Daniel nodded.
“That’s correct. She threatened to.”
Graham looked at her.
“Why?”
“I thought he might have entered without permission.”
“Did you ask anyone responsible for checking invitations?”
“No.”
“Did you see him break a rule?”
“No.”
“Then what made you suspicious?”
Vanessa hesitated.
His eyes moved toward Daniel’s clothes.
Her silence answered more clearly than anything she could have said.
Graham sighed.
“This is a celebration for our employees, investors, and partners. Some of them have considerable wealth. Some don’t. Some helped build Everline when we were working out of a rented office with secondhand furniture.”
He gestured toward his own suit.
“Ten years ago, I couldn’t have afforded this jacket.”
Vanessa looked down.
Graham continued.
“The catering staff are here because we hired them. They belong here too. Nobody gets to threaten them simply because they aren’t wearing expensive clothes.”
Brandon spoke quickly.
“Absolutely. Vanessa didn’t understand how the event was organized.”
Daniel turned toward him.
“Did she need to?”
Brandon stopped.
“I mean—”
“Brandon, your girlfriend believed she had the right to decide who belonged here based on their appearance. You’re explaining that as a misunderstanding about the guest list.”
Brandon rubbed his palms against his trousers.
“I apologize. It was inappropriate.”
Daniel nodded.
