Page 75 of Cause of Action

“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 thedesigns, 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.

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