Chương 8
Richard joined them ten minutes later carrying his phone like an explosive device.
“I canceled the investor meeting.”
Claire nearly choked.
Evelyn said, “Mark the date.”
Richard ignored her.
He looked at Daniel.
“Vanessa’s attorney called me.”
Daniel’s head lifted.
“Why?”
“He says Vanessa is claiming she never intended for the stroller to reach the fireplace.”
Claire muttered, “Excellent defense.”
Emily shot her a look.
Claire raised both hands.
“Sorry.”
Richard continued.
“She says she released the brake as a joke and pushed harder than intended.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“And the sentence?”
“She says you’re taking it out of context.”
“What context makes that sentence better?”
“I don’t know.”
Emily buttered a piece of toast.
Her hands were steady this morning.
That bothered her.
She felt as though some part of her should still be visibly damaged.
Instead she was hungry.
Richard sat.
“The attorney asked whether we’d be willing to describe Vanessa’s emotional condition lately.”
Daniel stared at him.
“You said no.”
“I said I wouldn’t discuss anything without my own attorney.”
Daniel leaned back.
Emily looked at Richard.
“That was smart.”
He gave her a tired smile.
“Occasionally.”
Evelyn poured coffee.
“What emotional condition?”
Richard shrugged.
“Apparently she’s been under severe stress.”
Emily stopped spreading butter.
There it was.
The explanation she had predicted.
Evelyn noticed.
“I’m not saying it excuses anything.”
“I know.”
Richard said, “Her design firm dropped a major client last month. She was also having money problems.”
Daniel looked at him.
“How do you know that?”
“She asked for an advance.”
“On what?”
“The Aspen project.”
“You gave it to her?”
Richard hesitated.
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Dad.”
“It was against work already completed.”
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Emily looked up.
Richard’s embarrassment sharpened.
“Not as a loan.”
“Did you tell me?”
“No.”
“You hired her through my company’s project.”
“I’m the client.”
“And I’m managing the contracts.”
Richard pushed back from the table.
“Do you want to argue procurement procedures right now?”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “Because apparently every time someone in this family avoids an uncomfortable conversation, Vanessa gets another reason to believe normal rules don’t apply to her.”
Richard stared at him.
Emily noticed the irony before Daniel did.
She almost said it.
Then his expression changed.
He had noticed too.
He looked at Emily.
She raised her eyebrows.
“Welcome.”
Daniel looked away.
Richard left breakfast angry.
Evelyn followed five minutes later.
Claire stayed.
She fed Noah tiny pieces of banana while Emily drank coffee.
Daniel’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
“Work.”
Emily expected him to decline it.
He answered.
“Hey, Marcus.”
He walked several feet away.
Emily could hear only fragments.
“Yes.”
“I know.”
“No, nobody talks to press.”
Her eyes lifted.
Claire had heard it too.
Daniel’s back stiffened.
“When?”
A pause.
“Send it to me.”
He hung up.
Emily said, “What?”
Daniel approached the table.
“Someone posted part of the video.”
Claire swore.
Emily felt cold.
“Where?”
“Social media.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
“Take it down.”
“I can’t.”
“Then make them.”
“I can ask the person who posted it.”
Emily stood.
“Who posted it?”
“A guest. Marcus sent me the link.”
“Show me.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Show me.”
He handed her the phone.
The video was eleven seconds long.
It began too late to show Vanessa releasing the brake but early enough to capture the shove.
Noah’s stroller rolled across the frame.
Daniel ran into view.
The camera jerked.
Someone gasped.
The clip ended just after Daniel struck Vanessa’s hand away and the coffee cup shattered.
The caption read:
DRAMA AT SILVER PINES. WOMAN TRIES TO SEND BABY INTO FIRE???
Emily stared at the three question marks.
There were already thousands of views.
The comments were worse.
Some called Vanessa evil.
Some called the video fake.
Some said Daniel had assaulted a woman.
Some accused Emily of staging it.
One asked why a mother would leave a stroller unsecured near a fireplace.
Emily put the phone down.
“I want Noah’s face removed.”
Daniel nodded.
“I’ll get Marcus on it.”
“Not your company. A lawyer.”
“We have counsel.”
“Your company has counsel. I want someone representing us.”
Daniel paused.
“Okay.”
Claire said, “I know a family attorney.”
Emily looked at her.
“Why?”
Claire flushed.
“I had a thing last year.”
“What thing?”
“Nothing. It’s over.”
Emily stared.
Claire picked up Noah’s spoon.
“Can this family please have one crisis at a time?”
Despite everything, Emily smiled.
They contacted an attorney that morning.
Her name was Maya Chen.
She told them, plainly, that she could help with privacy concerns and coordinate with law enforcement but could not magically erase a video once strangers had copied it.
Emily appreciated the lack of promises.
Maya also told them not to post statements, argue with commenters, contact Vanessa, or pressure witnesses.
“Even if people are saying I caused it?” Emily asked.
“Especially then.”
Daniel sat beside her on a leather sofa in the lodge’s small business center.
His knee bounced.
Maya noticed.
“Mr. Mercer, your company also needs separate advice if Ms. Reed’s professional relationship becomes an issue.”
Daniel nodded.
“Already happening.”
“What happened?”
“A client called this morning.”
Emily looked at him.
“You didn’t tell me.”
“It happened while you were talking to Claire.”
Maya raised a hand.
“I’m going to recommend you two develop a rule. Relevant information gets shared once, clearly. Not constantly and not accidentally.”
Emily and Daniel looked at each other.
It sounded painfully basic.
Maya continued.
“Trauma makes people either hide information to avoid causing more stress or dump every new detail because they’re afraid of hiding things. Both can become problems.”
Daniel said, “That’s pretty much our marriage.”
Emily stared at him.
Maya did not smile.
“Then you already know where the work is.”
After the call, Daniel remained seated.
Emily closed the laptop.
“What did the client say?”
“He saw the video.”
“And?”
“He wants to know whether Vanessa is still working on his project.”
“What did you tell him?”
“No.”
May you like
“Is that true?”
“I removed her yesterday.”
