Chapter 5 - Vanessa Says She Was Protecting Ryan
Vanessa denied stealing Paula’s badge.
She said Paula left it on a table.
“I picked it up so it wouldn’t get lost.”
Security logs showed the badge was used three minutes later to enter the
executive records room.
Vanessa insisted someone else used it.
Then cameras showed her entering the hallway alone.
Her attorney advised her to stop answering questions.
Ryan looked furious.
Not at Nathan.
At Vanessa.
“What did you do?”
She stared at him.
“What you told me to.”
The room went silent.
Ryan’s lawyer stepped in immediately.
But the words were already spoken.
Nathan did not celebrate.
He had seen enough family businesses destroyed by people getting excited
before facts were complete.
He asked security to preserve the interaction and ended the informal
questioning.
Later, Vanessa requested to speak through counsel.
Her explanation changed everything.
Ryan had told her Emily was trying to sabotage their engagement party.
He claimed Emily hated Vanessa because she believed Vanessa was using
him.
He asked Vanessa to “teach her a lesson.”
Vanessa admitted the wine spill was deliberate.
So was the public humiliation.
She wanted Emily fired before Emily spoke to Nathan.
But Vanessa insisted she knew nothing about fake invoices.
Ryan told her Emily had discovered private information about Crestwell
and might cause embarrassment.
Vanessa believed protecting Ryan meant discrediting Emily first.
Nathan looked at his sister.
“You were targeted because you saw paperwork.”
Emily nodded.
“And because she thought nobody would believe a server.”
May you like
Nathan’s face hardened.
That assumption had almost worked.
