LOGINShare
Chapter 5
Latest chapter
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 8
"Mr. Prescott. I know I was wrong."It was the first time she'd said it.Not at the launch.Not when they walked her out.Only when the number became real.I didn't answer.She turned to Claire."Mrs. Prescott. Please. Talk to him for me."Claire's face didn't move."I can't help you."The tears came immediately."My mother's still sick."Claire nodded once."Her treatment continues through the charitable program that's already in place."Whatever she qualifies for, she'll receive, the same as anyone else."Then her voice firmed."But I won't be seeing her again."Vanessa stared at her.I think that was the first moment she understood Claire had actually cut the cord.They took her out crying.This time there was no applause.No cameras waiting to make her a symbol.Nobody writing three thousand words in her defense.Only the judgment.Six years and six months.Eight point seven million dollars.A public retraction.A company stripped of the right to operate.
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 7
Before they took her out, the performance finally ended.She pulled away from the agent beside her and stared at me."Are you happy now, Adrian?"Her voice had gone sharp."People like you are all the same."You say you're helping. What you actually want is for people like me to remember who saved us for the rest of our lives."That table in your house. That guest room. The soup. The clothes."Every time I looked at any of it, I wanted to be sick."Claire sat next to me, white to the lips.I tightened my grip on her hand.Vanessa turned on her."And you can stop pretending you're a saint."You bought me clothes and told me you happened to see them."You cooked for me and told me you'd made too much."You drove my mother to the doctor and told me you had the morning free."The whole point was making sure I knew how gracious you were. Wasn't it?"Claire didn't fight with her.She only asked, "So no matter what I did, it was wrong?"Vanessa's mouth moved.Nothing came o
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 6
Two weeks later, Vanessa's new company announced a launch event.Horizon Supply.Curtis Bowen was the owner on paper.Vanessa was the one running it.An invitation landed in my inbox.Her note was painfully polite."Mr. Prescott, I hope you'll come and see the day I finally stand on my own."I laughed when I read it.The translucent text appeared.[She'll repay the sponsorship money in public.][She'll claim the clients and the proposals are hers.][Once the evidence goes up, she has nowhere to go.]I turned my laptop toward Gordon."Are we ready?"He nodded."File records. Forwarding logs. Messages. Client statements. All of it preserved and independently authenticated."The pricing file she took carries our marker."The client list she's working from traces straight back to us."And we have messages where she tells our own people to bring company material with them if they jump.""Good."We're all going."Claire wanted to come.I said no at first.She only said
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 5
Over the next two months, Vanessa got busier and busier.To everyone else she was the hardest-working new hire Prescott Logistics had seen in years.First one in every morning.Last one out at night.At client dinners she handled every small thing without being asked.Her meeting notes were immaculate.She sent me progress summaries she didn't owe me.Every email was respectful."Mr. Prescott, I know I still have a lot to learn."Thank you for being willing to teach me."More and more people at the company talked her up."Vanessa's really making something of herself.""Adrian's got an eye for talent.""That girl knows what she was given."I listened to all of it and heard nothing but the irony.She was working hard, all right.Hard enough to build the case against herself.Gordon briefed me daily."She pulled another client list today.""She photographed the pricing schedule.""She reached out to two legacy accounts.""She registered a company. The owner on the fil
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 4
A month later, I gave Vanessa one last chance.That night it was only the three of us at the house.Claire cooked, the way she always did.She just said a lot less.Vanessa noticed.She noticed everything.So she got sweeter."Mrs. Prescott, you've looked tired lately."Do you want me to do the dishes?"This is so good."Claire only said, "Let's just eat."After dinner I pushed a folder across the table."Read it."Vanessa opened to the first page.Her expression shifted."A startup support agreement?""Yes."I watched her."If you don't want to stay at Prescott Logistics, go."That money is yours as startup capital."No equity."No say in how you run it."No public thank-you."Nothing to pay back."Vanessa looked up."Mr. Prescott. What is this supposed to mean?""Exactly what it says."You can walk away from this family."Build your own company."Never speak to us again, if that's what you want."I held her eyes."One condition. Don't touch Prescott Log
The Snake Under Our Roof Chapter 3
Two weeks later, Vanessa officially joined Prescott Logistics.Her title was ordinary.Her access was not.Nobody at the company thought it was strange.Everyone knew she was the scholarship student Claire and I had supported for years.Everyone knew we had no children.People joked about it in the break room."Vanessa's going to be running this place one day."She always waved it off."Don't say that. I'm only here to learn."Then she'd lower her eyes and smile.She played humble beautifully.But I could see what she enjoyed.She hated hearing that the Prescotts had made her.She loved being recognized as someone close to the Prescotts.She was a walking contradiction.That made her dangerous.I took her into meetings.Had her organize client materials.Let her sit in on negotiations.Walked her through how the company actually ran.Her ability was real.In one meeting she caught a hole in the other side's argument that two of my managers had missed.Hand her a
You May Also Like
The Unwanted Son
Black or White18.1K viewsMy Twin Sister
Stuart Paige61.1K viewsI Quit My Family Who Favors My Sister
Fortune Abundant17.3K viewsNo More Meddling: A Bitter Lesson
Pansy Wilde10.6K viewsWhen the System Backfires
Bear Outlaw4 viewsShe Thought I Couldn't Understand Her Lies
Pepper Paws4 viewsGuardians From Above
Bucket7 viewsNina Is Not a Thief
Bearly5 views
