Chapter 4 - The Delivery That Never Arrived
Emily described the delivery receipt.
She remembered the date.
She remembered the quantity.
Most importantly, she remembered the name written at the bottom.
Vanessa.
Adrian immediately called his operations manager.
Five minutes later, the answer came.
“No delivery was logged.”
Frank leaned back.
“So Vanessa wanted Emily to confirm something that never happened.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“That proves nothing.”
Emily looked at her.
“It proves I wasn't going to sign.”
Vanessa's voice sharpened.
“You were hired to bake, not investigate.”
Emily swallowed.
That sentence hit harder than the insult in the ballroom.
Because it was true.
She was a baker.
She wasn't wealthy.
She wasn't powerful.
She wasn't family.
And yet everyone in the room had started looking at her like she mattered.
Adrian seemed to notice her discomfort.
“You don't have to prove anything,” he said.
Emily looked at him.
“I know.”
“Then why are you still talking?”
“Because I don't like being called a liar.”
Frank smiled faintly.
“Neither do I.”
Vanessa turned toward Frank.
“You are letting a stranger manipulate you.”
Frank's face became serious.
“No. I am listening to someone who has no reason to lie to me.”
That silence was different from the one in the ballroom.
It carried weight.
Vanessa picked up her purse.
“This family is making a mistake.”
She walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned to Adrian.
“You'll regret choosing her.”
Adrian didn't answer.
The door closed.
Emily exhaled.
Then Frank looked at Adrian.
“She knows about the account.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
May you like
Emily looked between them.
“What account?”
