Chapter 28 - Derek’s Documentary
Derek finally made a film.
Nobody asked him to.
That had never stopped Derek.
The trailer appeared online under the title:
THE ATM WIFE: How Money Broke the Hales.
It had dramatic music, slow-motion shots of empty ballroom chairs, and Derek staring out a window as if thinking deeply counted as labor.
Claire watched twenty seconds before closing it.
Tessa watched the whole thing for “monitoring purposes” and emerged from her office looking offended on behalf of cameras.
“It is very bad,” she said.
Mara opened the trailer.
Helen joined.
Vanessa arrived halfway through because Derek had tagged her.
They watched together in the conference room.
Derek’s narration said, “In every family, there is one person who gives and one person who weaponizes giving.”
Vanessa groaned.
Claire took notes.
Mara said, “Why are you taking notes?”
“Habit.”
The trailer included no footage of the slap.
No mention of the forensic findings.
No regulatory report.
No court dismissal.
No fees awarded against Nathan.
No Women of Substance Circle.
No Eleanor letter.
It did include a shot of Derek walking through a warehouse and saying, “When Claire shut down my credit line, fifteen artists lost a dream.”
Helen paused the video.
“Did he employ fifteen artists?”
Vanessa said, “He had one intern and a cousin who did graphics when high.”
Mara wrote that down.
The documentary might have stayed pathetic.
Then Derek made a mistake.
He opened a crowdfunding page.
Reward tiers.
Executive producer credits.
“Truth-telling sponsorship.”
And in the campaign description, he claimed donations would support unpaid crew members from his original production company.
Claire’s head turned slowly toward Helen.
Helen smiled.
Not kindly.
“Payroll claims?”
“Payroll claims,” Claire said.
Clear Ledger did not take the case.
Conflict.
But they referred the matter to the labor board after three former contractors contacted them saying Derek had used their names without permission and still owed them money from years earlier.
Derek’s crowdfunding page shut down within a week.
The labor complaints continued.
Vanessa called him after the takedown.
She told Claire later because she was learning not to hide unpleasant family conversations just because they made her look involved.
“What did he say?” Claire asked.
“He said I betrayed him.”
“And?”
“I said, ‘No, Derek, I stopped editing your invoices emotionally.’”
Claire laughed before she could stop herself.
Vanessa smiled.
It was the first uncomplicated laugh they had shared.
Small.
Strange.
Possibly temporary.
Still real.
Derek sent Claire one email after the campaign failed.
You win.
Claire forwarded it to Mara.
Mara replied:
No. Records win.
Claire printed that and taped it above the office printer.
May you like
The printer jammed immediately.
Even records had limits.
