands drunkenly. "Take it! My seal is yours! Stamp wherever you want—even on my face if you like!"

The entire room erupted in shocked murmurs. Standing nearby, Mark was practically sweating bullets. He desperately wanted to intervene, but he didn't have the guts. So, he glanced at me for help instead.

I set down my knife and fork, wiped my mouth with a napkin, and stood up. Calmly, I walked over to Shawn and extended my hand. "Hand over the seal to me."

Tiffany held the corporate seal against her chest and shot me a defiant look. "Why should I? Shawn gave it to me. This is just my own way of keeping it safe. If you want it back, come get it yourself."

Shawn wrapped an arm around her and looked at me sideways, clearly annoyed.

"Meredith, what are you trying to pull now? It's the company gala. Don't ruin the mood. She's just playing around—she doesn't even understand this stuff. What harm could she possibly do? Gosh, you're always assuming the worst of people."

I looked straight at him. "That seal carries legal authority. She just said she planned to use it to list the company down as a guarantor for a shell company. That's financial fraud. And right now, in front of everyone here, you're authorizing someone to illegally use the company seal."

He slammed his hand on the table, making the plates rattle.

"Fraud? Don't be ridiculous! That's called investing! She's helping me invest! You don't know what you're talking about!"

He sneered. "What, are you jealous of her? Jealous that she's younger, prettier, and actually knows how to make a man happy?

"Look at yourself! You're dressed in black all the time, like you're at a funeral. If I were you, I would've killed myself long ago and spared myself the embarrassment."

Tiffany laughed and pulled the corporate seal away from her chest. The scent of her perfume lingered as she pressed it onto a blank contract. "Look, Meredith, I stamped it. All I need is Shawn's signature."

Shawn grabbed a pen and, without even glancing at the contract, scrawled his name on the page. "Here you go! Are there more? Whatever you want, I'll give it to you, Tiffany."

I pulled out my phone, snapping a photo of the stamped and signed blank contract, then took a video of Shawn holding Tiffany. He saw me and tried to grab my phone, but he was too drunk to maintain his balance and nearly fell.

Tiffany steadied him and pointed a finger at me. "You're invading my privacy, Meredith!"

I put my phone away calmly. "You're in public. There's no such thing as privacy here. And remember what you just said, Shawn. This will be the last time you're going to feel this carefree at a company gala."

He hurled his wine glass at me. The red liquid splashed across my suit like blood. "Get out! Get out of here! I don't wanna see your face!"

I didn't wipe the wine off. Instead, I turned to face the several hundred employees in the room. Everyone held their breath, too afraid to even make a sound.

My cold voice drifted to every corner. "Listen up, those of you in the finance department. Effective immediately, halt all approvals for payments outside of contracts. And legal department, document every misuse of the corporate seal tonight and prepare for potential liability claims.

"Everyone else, enjoy the food and drinks. This might be the last company-funded occasion for a while."

With that, I strode out of the ballroom in my heels.

Behind me, Shawn's panicked and furious shouts rang out. "You're fired, Meredith! And I'm breaking off our engagement! You're not as indispensable as you think!"