“You still need Richard until the board vote.
After that, he can find out whatever he likes.”
Paper rustled.
Daniel asked, “Is this the final acquisition number?”
“It’s everything in the locked file,” Vanessa replied.
“Do not make me regret trusting you.”
The clip ended.
Richard did not shout.
That made the moment more frightening.
He looked at Vanessa as if she had become a stranger while standing directly in front of him.
“You took documents from my office.”
Vanessa shook her head once.
“That recording proves nothing.”
“It proves you carried a company envelope into Daniel’s house.”
“It could have contained anything.”
Richard glanced toward a silver-haired woman near the pool.
I recognized her as Evelyn Hart, the company’s chief legal officer.
Daniel had pointed her out earlier and warned me not to say anything foolish around her.
Evelyn walked over without hurry.
“May I see the recording?” she asked.
I handed her the phone.
Daniel stepped forward.
“This is private footage taken inside my home.
She had no right to record me.”
Evelyn did not look up.
“The camera is in a common hallway, and your wife is a legal owner and resident of the property.
We can discuss evidentiary questions later.
Right now, I am concerned about what appears to be confidential acquisition material.”
“Appears to be,” Daniel repeated.
“You have no proof of what was inside that envelope.”
He sounded calmer now.
He thought he had found a narrow ledge on which to stand.
I let him believe it for another few seconds.
Then I opened my handbag and removed a folded sheet of paper.
Daniel’s eyes fixed on it.
The document was a delivery receipt from a private courier.
I had found it beneath the passenger seat of his car three days earlier while searching for May’s missing water bottle.
The receipt listed Daniel as the sender and a financial consultant named Marcus Vale as the recipient.
The package description read: preliminary acquisition analysis.
I had photographed it before returning it exactly where I found it.
Evelyn read the receipt twice.
Richard looked at Daniel.
“Marcus Vale works for our largest competitor.”
Daniel’s confidence cracked.
“He’s an old friend.
I sent him personal tax records.
The description was generic.”
“Then you won’t mind explaining it to our forensic team,” Evelyn said.
Vanessa turned on me.
“You searched his car?”
“My car,” I replied.
“Registered in both our names.”
She took one step closer.
“You have no idea what you’re interfering with.”
May pressed herself against my side.
