Chapter 6 - The Meeting Where Everything Changed
Derek took a seat at the conference table.
For a few seconds, he looked almost relaxed.
Then the auditor placed a stack of documents in front of him.
“What is this?” Derek asked.
“Records connected to Vantage Lane Creative,” Lauren said.
Vanessa’s company name sat at the top of the first page.
Derek’s face changed.
“That is a legitimate vendor.”
“Then you should be able to explain the missing work product.”
He looked at Vanessa’s invoices.
“They handled regional brand activations.”
“Which events?”
Derek hesitated.
Lauren waited.
He turned another page.
“I would need to check with my team.”
“We checked with your team.”
His eyes lifted.
“None of them could identify a single campaign delivered by Vantage Lane Creative.”
Derek’s mouth tightened.
“That does not mean it didn’t happen.”
“It means there is no evidence it happened.”
The attorney beside Lauren slid forward another document.
“This is a travel reimbursement report for a trip to Miami,” she said.
Derek glanced down.
“That was a client meeting.”
“Your client confirms no meeting occurred.”
Another page.
A hotel bill.
Two airline tickets.
A restaurant charge for two people.
Vanessa’s name.
Derek’s hand began to shake.
“This is personal,” he said.
“Yes,” Lauren replied. “It appears to be.”
He looked at her sharply.
“You’re doing this because of what happened years ago.”
“No,” she said. “I am doing this because you used company money to fund your private life.”
“You wanted to destroy me.”
“If I wanted revenge, Derek, I would have done nothing. You destroyed yourself.”
The room became silent.
Derek looked toward Adrian.
“You’re letting her do this?”
Adrian’s expression was calm.
“She is leading the review because she is the most qualified person in the room.”
Derek’s face reddened.
“She is biased.”
Lauren leaned forward.
May you like
“You left me with forty thousand dollars in debt, a canceled wedding, and years of humiliation. If I were biased, you would not be sitting in this room with an opportunity to explain the evidence.”
Derek stared at her.
