Chapter 4 - The Boardroom On The Lawn
George Mitchell practically threw his body in front of Marcus Thorne. "Marcus! Don't listen to her! It’s a domestic dispute! A complete misunderstanding between families!"
"Move out of my way, George," Marcus said, his friendly demeanor vanishing in an instant as he looked between my soaked clothes and the brass hose nozzle still dangling from Vanessa’s limp fingers. Marcus had known me for twenty years; he knew I didn't play cheap games.
I tapped the screen on my phone and hit play, turning the speaker volume to maximum.
The loud, crisp sound of the garden hose blasting water echoed across the silent lawn, followed immediately by Vanessa’s screeching voice: “Look at her! She walked in here like she belonged! What's next? Is she going to beg for an invitation to the wedding?”
The three Dallas investors watched the video in absolute silence. They watched Vanessa crouch down to sneer in my face. They heard Patricia call me a tramp. They saw the young server try to offer me a napkin, only for Vanessa to threaten his job.
When the video finished, Marcus slowly lifted his head. He looked at George Mitchell with a look of profound disgust.
"George," Marcus said quietly. "My firm was prepared to invest two hundred million dollars into your commercial development project based on Vance-Carter’s endorsement."
"Marcus, please!" George begged, sweat pouring down his forehead, ruining his immaculate grooming. "It was the girl! Vanessa didn't know who she was! You know how young people are nowadays—"
"Young people?" I interrupted, stepping forward. "Your daughter is twenty-six years old, George. She is old enough to know that basic human decency is not reserved exclusively for people who wear diamond earrings."
"Marcus, look at me!" George pleaded, turning to the investor. "We’ve worked on this deal for six months! You can't pull out over a personal spat!"
"This isn't a personal spat, George," Marcus said coldly. "This is a character study. And frankly, if this is how your family treats the vulnerable, I wouldn't trust you to manage a parking lot, let alone two hundred million dollars of my clients' money."
Marcus turned to the two other investors beside him. "Pack your briefcases, gentlemen. We’re taking the company jet back to Texas immediately."
"No! No! Wait!" George ran after them as the three men turned on their heels and marched back into the house, but Ethan stepped directly into George's path, blocking him.
"Touch them, George, and I'll have security remove you from your own lawn," Ethan warned, his voice shaking with absolute authority.
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Vanessa collapsed onto a teak garden bench, bursting into hysterical, breathless tears. "Ethan! Please! Don't do this to us! My father’s firm will go bankrupt without that deal! We spent everything we had organizing this party! We took out loans to buy the Belle Meade property!"
I looked down at her, my heart entirely devoid of pity. "You should have spent less time buying champagne and more time learning how to be a human being, Vanessa."
