Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption-Chapter 123: Desmond’s dilemma

With the scandal of the Allen Group’s tax evasion making waves across the internet, Desmond stormed back into his office taking the back route from the company to avoid the journalist crowding infront of the company.

His emotions in complete disarray. His breath came in short, furious bursts as he paced back and forth, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He felt the weight of the day crashing down on him, The magnitude of disaster after disaster suffocating him.

Today had been a living nightmare. First, the scandalous affair involving his useless son had forced him into an unbearable compromise. To salvage the situation, he had no choice but to forfeit 5% of the Allen family shares and relinquish the position of Vice President to Vera. The thought of it alone sent another surge of anger burning through his veins.

And now, barely thirty minutes after striking that deal and the press conference which is meant to restore the image of the group held, another crisis had erupted like a raging wildfire.

Decades of his carefully calculated steps, sleepless nights, and ruthless decision-making were falling apart in the blink of an eye when he had hoped to achieve his dreams now that Davis is no more in the picture.

And at the worst possible moment, when he was supposed to assume the legal title of CEO, the scandal was threatening to rip it all from his grasp.

His fists clenched tighter, his knuckles whitening. His vision blurred with fury as the realization sank deeper. He was losing everything.

A sharp knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. His assistant hesitantly stepped inside, but as soon as he met Desmond’s burning gaze, his steps faltered. The office was suffocatingly tense, the air thick with unspoken rage.

The assistant swallowed hard before speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sir, the board members have summoned you."

Desmond remained motionless for a moment, as though analyzing the message. His assistant’s words echoing ominously in his ears. The board summons... That meant they were taking the situation seriously. Too seriously. This wasn’t just another crisis he would smooth out by buying them over.

His jaw tightened, and without a word, he strode past his assistant and into the hallway. His every step was measured, deliberate, as though he was walking toward his own execution.

The weight of the stares from employees lining the corridors bore into his back, whispers following him like a shadow. He ignored them. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

As he reached the conference room, he paused for a brief second, inhaling deeply before pushing open the heavy double doors and all conversation ceased.

The long table was filled with board members, their gazes piercing with various emotions etched on their faces. Some looked calculating, others judgmental. But worst of all were the ones who looked resigned, as though they had already decided his fate.

Desmond squared his shoulders and braced himself, his face a mask of cold resolve. No matter how damning the accusations, no matter how precarious his position had become, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

"Let’s get this over with," he muttered internally as he stepped into the conference room.

As Desmond stepped into the conference room, more than a dozen pairs of eyes bore into him—some filled with disdain, others with coldness.

The long mahogany table was lined with the board of directors, top executives, and key shareholders, all waiting for his explanation.The air inside was thick with tension.

At the head of the table sat Elder Allen who came from home at the wake of the news, his presence alone commanding silence. He hadn’t spoken yet, but the steely look in his eyes was enough to strip Desmond of any last hope he had of damage control.

"Desmond," Elder Allen finally spoke, his deep voice slicing through the suffocating silence. "Can you explain why the group is saddled with such news?"

Desmond exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "I understand the gravity of the situation, but I assure you, the allegations are exaggerated. We’ve handled taxes with utmost care—"

"Enough of the nonsense!" One of the board members, Hugo Sam, cut him off. "If this was an exaggeration, why are there irrefutable documents circulating online? Why are government agencies launching an investigation? Why have our stocks plunged 15% in the past hour?"

Murmurs rippled through the room.

Desmond’s jaw tightened. He had no immediate answer. He had thought his manipulations were flawless. He had always ensured auditors turned a blind eye, that officials were compensated generously to keep quiet. But now, someone had not only exposed the truth but laid it out so precisely that no one could refute it.

"Desmond, do you even realize what you’ve done?" Another executive, Abner Llyods, leaned forward, his voice sharp with accusation.

"You haven’t just risked your position—you’ve put the entire Allen Group in jeopardy. Tax evasion is a serious crime. Do you know what happens if we’re found guilty?"

Elder Allen’s fingers tapped slowly on the polished surface of the table, a sign of his growing impatience. He never expected that he will have to come to the company for such a crime.

If Davis had been the one managing the group, such a story wouldn’t have raised its ugly head." He mused inwardly while his voice cuts through the tension—

"The company," he said with an eerie calmness, "could be blacklisted. Government contracts will be revoked. Investors will pull out. The reputation we have built for over a century destroyed. All because of you."

Desmond’s fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms. He wanted to deny it all, to claim this was a conspiracy. But the truth was undeniable, and everyone in the room knew it.

One of the shareholder, sighed deeply. "Desmond, as of now, we need a full disclosure of the accounting records for the past eight months, the timeline of your administration.

The auditors will go through everything. If you can’t provide legitimate proof that these allegations are false, the board will have no choice but to take action." She concluded.

A cold dread settled in Desmond’s chest but he decided to ask clearly "What kind of action?"

"Your immediate removal as CEO." She responded. The answer came, swift and merciless beyond his expectations. The room fell silent.

Desmond swallowed, his pride warring with the sinking realization that his downfall was imminent. He didn’t want to accept it that after all he had paid to get where he was today that it will slip through his hand.