SHE CANCELLED HIS DREAM JOB INTERVIEW… BECAUSE SHE WANTED HIM HOME He finally got the opportunity he’d been waiting for… then found out his own girlfriend emailed the company and cancelled his interview.

The attachment opened before Keisha could reach the laptop.

I expected another email.

Instead, I found a PDF containing three pages of documents.

The first page showed my résumé.

The second contained a letter bearing my electronic signature.

The third was a screenshot of a private conversation between me and my former supervisor.

I stared at the screen.

The conversation had never happened.

In the fabricated messages, I appeared to brag about manipulating financial reports at my previous company. The final message showed me threatening to expose confidential company information unless my former supervisor recommended me for the director position.

My mouth went dry.

"What is this?"

Keisha backed away from the island.

"Andre, let me explain."

I turned toward her.

"You forged a letter?"

"I didn't write that."

"You just told me you canceled my interview because you wanted me home!"

"I said I canceled it. I didn't say I created those documents."

The distinction was so absurd that I almost laughed.

Almost.

"Who made them?"

She pressed her lips together.

I looked back at the screen.

The signature was convincing. Whoever created it had copied my signature from an old employment document.

The fake conversation was worse.

It contained details about my previous company that only someone close to me could have known.

My former supervisor, Marcus, had helped me rebuild my career after a department restructuring. I'd trusted him enough to discuss mistakes I'd made early in my career.

None of those mistakes involved fraud.

But the fabricated messages made it appear otherwise.

The recruiter was still on speaker.

"Andre, our compliance department is reviewing the material. We haven't reached a conclusion, but we need to understand whether you submitted these documents."

"No. I didn't."

"Can you explain who might have accessed your account?"

I looked at Keisha.

She stared at the floor.

"My girlfriend had access to my laptop last night."

Keisha's head snapped up.

"Andre!"

I ignored her.

"I'm not accusing her of creating the attachment without evidence. I'm telling you who had physical access to the computer."

"Understood," the recruiter said. "Please don't alter or delete anything. We'll contact you once the review is complete."

After the call ended, the apartment became unbearably quiet.

Keisha reached for my hand.

I stepped back.

"Don't."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"You can't look at me like that."

"How should I look at you?"

She shook her head.

"I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of losing you."

I stared at her.

"So you decided to make me look like a criminal?"

"I didn't think they'd take it seriously."

The admission escaped her before she could stop it.

We both froze.

I took a step toward her.

"What exactly did you do?"

She covered her mouth.

"I just wanted the interview canceled. I thought if you missed it, you'd reschedule. I thought you'd have more time for us."

"And the documents?"

Her eyes darted toward the laptop.

"I didn't create all of that."

"Who did?"

She began crying.

For a moment, the sight nearly broke me. I had spent three years comforting her through panic attacks, family conflicts, and nights when she worried I would abandon her.

My instinct was to reach for her.

Then I remembered the email.

The forged signature.

The fake accusations that could have destroyed everything I'd worked for.

I kept my hands at my sides.

"Tell me the truth."

She wiped her face.

"My brother helped me."

Darius.

I'd met him dozens of times. He was thirty-one, charming when he wanted something, and constantly searching for a business opportunity that would make him rich without requiring years of work.

He had once asked me to invest in a transportation company.

I'd refused after discovering that his business plan contained inflated revenue projections and no legitimate contracts.

Keisha had defended him for weeks.

"What does Darius have to do with my interview?"

She hesitated.

"He said the company was looking for someone who could help him."

I frowned.

"Help him with what?"

"He has a proposal for a logistics contract. He wanted to get close to the people hiring you."

The room seemed to tilt.

"You're telling me your brother wanted me to get the job so he could use my position?"

"He said it would help everyone."

"Everyone?"

She began speaking faster.

"He told me that if you got the director position, you'd have access to vendors, budgets, and people who could approve contracts. He said his company could provide transportation services."

I stared at her.

"So when you couldn't convince me to involve him, you decided to sabotage my application?"

"I didn't know he'd send those documents!"

"But you knew he was involved."

She didn't answer.

I closed the laptop.

"Call him."

"Andre, please."

"Call him now."

She shook her head.

I picked up my phone.

"Fine. I'll call him myself."