Chapter 143 Chapter 143

Chapter 143 Chapter 143


Chloe’s POV 

The applause had barely settled when the host smiled toward my table.

“And now,” he announced warmly, “we recognize the woman who held the empire together during its most unstable period.”

My name echoed through the hall.

For a second, everything slowed.

I stood carefully, smoothing the fabric of my gown as I made my way toward the stage. My heels felt heavier than before, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of the moment.

The lights were brighter up there.

Warmer.

Almost blinding.

The award was placed in my hands, sleek and polished, engraved with my name beneath the title: Best Interim Acting CEO.

The applause was genuine.

Loud. Respectful. I felt it in my chest.

I turned toward the microphone and steadied my breathing.

“Thank you,” I began, my voice clear despite the emotions rising inside me. “This wasn’t a position I asked for. It was a responsibility I accepted.”

The hall quieted.

“The company was facing uncertainty. Investors were withdrawing. Employees were scared. But leadership is not about convenience. It is about stepping forward when things fall apart.”

My hand rested lightly over my stomach.

“I didn’t do it alone,” I continued. “Every department worked tirelessly. Every executive adapted. This award belongs to everyone who refused to let fear win.”

A soft murmur of approval moved through the crowd.

I allowed myself one glance toward Drake.

He was watching me.

Not casually.

Not dismissively.

Intently.

There was something unsettled in his expression.

I finished my speech calmly, thanking the board and the employees once more before stepping away from the podium.

The applause followed me as I returned to my seat.

For a brief moment, pride filled me.

I had survived. I had led. I had earned it.

My phone vibrated against the table.

I frowned slightly and picked it up discreetly.

A message from Mia. 

Get out of there now.

My heart skipped. I opened the message fully.

You’ve been set up. Funds missing again. It’s in your name. Leave immediately.

The room seemed to tilt slightly.

What?

I read it again.

Another transaction. Large.

Recently.

Under my authorization.

That was impossible.

I felt the blood drain from my face. I stood slowly, trying not to draw attention, intending to step outside and call Mia.

But before I could move more than a few steps, the doors at the back of the hall opened.

Uniformed officers entered.

The music faltered. Whispers rippled across the room.

My pulse roared in my ears. They were walking directly toward me.

No. This couldn’t be happening again. The lead officer stopped in front of me.

“Miss Chloe,” he said firmly, “you are under arrest on suspicion of financial embezzlement and fraud.” The words hit like a physical blow. Gasps erupted around the hall.

“What?” I whispered.

“You have the right to remain silent,” he continued, already reaching for the cuffs.

“I didn’t do anything,” I said, my voice breaking. “There’s a mistake.” They didn’t hesitate.

Cold metal snapped around my wrists. The sound echoed louder than the applause had minutes ago. My knees nearly gave out. The award slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a sharp crack.

The hall was chaotic now.

Reporters scrambling.

Cameras flashing again, but this time not in admiration. In scandal. I looked across the room instinctively. Margaret stood near her table.

She wasn’t shocked. She wasn’t confused. She was smiling. Not openly.

But enough. Enough for me to see. Jack looked stunned at first, then something darker crossed his face. Drake had risen from his seat. His expression was unreadable.

Anger?

Disbelief?

I couldn’t tell. “This is wrong,” I tried again, my voice shaking. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Ma’am, please cooperate,” the officer said firmly.

The room felt suffocating.

I felt the weight of the cuffs. The weight of humiliation. The weight of the baby inside me.

My vision blurred.

“I didn’t take anything,” I whispered.

Margaret’s laugh drifted faintly across the room.

Not loud.

But deliberate.

Everything spun.

I had just been honored.

Celebrated.

Recognized.

And now—

Arrested.

I didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand how this was happening again.

As they began escorting me toward the exit, the flashes were relentless.

My mind raced.

Another transaction?

In my name?

How?

I looked back once.

Drake was still standing. Watching.

And for the first time since waking up, I saw something in his eyes.

Not certainty.

Not clarity.

But doubt.

And I had no idea whether it was doubt about me—

Or about everything else.

The walk from the ballroom to the exit felt longer than any corridor I had ever crossed.

The handcuffs pressed cold against my wrists. Every step echoed louder than it should have. Cameras crowded near the doors, flashes exploding in my face as reporters shouted questions over one another.

“Did you steal the money again?”

“Were the previous charges really cleared?”

“Is the pregnancy a distraction?” I couldn’t even process the words.

My mind was spinning.

This wasn’t random.

It was deliberate. Someone had waited for this exact moment. The award. The applause. The public recognition. And then, destruction.

The officers guided me down the steps toward the patrol car. I felt dizzy again, but this time it wasn’t from pregnancy.

It was betrayal. Just before they pushed me into the back seat, I looked up instinctively. Drake had come outside. Margaret stood slightly behind him, her expression carefully composed now, as if she were the concerned wife witnessing an unfortunate scandal.

Jack hovered near them, tense. Drake’s gaze met mine. There was conflict in his eyes.

I held his stare, searching for anything at all.

“I didn’t do this,” I mouthed.

I don’t know if he understood.

The car door shut. The noise outside became muffled.

I sat there, breathing unevenly, staring at my reflection in the darkened window. The image looking back at me did not look like a criminal.

It looked tired.

And furious.

At the station, everything became procedural. Questions. Paperwork. Photographs. The humiliation felt mechanical.

The charge was clear.

Another massive withdrawal from company funds.

Authorized under my executive credentials. Timestamped within the last forty-eight hours.

Impossible.

I was at the hospital.

At the office.

At the award rehearsals.

I demanded to see the transaction details. The officer showed me a copy.

My digital authorization.

My executive access code.

My signature. It was precise.

Too precise. This wasn’t a mistake.

This was someone who understood internal systems intimately.

Someone with clearance.

Someone close.

My hands trembled slightly as they removed the cuffs to process fingerprints. I placed a hand over my stomach unconsciously.

“You need to calm down,” one of the officers said.

“I’m calm,” I replied, though my voice betrayed me.

They allowed me one call.

I didn’t call Drake.

I called Mia.

She answered immediately.