Page 67 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

"I'm giving you two options, Sarah" I say, my voice firm.

"You can either resign and leave quietly, making restitution, in which case I won’t notify the authorities or press charges. If you choose not to do so, I'll call them right now and have you arrested for embezzlement."

Sarah's face drains of color, and she swallows hard.

"I... I can't pay it back, Chris. It's over $300,000."

Anger and shock surge through me, and I grit my teeth to keep from raising my voice.

“$300,000? My God, Sarah.” She nods silently, tears welling up in her eyes. “Why?”

“I don’t…I don’t know. I’m sorry. I could write you a check for $20,000 if that helps.”

“Then write it and get out.”

She stands up and fishes in her purse for a checkbook.

I watch her write me a check in the swirly handwriting I’ve come to know so well She then begins packing the personal items on her desk, random things – a pen with feathers on the end, a framed photo of her and her boyfriend.

“I’m sorry, Chris.”

“You’re sorry you got caught,” I tell her coldly as I print out the remaining pages proving her crime.

“Oh!” I call out before she closes the door. “Leave your keys. Who knows what else you would take if you had the chance? We don’t have much nailed to the floor these days.”

She opens her mouth to respond, a cool reply on her tongue, but I watch her gain control, offsetting the fear in her eyes with a smile as she pulls her key off the ring and slaps it on the table.

Once she's gone, I slump back in my chair, feeling exhausted and defeated.

I can't believe I let this happen. That I was this stupid.

I trusted her, and she took advantage of that trust. But as angry as I am, I also feel a sense of relief.

The truth is out now, I know who the culprit was and I can start to rectify things.

I’ll have to hire someone new and, with Hannah’s help, install some sort of system of checks and balances. I’m sure she’ll have some ideas of the best way to go about designing a new system of accounting for the business.

Never again will I allow one person that kind of control over my business. I won’t let one person's betrayal destroy everythingng I've worked so hard to build.

I’ve rebuilt my life before, after a stinging stab to the back, and I can do it again.

How could I have been so blind? She seemed so loyal. But now, I can see I missed so many red flags.

The extra cash she always seemed to have on hand, the lavish purchases she made despite her modest salary. It all makes sense now.

I shake my head, trying to push the thoughts aside as I stand up. This can all be dealt with tomorrow.

For now, I have someone sick at home who needs soup, and no matter what betrayals life hands me, I will never be the one who does the betraying.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Hannah

Chris gets back a little over an hour later, his eyes shining with tears and his arms crushed to his chest, balancing bags with cans of soup and pregnancy tests.

His eyes are wild with an almost guilty look in them. “Hi, I’m sorry I took so long, I’ll make it for you now.”

He drops the bags on the counter, his hands shooting out desperately to catch a couple of cans as they roll towards the edge.

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