I Had No Idea Why She Framed Me… Until the Truth Was Revealed and Left Her Speechlesss

The atmosphere in the Vance corporate boardroom on the fiftieth floor was thick with tension, smelling of expensive espresso and cutthroat greed.

Marcus Vance stood at the head of the long mahogany table, looking supremely confident. He wore a crisp Tom Ford suit, though his left cufflink was conspicuously missing.

Twelve board members, the titans of the city’s economy, sat with grave expressions.

"The facts are undeniable," Marcus sneered, pacing the floor. "My cousin, Daniel, has lost his mind. First, he brutally breaks off a highly profitable merger with the Sterling family over a maid. Then, he brings that same maid to our most prestigious gala, causing a media circus."

Daniel sat calmly at the opposite end of the table, his face a mask of stone.

"And I have the proof that Daniel is defrauding this board," Marcus announced dramatically, tossing a thick manila folder onto the center of the table. "Inside is a copy of a two-million-dollar contract. Daniel paid Emily Thorne to pretend to be his fiancé to trick you all into letting him keep the CEO position. He is a fraud, and he is entirely unfit to lead."

The board members gasped. Whispers of a vote of no confidence rippled through the room.

"I move to strip Daniel Vance of his title immediately and instate me as acting CEO," Marcus demanded, slamming his hands on the table.

"I second the motion," a voice said from the back. Richard Sinclair, Emily’s estranged, ruthless uncle, stepped out of the shadows. He had bought a minority stake in Vance Corp just to ally with Marcus and crush Daniel.

"It's over, Daniel," Marcus smirked. "Pack your desk."

Daniel slowly leaned back in his leather chair, an amused glint in his gray eyes. "You're right about one thing, Marcus. I did sign a contract with Miss Thorne. But you're wrong about who she is."

Right on cue, the massive double doors of the boardroom swung open.

Emily walked in.

She didn't look like a maid. She wore a razor-sharp, tailored white power suit, her hair slicked back into a fierce ponytail, a pair of dark sunglasses perched on her head. Flanking her were three of the most feared corporate lawyers in the country.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Richard Sinclair roared, his face turning purple as he recognized the niece he thought he had successfully erased.

Emily didn't flinch. She walked straight to the head of the table, stopping inches away from Marcus.

"The meaning, Uncle Richard," Emily said, her voice dripping with ice, "is that the DNA results cleared an hour ago. I am Emily Sinclair. I legally own sixty percent of the Sinclair empire."

The board members stared in stunned silence.

Emily slapped a heavy, leather-bound document onto the mahogany table. "And as my first act as majority shareholder, I just purchased the entirety of Marcus Vance’s shell company debts. Every penny you owe, Marcus? You owe to me. I own you."

Marcus staggered backward, his smug facade shattering into absolute terror. "You... you can't do that!"

"I just did," Emily fired back. She turned to the board, projecting absolute dominance. "Daniel Vance and I are orchestrating a merger between Vance Corp and the Sinclair Shipping empire. A deal worth ten times what the Sterlings could ever offer. Anyone who votes against Daniel today will be personally blacklisted from doing business with the Sinclair family for the rest of their natural lives."

The room was dead silent.

"All in favor of Daniel Vance remaining CEO?" Emily asked, raising her hand.

Immediately, every single hand in the room shot up.

Richard Sinclair looked like he was going to have a stroke. Marcus Vance fell into an empty chair, burying his face in his hands, completely utterly destroyed.

Emily looked down the length of the long table. Daniel was staring at her, his eyes blazing with a mixture of raw awe and undeniable desire.