Chapter 3 Second Chapter

The guard let me enter so that I could pick up the kids. The kids quickly recognized me and came with me. We waited for a cab, but suddenly a black car stopped in front of us. The door opened, and the kids recognized the man inside, calling him "Uncle."

We entered the car, and I remained silent during the whole ride. The kids eagerly told their uncle about their achievements that day. We even stopped at a drive-thru to buy some snacks, which I allowed. We rode the elevator together with the five kids and their aloof uncle. I pressed the button for the tenth floor.

After a few minutes, we reached the tenth floor, and they all ran towards Ms. Aminah's office while their uncle repeatedly told them to take care. Once I knew they were safely in the office, I returned to mine to finish my work. I arranged Ms. Aminah's appointments and prepared the presentation for tomorrow's conference.

Ms. Aminah texted me to go to her office, so I obliged. As I opened the door, I saw nine girls sitting on the couch and the man who had picked us up earlier sitting beside a girl that Ms. Aminah called Caleigh.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," I greeted as I entered the room.

"I called you because I want you to clear my schedule for tomorrow and also review this file with the finance department," Ms. Aminah said, handing me a folder. I felt uncomfortable as the man looked at me from head to toe as if inspecting me. To avoid his gaze, I nodded to Ms. Aminah and quickly left the office.

I went to the finance department to find Mr. Salcedo, the department head, but he was not around, so I returned to my office to review the folder myself. I checked for discrepancies in the report and found some calculations were incorrect and didn't match my records. The company had nearly lost three hundred thousand pesos. After finishing my review, I returned the folder to Ms. Aminah's office.

"It's done?" Ms. Aminah asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I reviewed it myself because Mr. Salcedo was not around," I replied. When she opened the folder, she was shocked by what she saw.

"Call an emergency board meeting," Ms. Aminah said. I nodded. "Who do you think could have stolen the money?" Ms. Aminah asked me while her friends watched silently.

"I think it was Mr. Salcedo and you, ma'am," I said, causing one of her friends to smirk.

"How can you say that? This is my company. Why would I steal from it?" Ms. Aminah asked.

"I just think it's possible, ma'am. You and Mr. Salcedo are the only ones with access to the company's funds," I said, as one of her friends joined the discussion.

"You've been caught, Aminah, so stop. You've got a good and smart secretary," said the friend who had smirked at me earlier.

"Fine, Krystal, she figured it out," Ms. Aminah admitted.

"I have to call the emergency board meeting as you request ma'am and the report is ready," I said. Ms. Aminah nodded, and I left the office, eager to avoid the man's unsettling gaze.

Once in my office, I quickly prepared the report, calling all the board members and department heads to an emergency meeting starting in thirty minutes. I announced it twice before heading to the conference room to set up my report. Some board members and department heads had already arrived. Mr. Salcedo, the finance department head, was present, which shocked me since I hadn't seen him in his office. Everyone was surprised by the emergency meeting, unaware of the topic. I shot a cold glance at Mr. Salcedo, who looked back at me. The room fell silent as CEO Ms. Aminah and her attorney, Ms. Krystal, entered the conference room. Ms. Aminah sat in the center, with her attorney, Ms. Krystal, on her right. Tension filled the room as Ms. Aminah gritted her teeth, her angelic demeanor gone, revealing her darker side. Ms. Krystal remained calm as ever.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The CEO has called this emergency meeting to discuss a pressing matter," I said, and my report was displayed on the projector. Ms. Aminah nodded for me to continue. "The issue we'll discuss this afternoon is the loss of almost three hundred thousand pesos from the company's funds," I said, glancing at Mr. Salcedo. The board members started to murmur about pulling their investments.

"Shut up! Those who want to pull out their investments can go to hell!" Ms. Aminah exclaimed, and the board members fell silent. "Continue," Ms. Aminah instructed.

"We, Ms. Aminah and attorney Krystal, have identified the thief," I said, looking at Ms. Krystal, who nodded for me to proceed. "The company's expenses this month were only 1.7 million pesos, but the finance department's report claimed they were 2 million pesos. Did the finance department calculate the company's expenses correctly? What do you have to say, Mr. Salcedo?" I asked, directing my attention to him.

"Are you accusing me of stealing nearly three hundred thousand pesos from the company?" he shouted, walking towards me.

"As I said, sir, you must explain why this happened. You should know about this, right?" I replied calmly.

"How dare you, woman!" he shouted, raising his hand as if to slap me, but I swiftly kicked him, leaving his face red with anger.

"Let's see," I said, playing the video. As the footage played, Mr. Salcedo's accomplices among the board members became visibly scared.

"In conclusion, you've been the head of the finance department for almost five years. During that time, you've stolen over five million pesos," I said, nodding to Ms. Aminah.

"Mr. Salcedo, I know you won't admit it. Of course, I'm the one who uncovered the theft of the three hundred thousand pesos. Guess why? Because you've stolen five million pesos from the company, but you won't get away with it, nor will your allies, Mr. Agashi, Mr. Mercado, and Mr. Dumas. We're done with you," Ms. Aminah declared, and attorney Krystal stood up.

"The company will file a legal case against those involved, and we ensure everyone involved in this case will face the consequences," Ms. Krystal said before leaving the office. She returned with the cops, who read a subpoena and arrested those involved in the case.

"The meeting is dismissed," Ms. Aminah announced, and we all stood up.

"You, woman!" Mr. Salcedo shouted at Ms. Aminah.

"Yes?" Ms. Aminah turned to face him.

"You'll find your weakness soon!" he threatened.

"I already found it," Ms. Aminah replied, then walked away. I followed her and entered her office.

"You did a great job, Aleeza. You impressed me. I was right to choose you," Ms. Aminah said, walking towards her swivel chair.

"I just did my best, ma'am," I replied, looking around and seeing the man again, leaving the private room in the office.

"Do you want to sue Mr. Salcedo for what he did to you earlier, Aleeza?" Ms. Krystal asked, noticing my wrist.

"No, ma'am, I'm fine," I said, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was already six in the evening.

"Ma'am, I need to go home. It's already six," I said, and she nodded, looking at the man who had picked up the kids and me earlier.

"Alyx, drive Aleeza home," Ms. Aminah ordered.

"No, ma'am, it's okay. I'll commute," I said.

"No, Aleeza, I insist," Ms. Aminah insisted, so I nodded. I left Ms. Aminah's office to retrieve my bag and the documents I needed to finish at home.

As I was about to leave my office, Mr. Gustavo pushed the door open, causing my head to hit it. I almost screamed in pain, and the man knelt to check on me.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice sounded familiar. I had heard it earlier at the kids' school. I looked at him and asked directly, "Are you the man who said I was the kids' babysitter?"