VANESSA: "Because I knew something wasn't right. But I didn't understand everything at the time."
DANIEL: "What did you know?"
VANESSA: "I discovered that some payments were being made to companies I had never heard of. I asked Richard about them, and he told me they were suppliers."
MARCUS: "They weren't suppliers."
Daniel looked at him.
MARCUS: "Some of those companies were connected to people Richard knew personally."
DANIEL: "Do you have proof?"
Marcus nodded.
MARCUS: "I have copies of several records."
DANIEL: "Where?"
MARCUS: "Not here."
Daniel looked at both of them.
DANIEL: "So you expect me to believe that this entire situation has nothing to do with you two meeting secretly?"
MARCUS: "I'm not asking you to believe anything without evidence."
DANIEL: "Then why did you come here tonight?"
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
MARCUS: "Because Richard contacted her yesterday."
Vanessa immediately lowered her head.
Daniel's expression changed.
DANIEL: "Yesterday?"
VANESSA: "Yes."
DANIEL: "What did he say?"
VANESSA: "He told me he wanted the documents back."
DANIEL: "And what did you tell him?"
VANESSA: "I refused."
Daniel stared at her.
DANIEL: "You refused?"
VANESSA: "I told him I wasn't going to hand over anything until I knew exactly what he wanted."
MARCUS: "That's why I came here. I wanted to make sure she understood the risks."
Daniel looked at Marcus.
DANIEL: "And you thought the best way to do that was to come into my bedroom without telling me?"
Marcus did not answer immediately.
MARCUS: "I understand how it looks."
DANIEL: "You have no idea how it looks."
MARCUS: "Perhaps not. But I wasn't here for the reasons you assumed."
Daniel looked away.
He was still angry. He was still hurt. But he was beginning to understand that the situation involved several people and events that had taken place long before he entered Vanessa's life.
That did not excuse her dishonesty.
It simply meant that he needed to be careful about what he did next.
He walked back toward the bed and picked up the USB drive.
DANIEL: "What's on this?"
VANESSA: "A recording."
DANIEL: "A recording of what?"
VANESSA: "A conversation between Richard and one of the investors."
Daniel looked at her.
DANIEL: "How did you get it?"
VANESSA: "Richard sent it to me by mistake."
MARCUS: "It contains information that could be very important."
Daniel placed the USB drive back on the bed.
DANIEL: "Have you listened to it?"
Vanessa nodded.
DANIEL: "And?"
VANESSA: "It confirms that Richard knew more about the missing money than he admitted."
MARCUS: "It also suggests that he was planning to leave the country before the company collapsed."
Daniel took another breath.
DANIEL: "Then why hasn't anyone reported this?"
MARCUS: "Because the evidence needs to be verified. We cannot simply assume that one recording explains everything."
Daniel nodded slowly.
For the first time, Marcus had said something that sounded reasonable.
But there was still one question Daniel could not ignore.
DANIEL: "Why did Vanessa never tell me?"
Marcus stepped back.
MARCUS: "That is something she needs to answer."
Daniel turned toward Vanessa.
DANIEL: "Yes. She does."
Vanessa looked at him with a mixture of fear and regret.
VANESSA: "When we first started dating, I wanted to tell you. I really did. But every time I thought about it, I imagined you looking at me differently."
DANIEL: "So you decided to let me believe something that wasn't true?"
VANESSA: "I thought I could resolve everything before it affected us."
DANIEL: "And when you couldn't?"
VANESSA: "I kept hoping it would disappear."
Daniel shook his head.
DANIEL: "Problems don't disappear because you refuse to talk about them."
Vanessa nodded.
VANESSA: "I know."
DANIEL: "Do you understand what this means for us?"
She looked at him.
VANESSA: "I don't want to lose you."
DANIEL: "You should have thought about that before making decisions that affected both of us."
For several seconds, Vanessa said nothing.
Then she slowly sat on the edge of the bed.
VANESSA: "I know you have every reason to be angry. I know I should have told you. But I need you to understand one thing. I never wanted to bring trouble into your life."
Daniel looked at her.
DANIEL: "You don't get to decide what I can handle. If we're building a life together, I have a right to know what we're dealing with."
VANESSA: "You're right."
The conversation was interrupted by a sudden vibration.
Daniel looked toward the bedside table.
Vanessa's phone was ringing.
The screen displayed an unknown number.
Everyone became quiet.
Vanessa stared at the phone without touching it.
MARCUS: "Don't answer."
Daniel looked at him.
DANIEL: "Why not?"
MARCUS: "It could be Richard."
The phone continued vibrating.
Vanessa looked frightened.
VANESSA: "He has called me before from different numbers."
Daniel turned toward her.
DANIEL: "You said he contacted you yesterday. Has he been calling you regularly?"
VANESSA: "Sometimes."
DANIEL: "How many times?"
VANESSA: "I don't know. Several."
Daniel picked up the phone and looked at the screen.
The call ended.
A few seconds later, a message appeared.
Vanessa read it and immediately covered her mouth.
Daniel noticed her reaction.
DANIEL: "What does it say?"
She did not respond.
DANIEL: "Vanessa, show me."
She slowly handed him the phone.
The message was short.
RICHARD: "I know Marcus is with you. We need to talk tonight. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."
Daniel read it twice.