Chapter Sixty-Four: In the Hot Seat

Celine I glared at Aicher as he sat at the end of the long, U-shaped table in the Committee Room. The sales department head, line manager, and HR representative sat respectively on either side of the table. CEO Johnson was present as well, sitting at the top of the table, directly after my space at the high end. "Are you aware of the allegations against you, Mr. Aicher Johnson?" his department head asked, leading the interrogation. Aicher nodded firmly. "I am." "And you're aware of the implication of your words?" "I am," he replied. "But they aren't true." "Of course, they aren't true," I said, and all gazes turned towards me. "How could I have employed you for a purported dalliance we've shared over merit?" "Moreover, Director Holden was never involved in the interviewing process," the line manager spoke. "That was confirmed." "I didn't upload that information on the company's page," Aicher insisted. "But you revealed the detail to a third party, thereby creating the avenu