Company Investigated Office Romance, His Partner Was Not Me

The company was conducting a strict audit on workplace relationships, and my boyfriends name was on the review list.

He hurried over to my desk, his voice a frantic whisper. Make sure absolutely no one finds out about us. If they catch us, one of us will have to pack our bags. You don't want to lose your job, do you?

He had no idea that I already had a safety net.

If push came to shove, I could simply reveal that I was the Chairmans daughter. Who would dare fire us then?

But the very next morning, the audit results were posted.

I was about to call in a favor to clear his name, but when I reached the bulletin board, I froze.

On the official list of couples caught violating company policy, the name next to his was not mine.

The corridor was packed with employees, all murmuring and pointing at the board.

"My god, Marcus and Audrey? They kept that incredibly quiet!"

"No wonder they were always staying late and leaving together. It makes perfect sense now."

"Since HR posted it, its a hundred percent official."

Everyone was enjoying the gossip, but I stood there, cold to the bone, feeling like the biggest fool in the room.

I turned around, determined to confront Marcus.

As soon as I raised my head, I saw him rushing toward me. Before I could say a word, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the emergency stairwell.

I stared at him, suppressing my fury and heartbreak, waiting for a logical explanation.

Instead, he looked at me and issued a flat command. "Vivian, you need to go to the department manager right now and clear this up."

My voice was icy. "Clear what up?"

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Tell the manager that HR made a mistake. Tell her that you are my actual girlfriend, not Audrey. After you tell her, hand in your resignation and leave."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A tremor of pure rage shook my voice. "On what grounds? The bulletin board clearly states that Audrey is your girlfriend! Why should I take the blame, and why should I be the one to leave?"

He didn't show a single hint of remorse. "Audrey just graduated. She has no experience, and if she gets fired for a policy violation, shell never find another decent job. You're different. Your sales numbers are excellent and your resume is stellar. Even if you resign, you'll land on your feet in no time."

With those words, the last lingering trace of affection I had for him vanished.

From beginning to end, he hadn't considered my feelings for a second. His entire mind was consumed with protecting Audrey, making sure she was safe and secure.

I looked him in the eye, my voice trembling with indignation. "Let's put the resignation aside for a moment. Don't you think you owe me an explanation about what exactly is going on between you and Audrey?"

He knitted his brows, his tone turning dismissive. "Theres nothing to explain. The system made a mistake. Its a glitch."

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "A glitch? The company doesn't put names on that board unless they have undeniable proof of intimacy. Why on earth would they randomly name Audrey as your partner?"

Marcuss face turned white, and then he flared up in anger, trying to cover his guilt. "Why is your mind so toxic? Must you always assume the worst?"

"You were the ones caught behaving inappropriately," I countered, refusing to back down. "Instead of apologizing to me, your first instinct is to force me out of the company to clear her path."

"If you two are as innocent as you claim, why are you risking your own career to shield her?"

My words hit their mark, leaving him completely speechless.

He let out a frustrated growl. "Weve been together for two whole years! Do you really have this little trust in me?"

I watched his defensive, angry face, and my heart turned entirely cold.

I knew him well enough to recognize that he only became this hysterical when the truth was laid bare. The betrayal was real, clear and undeniable.

Without a trace of hesitation, I spoke in a quiet, firm voice.

"Don't try to use our two years together to guilt me. I am not going to the manager, and I am not resigning. The person leaving this company won't be me."

"I'd like to see just how deep your devotion goes, and which one of you will volunteer to walk away first."

Marcus glared at me, his eyes burning with resentment. "Vivian! If you don't clear this up today, don't you dare come crawling back to me. I will never speak to you again!"

I didn't waste another second. I pushed the heavy door open and walked out.

At the morning meeting the following day, the department manager, Evelyn, stood at the podium. Her eyes immediately locked onto me.

"Vivian, stand up."

I stood, a sudden sense of foreboding tightening in my chest.

"Following an internal review," Evelyn announced coldly, "the company has decided to terminate your employment effective immediately due to ethical misconduct."

My ears rang, but I forced my voice to remain steady. "On what grounds are you firing me?"

Evelyn's expression was blank. "We have received a formal statement indicating that you intentionally instructed your boyfriend, Marcus, to pursue Audrey in order to use her as a scapegoat for your own workplace relationship."

"And where is your proof?"

My voice shook with a mix of anger and disbelief. "The couple on the bulletin board was caught in a clear compromise. Now you're trying to pin the blame on me?"

I stared directly at her, and the conference room erupted into frantic whispers.

Marcus suddenly stood up, looking like the victim of a grave injustice.

"I am the proof!" he called out, his voice echoing in the room. "When the audit began, I wanted to resign to protect Vivian. But she refused. She repeatedly ordered me to get close to Audrey, even threatening to break up with me if I didn't comply."

"I thought it was strange at the time, but now I see she wanted a shield. Vivian, how could you be so malicious? I must have been blind to stay with you for two years!"

Audrey stood up next, her eyes rimmed with red. "Vivian, I always looked up to you like an older sister. How could you use me to save yourself?"

She looked entirely fragile and betrayed.

The whispers in the room turned into a wave of quiet condemnation.

"I can't believe Vivian would do something like that. Shes so manipulative."

"She always seemed so capable, but to do something this low behind the scenes..."

"Poor Audrey, shes just a new hire and got dragged into this mess."

The accusations came from every corner of the room.

I looked at Zach. I was the one who had hired him, guiding him through his first projects and taking him out for dinner when clients yelled at him. Yet, his voice was currently the loudest in the chorus of disapproval.

I looked at Brenda. Last year, when her low performance put her on the chopping block, I had handed her a major account to save her job. Now, she was looking at me with nothing but disgust.

The other junior colleagues, whom I had mentored from their internship days, simply kept their heads down, refusing to meet my eyes.

I ignored the rest of the room and looked back at Evelyn. "The company policy states that when a relationship is discovered, the team votes on who should leave. Why am I being terminated directly without a vote?"

Evelyn let out a dry, dismissive laugh. "Because we just conducted the vote. It was a unanimous decision for you to leave."

I stared at the familiar faces around me, completely stunned. For two years, I had gone out of my way to help almost everyone in this room. Yet, in my moment of need, not a single person was willing to speak for me.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "What did I ever do to any of you?"

Marcus stepped forward, his tone dripping with mockery. "You really want to know why? Because you're the top sales representative, and you think that makes you better than everyone else. You've been ordering us around for years, and we're tired of it!"

"I was trying to teach you how to handle clients so we could all reach our targets!" I argued, my anger finally breaking through.

"Nobody wanted your charity! Stop acting like a saint!" he barked back.

I took a deep, steadying breath, letting my gaze sweep over the room one last time.

"Fine. If this is what youve decided, I'll go."

I picked up my notebook from the table, speaking clearly. "I will remember today. I look forward to our next meeting."

I walked back to my desk and began packing my personal belongings into a cardboard box.

Before I could finish, the sharp click of high heels approached.

Audrey stood beside my desk, looking down at me with an unmistakable air of triumph.

"I'm so sorry, sister," she whispered, her voice too low for the others to hear. "But you lost."

"Your boyfriend is mine, and your job belongs to me now, too."

I kept packing, ignoring her completely.

Seeing that she couldn't bait me, she leaned down, her lips brushing my ear.

"Marcus was tired of you a long time ago. He complained to me every day about how domineering and rigid you are. He said you have absolutely no warmth. He wanted to break up months ago, but he just didn't want to deal with the drama."

My hands paused for a fraction of a second.

Domineering?

When he was pursuing me, he had praised my independence and strong-willed nature, calling me a breath of fresh air compared to the clingy women he usually met.

Now, the very qualities he claimed to admire were the reasons he despised me.

I pushed the hurt aside, picked up my box, and walked toward the exit.

At the end of the hallway, Marcus was waiting.

He took a quick step forward, reaching out to take the heavy box from my arms.

"Let me help you carry that to your car."

I looked at him, my eyes cold.

"Get lost."

The gentle expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an ugly scowl. "Don't act so high and mighty! Fine, we're done! Ive had enough of your terrible attitude anyway!"

"You're a controlling, cold woman who doesn't know how to treat a partner! I'm the only guy who would have tolerated you for two years! Any other man would have dumped you on day one! With your personality, you're destined to end up completely alone!"

I watched his bitter tirade in silence.

This was the man I had loved for two years, the man I had planned to protect by revealing my identity to my father.

And now, he was throwing dirt on my name to make himself feel better about his own betrayal.

I didn't waste my breath arguing. I walked past him and left the building.

When I arrived home, my father was sitting on the sofa reading the financial section. He looked up, surprised.

"Back early today?"

"I was fired," I said quietly.

The paper slipped from his hands, clattering onto the coffee table. He stared at me in disbelief.

"Who dared fire you? Didn't they know who you are?"

"No one knew," I replied, shaking my head.

After a brief silence, I looked at him.

"Dad, about taking over the family business. I've made up my mind. I'll take the position starting next Monday."

My fathers face relaxed into a proud, satisfied smile.

"Excellent. I've been waiting to hear those words for a long time."

By the time Monday morning arrived, I was ready.

I walked through the lobby of the corporate tower. Near the elevators, I ran into Audrey and Marcus.

Audrey stopped in her tracks when she saw me, then immediately nudged Marcus with her elbow.

Marcus looked at me, his lip curling into a sneer. "Well, look who it is. Trying to pull off cheap knock-offs to look professional?"

"Did you come back to beg for your job back after getting kicked out by a unanimous vote?"

Audrey covered her mouth, let out a high-pitched laugh.

"Vivian, if you had just swallowed your pride and apologized earlier, you wouldn't have been humiliated like this."

She smirked. "Though, I suppose it's not too late. If you ask me nicely, I might speak to Evelyn and see if we can get you an entry-level internship so you can pay your rent."

I ignored them, walking toward the secure gates of the office.

Before I could scan my pass, Evelyn rushed out from her office, blocking my way.

She looked me up and down, her voice sharp. "What are you doing here? This is private property!"

"The new Group President is arriving for an inspection today! The entire executive team is waiting! We don't have time to deal with disgruntled ex-employees!"

"You've been terminated. Leave immediately before I have security throw you out!"

She raised her voice, calling out to the lobby. "Security! Get over here and escort this woman out of the building!"

She turned back to me, her tone mocking.

"If I were you, Id leave on my own. Even if you get down on your knees and beg, I am not hiring you back!"

Evelyn's voice grew louder, bordering on a screech. "Security! Where are you? Get her out of here!"

Just then, the heavy glass doors of the main lobby opened.

Arthur Henderson, the Chief Executive Secretary of Kensington Enterprises, walked in with a measured, confident stride.

Evelyn's hostile expression vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning, obsequious smile as she rushed to greet him.

"Mr. Henderson! You're here! Is the new President on their way? We are fully prepared to receive them!"

Marcus and Audrey also stepped forward, bowing politely.

"Good morning, Mr. Henderson! Thank you for coming!"

The rest of the staff lined up, eager to make a good impression.

But Arthur Henderson ignored them completely.

He walked straight through the crowd of executives, stopping right in front of me.

The entire lobby went dead silent.

In the next second, Mr. Henderson bowed deeply to me.

"Good morning, Ms. Kensington. I am terribly sorry for the delay. The traffic on the bridge was awful, and I've kept you waiting."

The smiles on everyone's faces froze instantly, their eyes widening in complete shock.

"Who... who did you call her?"