Only Daniel, Helen, Chloe, and I remained.
I placed the tablet on the counter.
“Start talking.””
Helen stared at the footage.
“My daughter, Lauren, made mistakes.””
“What kind of mistakes?””
“She had debts.””
“Three million dollars’ worth?””
Helen flinched.
“I didn't know it had become that much.””
“She damaged the dress.””
“You knew?””
“I knew she had taken merchandise.””
Chloe suddenly spoke.
“You told me to accuse her.””
Helen looked at her sharply.
“I told you to follow company procedure.””
“That’s not what you said.””
Chloe’s voice trembled.
“You told me the woman coming in today was going to be difficult. You said to watch her.””
I turned toward Chloe.
“You knew who I was?””
Chloe shook her head.
“No. I only knew Helen wanted me to make an example of you if there was a problem.””
Helen stepped forward.
“That is not what happened.””
Chloe looked furious now.
“You told me she was trying to get access to the private collection without an appointment.””
Helen's eyes narrowed.
“And you believed me?””
“I believed my supervisor!””
I slowly looked at Helen.
“Why me?””
She didn't answer.
“Why did you need me blamed?””
Her jaw tightened.
“I didn't know it would become this.””
“That doesn't answer the question.””
Helen looked down.
Then she said something I never expected.
“Your father was going to promote you.””
My expression changed.
“He was preparing to put you on the board.””
Daniel looked stunned.
Helen continued.
“He planned to move me out of sales leadership.””
That was the first time her voice cracked.
“He was replacing me.””
I understood.
This wasn't about an emerald dress.
It was about power.
But there was still something missing.
“You destroyed merchandise because my father was going to replace you?””
“I didn't destroy most of it.””
“Most?””
She looked at me.
“The inventory losses began before I knew about your father's decision.””
My chest tightened.
“Then who started them?””
Helen glanced at Daniel.
That glance lasted less than a second.
But I caught it.
Daniel caught it too.
He immediately stepped back.
“Why are you looking at me?””
Helen said nothing.
I looked between them.
He raised both hands.
“I've done nothing.””
“Then open your records.””
“I will.””
“Now.””
He reached for the tablet.
Before he could touch it, the front doors of the boutique slammed open.
A man in a dark suit walked inside.
Two corporate attorneys followed him.
I recognized one of them immediately.
He was my father's chief legal adviser.
He looked directly at me.
“Evelyn, your father wants you upstairs.””
The attorney's expression was grim.
“Because we found something else.””
He held up a thick folder.
“The original ownership documents for this store were altered.””
I stared at him.
“Altered by whom?””
He looked past me.
Straight at Daniel.
Daniel's face went white.
The attorney continued.
“And the person who authorized the changes used your father's signature.””
I turned slowly toward Daniel.
He looked terrified.
But before anyone could speak, my phone buzzed.
A new message had arrived from my father.
Just four words.
*DON'T TRUST DANIEL. HE KNOWS.*
Chapter 5: The Manager’s Hidden Deal
The message from my father stayed glowing on my phone screen.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Daniel.
The man who had apologized.
The man who had rushed across the boutique to protect me.
The man who had looked shocked when he saw the inventory records.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Daniel noticed.
“What did your father say?””
I studied his face.
That was the hardest part.
He didn’t look guilty.
He looked afraid.
And sometimes fear was more difficult to read than guilt.
The attorney stepped forward.
“Miss Evelyn, we need to move this conversation somewhere private.””
Daniel immediately spoke.
“You’re making a mistake.””
Nobody answered.
“Evelyn, you know me.””
That was why this hurt.
“I thought I did.””
His expression changed.
“After everything I’ve done for this company?””
“That’s exactly why I need answers.””
The attorneys escorted us upstairs to the executive office.
The boutique manager’s office had always been my father’s favorite place to work when he visited this location.
A large window overlooked the city.
A collection of old photographs decorated the shelves.
My father shaking hands with designers.
My mother standing beside him during the company’s first major fashion show.
And one photograph of Daniel.
Young.
Smiling.
Holding the first store opening certificate.
He had been with our family from the beginning.
I turned to him.
“Tell me you didn’t do this.””
Daniel looked at the photograph behind me.
Then he looked back.
“I didn’t steal anything.””
“That’s not what I asked.””
Silence.
The attorney placed a folder on the table.
“These are the ownership transfer documents.””
I opened it.
The papers showed the downtown boutique had been moved under a different holding company.