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“MonTech’s Secret to Success,” I scoffed.Really?
“Reports from our correspondents say the fintech app from MonTech, ZeePay, has had a particularly disturbing trend. The company’s high profits over the last fiscal year can be attributed to the fact that it siphons innocent people’s money into dummy accounts…” I trailed off, my blood boiling. Looking away from the tablet, I handed it back to Becky and stormed into my office.
The first thing I did was check the stocks, and what I saw was not encouraging in the least. The prices were dropping like flies in an oven.
I sank into my chair, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.
This couldn’t be happening. I had built this company from scratch and poured my heart and soul into it for years. And now, because of some false accusations, it was all falling apart.
Rumor or not, this wasn’t the sort of thing companies easily bounced back from.
My body felt full, flooded with emotions–anger, despair, fear. I could feel my heart beating faster than ever before, so I used some deep breathing techniques to try to slow it down. I wanted to scream, to punch something, to run away and never come back.
But I knew I couldn’t. I had to face this head on, with everything I had. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts, and picked up the inter-office phone.
"Becky, send a meeting invitation out. I want all senior leadership in the conference room. Now," I said, my voice low and firm.
After gathering my thoughts, I walked out of my office and to the conference room on the same floor.
In a matter of minutes, my top executives were gathered around the table, all looking as stunned as I felt. I could see the worry and doubt in their eyes, and it only made me feel worse.
When they were all seated, I stood and addressed them all.
"I know you've all seen the news. I want to make one thing clear–these accusations are false. Our company has never engaged in any illegal or unethical behavior, but now that the rumors are out there, it seems that the responsibility to prove we are innocent is squarely on our shoulders. We will have to prove it beyond a doubt. But we need to act fast and decisively. Let's set plans in motion to launch an investigation, gather evidence, and fight back with everything we've got. Are you with me?"
There was a moment of hesitation, and then one by one, they nodded their heads, murmuring words of support and encouragement.
We spent the next several hours pouring over our financial records, and when those were inconclusive, we called in our top tech gurus. They went through the email and app data with us, trying to find any evidence that could refute the accusations. It was grueling work, but I was determined to do whatever it took.
Hours later, after I dismissed the meeting and walked back into my office, I felt exhausted already. When I entered my private bathroom, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the wall. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair disheveled, and my face looked haggard and tired. It had already been a long day, and it was barely past noon. I knew there were going to be many more days like this ahead if I didn’t find a way to absolve the company.
Just when I thought the worst of the morning was over, the canceled deals started pouring in.
Maya
As I stood in my kitchen, making Eli’s lunch for school, I watched the news on TV with one eye. But when I saw the headline about Jack's company embezzling money from private accounts, my heart sank. I knew instantly that Eli's father would never condone that kind of fraud. He was a good person, and I could feel my body tensing up with worry.
I picked up my phone and dialed Jack's number. He answered on the second ring, and I could tell he was overwhelmed, even though he told me he had it under control. I offered my support without thinking and told him that I would help him clear his name.
He had me, for life. Whether he knew it or not, he had me.
And I wasn’t going to sit aside and watch him fall.
“I’m ready to help, but I’ll need all the public records on ZeePay that I can get from you.”
“That isn’t a problem. We’re going to be working on it around the clock here. It would be good to have some help. Thank you, Maya.”
“I don’t mind. But I've got to go now. Gotta get Eli to school.”
“Of course.” Jack sighed, and I could hear papers rustling in the background. “Talk to you later.”
After hanging up, I turned to the lunch box and the sandwich that I was preparing for Eli. But my mind was elsewhere, and I couldn't focus on the task at hand. I knew I had to do something to help Jack, and that's when I decided to gather evidence to prove his innocence.
When I saw the name of the first news outlet that published the news, I almost exploded in anger.
It just had to be TRA news. They were a company that competed bitterly with MHM for as long as I could remember, and they were usually ready to do anything to get what they wanted.
I wasn’t much of an investigative journalist, but I knew I had to start somewhere. So I called Brielle, who had notably better sleuthing skills than I did. She agreed to help me, and after I dropped Eli off at school, we met up in her office. Together, we hunted down the sources of the fake news the paper published, but it turned out the names were all aliases and the phone numbers were all disconnected.
