Chapter 4 - The Unraveling of VanessaVanessa’s voice rose into a frantic shriek. “That’s a lie! I updated that system! I managed the deployment!”
Adrian looked at her with pure disdain. “You don't even know what language the framework was written in, Vanessa. When I asked you about the data architecture at the charity dinner two months ago, you thought 'neural node mapping' was a human resources initiative.”
A light ripple of laughter passed through the back rows—the very guests my father had brought to impress.
Vanessa’s face flushed a deep, ugly crimson. “Claire gave me those files! She agreed to let me take the lead!”
“I gave you clean data,” I spoke up, my voice steady, cutting through her panic. “You changed the parameters to hide the shortfalls in your division. You falsified the quarterly yield reports to make your promotion to Vice President look justified. When the board asked for the raw logs, you panicked and had my access revoked.”
I took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Adrian. My hands were no longer shaking.
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“I spent five years fixing your mistakes, Vanessa,” I said softly. “Every time you failed a client, I worked ninety-hour weeks behind a locked door so Dad wouldn't lose his contracts. You got the corner office, the luxury car, and the magazine profiles. But you never knew how the engine worked. And now that the engine is broken, you don't even know where the hood is.”
Vanessa looked around frantically, seeking support from her wealthy friends in the audience. But every person she made eye contact with looked away, suddenly fascinated by the floral arrangements or their own shoes.
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