Chapter 3 - Camera Four
I excused myself and walked to the office behind the kitchen.
Tasha followed.
“What happened?” I asked.
She shut the door.
“Lauren’s been here since eleven-thirty. She made a server cry before you got here.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“Jenna.”
Jenna was twenty, new, smart, and terrified of making mistakes.
Tasha pulled up Camera Four.
The footage showed Lauren at the bar, waving Jenna over with two fingers. No sound, but the body language was clear. Lauren pointed at a drink, then at Jenna’s uniform. Jenna apologized. Lauren laughed, lifted her phone, and took a picture while Jenna cleaned the table.
A few minutes later, Lauren dropped a napkin on the floor.
Then another.
Then she watched Jenna pick them up.
My jaw tightened.
“Show me the wine.”
Tasha advanced the footage.
There I was, approaching Lauren’s table.
Lauren lifted her phone.
Then, with the camera still facing us, she looked directly at the wineglass, curled two fingers around the stem, and tipped it toward me.
Deliberate.
Tasha whispered, “That wasn’t an accident.”
“I know.”
There was a knock.
Ethan stepped inside.
He watched the clip once, expressionless.
Then again.
“I can end the meeting,” he said.
“No.”
“Maya.”
“I don’t want her punished because she was mean to me in high school.”
“She just poured wine on you on purpose.”
“I know. But I want to know whether this is personal ugliness or professional behavior.”
Tasha folded her arms. “I’m betting both.”
My phone buzzed.
An email had arrived from an address I didn’t recognize.
SUBJECT: BEFORE YOU SIGN WITH PIERCE WEALTH.
The message contained one line.
ASK LAUREN WHO REALLY BUILT HER CLIENT BOOK.
Attached were six screenshots.
I opened the first.
At the top was Lauren’s name.
May you like
At the bottom was a message to a junior employee:
PUT MY NAME ON THE REPORT. NO ONE CARES WHO DID THE WORK.
