Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
Morgan
I entered the West Village building and took the elevator to the fourth floor, where Katherine Mallory Designs was. When the doors opened, Katherine stood there with a surprised expression.
“Morgan?”
“Katherine.” I smiled. “I was just coming to see you. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Yes. Of course. Let’s go to my office.”
I followed her down the hall to a corner office made up of glass.
“Have a seat.” She gestured. “What brings you by?”
“Do you know this woman?” I pulled up the picture of Nina on my phone and handed it to her.
“That’s Nina. She used to work for me. I had to fire her about eight months ago.”
“Why did you fire her?”
“Her designs were unoriginal, and she struggled to meet deadlines.”
“Why did you hire her in the first place?” I asked .
“She started as an intern. Although I saw no promise in her as a designer, I gave her a position anyway because I felt sorry for her.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“Her mother had just passed, her boyfriend broke up with her, and she was in a lot of debt. She came into my office one day, sat in the chair you’re sitting in, and sobbed for an hour. So, I gave her a full-time position to help her out. When things didn’t work out, I had no choice but to let her go.”
“Did she know about your new line?”
“Yes. Why are you asking?”
“Because I’m pretty sure she stole your designs before you fired her.”
“She couldn’t have. I have them.”
“She could have made a copy. My first thought was she broke into your offices and took them. Are you aware that she works for Vanessa Graves now?”
“What? I had no idea.”
“Vanessa ran a contest with her designers. Whoever designed the winning line would be awarded a hundred thousand dollars. Care to guess which designer won?”
“Nina?” she said.
“Yep.” I brought up some Instagram photos from Nina’s account and showed Katherine.
“That little bitch thief!” Anger consumed her. “Those pieces are my designs! I have them right here.” She stood from her chair, walked over to a large cabinet, and pulled out the designs.
I studied them against the photos.
“So, how are things going with you and my son?” Katherine asked.
I looked up at her, not sure how to answer.
“Fine. ”
“Just fine?” Her brow arched.
“Yeah. Fine.” I smiled. “Why?”
“It’s just that Roman has never brought a woman around before. Parker, either. Those two are just like their father.”
“And Julian?” I asked.
“My sweet Julian.” A small smile framed her face. “I know he can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he’s an amazing man with a heart of gold. Seven years ago, he was engaged to a woman named Danielle. None of us really liked her, but we tolerated her for his sake. She took a job in Connecticut at a big law firm, although Julian’s father had planned to hire her for his firm. She thought Julian would just up and move for her career without considering his at the firm. He did everything he could to get her to change her mind, but she wouldn’t. She broke his heart. Since then, he refuses to commit himself to anyone.”
“Roman never mentioned that.”
“I’m not surprised. The boys don’t like to talk about it. It was a difficult time in our family.”
“Thank you for chatting with me, Katherine. I have to go.” I stood from my chair.
“You are going to handle that little thief, right?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ll get the truth, and this will be over soon.” I smiled.
“Thank you, Morgan.”
My phone rang as I climbed into the back of my Uber. It was Roman.
“Hello.”
“Hey, sexy. Where are you?”
“I just left your mother’s office, and now I’m headed to pay Vanessa a little visit.”
“Why were you at my mother’s office? ”
“Nina worked for her. Your mother fired her eight months ago.”
“You think she stole the designs before she was fired?” he asked.
“Yes, I believe she made copies.”
“I just got out of court.”
“How did your closing argument go?”
“I think it went great. Let’s hope the jury agrees. I’m heading home to write an opening argument for a new trial tomorrow. I can have Ollie pick you up when you’re finished and bring you home.”
“That’s okay. I can take an Uber.”
“If you change your mind, call Ollie. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay.”
His words, “See you at home.” I couldn’t explain it, but the first time I stepped inside his house, it felt like a warm embrace—a sense of belonging I hadn’t felt since my father died. My heart raced at the thought. Was it the house or the man who occupied the home? I supposed it was both.
The Uber driver pulled up to the curb of Vanessa’s building. Taking the elevator to the second floor, I stepped out, where a young woman sitting behind the black rounded desk smiled.
“Can I help you?”
“I need to speak with Vanessa Graves. Is she in?”
“May I tell her who’s asking?”
“Morgan Ashley. I’m a private investigator.”
“One moment.” She picked up her phone on the desk. “She said she’ll see you. Her office is down on the hall, third door on the right.”
“Thank you.”
I walked down the hallway until I found Vanessa’s office .
“Miss Graves? I’m Morgan Ashley.”
“Come in and have a seat. What can I do for you, Miss Ashley?”
“Would it be possible for your designer, Nina, to join us?”
“Nina?” Her brows furrowed.
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No.” She picked up the phone on her desk and told her secretary to call Nina.
A few moments later, the door opened.
“Nina, have a seat,” Vanessa said. “This is Morgan Ashley. She’s a private investigator.”
“Okay? I don’t understand,” Nina said.
“You will in a minute.” I held up my finger. “Vanessa. It is okay that I call you Vanessa, right?”
“Sure.”
“Vanessa, you will withdraw your lawsuit against Katherine Mallory Designs immediately.”
“What?” She laughed. “Wait a second. You’re working for them.” Her eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, I am.” I scrunched my nose. “The designs Nina provided you for your new jewelry line were stolen from Katherine Mallory’s office before she fired Nina. Isn’t that right, Nina?” I glanced at her, smiling.
“How dare you!” Nina exclaimed.
“You worked for Katherine Mallory, Nina?” Vanessa cocked her head. “That wasn’t on your resume.”
“Would you put down an employer who fired you?” I arched my brow.
“She’s crazy, Vanessa. I would never do that. Those are my designs.”
“You knew your quality of work wasn’t up to par and that Katherine would ultimately let you go. So, you ensured you had an insurance policy before she did it. You took the designs, photocopied them, and returned them before anyone noticed.”
“You’re lying! I didn’t do that!” Nina shouted.
“I have proof.” I lied.
“What proof do you have, Miss Ashley?” Vanessa asked.
“Recorded footage of her in the copy room making copies. I just came from viewing it at Katherine’s office.”
“That isn’t true! There are no cameras in the copy room!” Nina exclaimed.
“Yes, there are,” I lied. “It’s a hidden camera that Katherine kept quiet from the staff. She was afraid something like this would happen one day. She was protecting herself and her company.”
The color drained from Nina’s face, her body shifted, and I knew I had her.
“Your mom passed away, your boyfriend left you, and you were in a lot of debt. You stored those designs away for a rainy day. And when Vanessa announced the contest with a one hundred thousand dollars bonus, you knew you could win with Katherine’s designs. So, you pulled them out and passed them off as your own. You have a choice, Nina—a choice in this very moment. You can either sit there and keep lying or come clean. I’d suggest coming clean since there’s evidence you committed a crime. The more you lie, the worse the consequences will be.”
“Nina, look at me!” Vanessa commanded. “Is what she’s saying true?”
Nina looked down at the ground, fiddling with her hands.
“I needed the money, Vanessa.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Oh my God.” Vanessa placed her hand over her face. “Get out of my office. You’re fired!” she shouted.
“Vanessa, please. ”
“No, Nina! I want a check before you leave for the bonus amount.”
“I don’t have it. I paid off a lot of bills,” Nina spoke.
“Then you better find a way to get it because you stole from me. You passed off someone else’s designs as your own and made me believe Katherine Mallory was the one who ripped us off. Get out!” She pointed to the door. “I can’t even look at you. You are a disgrace to this industry, and I’ll ensure you never get another job as a designer in this state again!”
Nina stood up and ran out of the office. Vanessa looked down at her folded hands and then up at me.
“I will call my lawyer now and withdraw the lawsuit. Then, I’ll call Katherine to ensure there isn’t any bad blood between us. I’m worried she’ll sue my company now.”
“And your new jewelry line?” I arched my brow.
“It will be removed from sale immediately.”
“Katherine won’t sue your company. You had no idea that your designer stole those designs. But I’m sure Katherine will prosecute Nina. I’m sure you will want to as well.”
“Yes. I’ll get in touch with my lawyer immediately. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” She stood and extended her hand.
“You’re welcome.”
I waited on the sidewalk for my Uber to arrive. When she pulled into Roman’s driveway, I noticed a White Audi A5 Cabriolet and wondered who was over.
Stepping into the house, I set my purse down and looked around for Roman and whoever else was here, but the house was quiet.
“You’re home.” I heard Roman’s voice from behind.
Turning around, all I saw was his handsome smile.
“Whose car is that in the driveway?”
“Funny, you should ask. Come with me.” He took hold of my hand and led me out the front door. “What do you think?” He gestured to the car.
“It’s beautiful. Whose is it?”
“It’s yours.” A bright grin crossed his lips.
“Mine?” I jammed my finger into my chest. “What do you mean?”
“I bought it for you.”
“Roman, why would you do that? I haven’t made my decision yet?”
“I know, but you need a car as long as you’re here.” He opened the driver’s door and told me to get inside. “Nice, right?” He smiled.
“Yeah. It’s great.” I faked a smile.
“Good. I’m happy you like it. Now, tell me how it went with Vanessa.”
I climbed out of the car and shut the door.
“She’s withdrawing the lawsuit against your mother.”
“What? How did you get her to do that?” We walked back into the house.
“Nina confessed to stealing the designs. I already called your mom and told her.”
“How did you get her to confess? You didn’t tie her to a chair, did you? Please tell me you didn’t tie her to a chair?”
“No. I lied and told her that your mother had secretly installed cameras in the copy room, and we have footage of her making the copies of the designs.”
“And she believed you?”
“Yes. She’s a timid little thing. I knew she’d be easy to break.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him, holding me tightly against his chest.
“I knew you could do it. Theo is being released tomorrow. I spoke with his father today, and he’s picking him up. He said he would spend his life repairing the damage he had done.”
“That’s good to hear.” I broke our embrace.
“I need to finish my opening argument. Are you sticking around, or do you have somewhere else you need to go?” he asked.
“I’m sticking around.” I smiled. “Go finish your opening argument.” I patted his chest.