My Bestie Reported My Fake Degree, But My Real Identity Terrified Her Chapter 05

My Bestie Reported My Fake Degree, But My Real Identity Terrified Her Chapter 05

Before the end of the workday, I received an email.

It had been sent to the entire company.

The sender was the director.

Subject: Notice Regarding Strengthened Review of Employee Hiring Credentials.

The second paragraph read: [During a recent internal review, the company discovered that certain employees may have submitted inaccurate hiring materials. An investigation has now been initiated. All employees are hereby reminded that any falsification of academic or professional credentials will be handled strictly in accordance with company policy and applicable law.]

No names were mentioned.

But three minutes after the mass email went out, someone in the company chat posted an emoji.

It was a fox emoji.

Then came a thumbs-down.

Gemma replied in the company chat: [Everyone, focus on work, okay? Please don’t spread unverified information.]

That sentence was even harsher than the email.

Because what it really meant was that there was information. It just had not been verified yet.

I turned off my phone and sat at that dusty temporary desk.

The sky outside the window was getting dark, and only a few people working overtime remained on the floor.

Gemma was still there.

She sat at my old desk, speaking softly on the phone.

From halfway across the office, I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but a few words occasionally drifted over.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’m keeping an eye on it.”

“There won’t be a problem.”

She hung up, looked up, and happened to meet my eyes.

From more than thirty feet away, she smiled at me, then lifted her phone and waved it a little.

“Linnie, want to order dinner together?”

What a fake.

[Attention all departments. Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., all employees are required to attend a company-wide integrity training session in the large conference room on the eighth floor. No leave requests will be approved.]

That message popped up in the admin channel at ten o’clock on Wednesday morning.

I sat at the temporary desk without even a computer in front of me.

IT said equipment was tight, and no device would be assigned to me while I was suspended.

Gemma walked over and handed me a cup of water.

“You should attend tomorrow’s meeting too.”

“I’m suspended, and I still have to attend an all-hands meeting?”

“The director specifically said he hoped you’d be there. After all, it’s for everyone.”

Her tone was nauseating.

The next afternoon, the large conference room was full.

A slogan was projected on the screen: Integrity Begins With Us.

The director sat in the center of the first row.

Gemma stood beside the podium, holding a clicker.

She wore a dark gray skirt suit, and her hair was tied back in a low ponytail.

For this presentation, she had a new title: Acting Head of Administrative Operations.

“You may have heard a little about why we’re holding this meeting today.”

Her voice was steady, neither loud nor soft.

“The company has recently been reviewing employee hiring credentials, and we have indeed found some… irregularities. I won’t name anyone here, and I won’t pass judgment on anyone, but I do want to say one thing.”

She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room.

When her eyes reached me, they lingered for a fraction of a second longer.

“Integrity is the bottom line for every one of us.”

The PowerPoint moved to the next slide.

The title was: Legal Consequences of Falsifying Academic Credentials.

Below it were four legal provisions. The last line was bolded in red: Severe cases may result in criminal liability.

The room was so quiet that even the air vent could be heard.

Someone turned around and glanced at me.

More than one person did.

Gemma continued, “I know some colleagues may feel this has nothing to do with them, but I want to say this. One person’s falsification damages the foundation of trust across the entire team. Every one of us must be responsible for what we put on our résumés.”

After she finished, she bowed.

The applause was scattered.

The director stood up and added a few remarks, roughly saying that the company would investigate the matter strictly to the end.

After the meeting ended, several coworkers gathered around Gemma.

“Gemma, that PowerPoint was really well done.”

“This kind of thing should be addressed openly. You can’t just let it slide.”

“Gemma has it so hard. She still has to clean up Lynn’s mess.”

Gemma waved her hands and shook her head. “Please don’t say that. She’s my friend. I really didn’t want things to get this far.”

Her voice caught as if she were holding back tears.

The way the room looked at me changed from avoidance to judgment.

I stood up and walked out of the conference room.

The hallway was so quiet that only footsteps could be heard.

Gemma chased after me from behind.

“Linnie, don’t take what was said in there to heart. It wasn’t aimed at you.”

“You stood onstage and talked about the legal consequences of falsifying education credentials. I’m the only person in this entire company being investigated over my education, and you’re telling me it wasn’t aimed at me?”

She bit her lower lip, and her eyes instantly reddened.

“I’m doing this for your own good. Think about it. If this gets exposed by someone outside the company, your reputation, your career… You’re still young. I don’t want to see you ruin yourself over this.”

There it was again.

She was doing it for my own good.

She reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Linnie, as long as you show your real academic proof, I’ll help you smooth everything over, okay?”

I looked at her face.

Her pearl earring glinted under the hallway lights.

My phone suddenly rang.

It wasn’t a WhatsApp notification tone. It was a call.

The caller ID showed no location.

Gemma’s eyes dropped to my phone screen.

“Who’s calling?”

I didn’t answer.

The call ended.

Three seconds later, it rang again. The same number.

Gemma’s hand was still gripping my arm, and I could feel her fingers tightening.

I pulled my arm free and answered the call.

A man’s voice came through the line, speaking quickly.

“The final project review has been moved up to next Thursday.”

The call ended.

The whole thing lasted less than five seconds.

Gemma stared at the side of my face.

“Who was that?”