The worst part came in the middle section. Two photographs, grainy but unmistakably clear, showed Devon helping an obviously intoxicated Emery from Rusted Rail to her Airbnb.The second photo, time-stamped the following morning, showed him leaving the same building, his clothes wrinkled and his hair disheveled.
"The relationship between Ms. Tate and Devon Boone appears to predate her employment at Stone Bridge Winery by several months,"the article speculated."Sources close to the situation suggest the job offer may have been motivated by personal rather than professional considerations, raising questions about nepotism and the vineyard's commitment to maintaining industry standards."
But the final section was even worse. Someone had captured footage of yesterday's confrontation at the tasting room—shaky cell phone video that clearly showed Emery yelling at Harold, making accusations she couldn't prove, losing control in front of witnesses.
"Ms. Tate's behavior at the Stone Bridge Tasting Room yesterday afternoon raises additional concerns,"the article continued."Witnesses report an 'unhinged' confrontation with her former employer, Harold Pemberton, in which she made wild accusations of conspiracy and sabotage. Video footage obtained shows Ms. Tate becoming increasingly agitated and irrational, despite staff's attempts to calm the situation. One witness, who asked not to be named, stated: 'She seemed unstable. If I were the Boones, I'd be concerned about who they've brought into their business.'"
"Motherfucker," Devon growled, tossing the tablet onto his father’s desk.
"Language," his dad said automatically, but his heart wasn't in the reprimand. His expression was grave as he fixed Devon with a stare perfected over decades of fatherhood.
"No offense, but Devon took the word right out of my mouth," Bryson said. "Who the hell was filming that?"
"Could have been anyone in the tasting room," Riley said. "It's a public space. All it takes is one person with a phone."
"And the photos from three months ago?" Devon asked. "Those weren't random. Someone saved them, waited for exactly the right moment to use them."
Walter was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "I don't know anything about her father, but we did a background check."
"On her. Not her family,” Bryson added.
"I've already called Harlan, my lawyer, and asked him to have his PI, Declan, look into the matter." His father held up his hand when Devon opened his mouth. "Whether her father is guilty or not makes no difference. My opinion of her won't change. Nor would it change her employment status."
"Then why do it?" Devon asked, though he knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it.
"Knowledge is power. And the more we know, the more we can get ahead of this," his father said. "For us—and for her. But I also want Declan to look into who filmed the incident at our tasting room and who took those pictures. That feels like a personal attack.”
"There's more," Riley said quietly. "The article also mentions my hiring three months ago. Says it's part of a 'pattern' of questionable nepotism practices."
"That's bullshit," Bryson said immediately. "You were hired for your qualifications."
“We both know that’s not true since I didn’t even have any social media accounts or training. But the issue here is in the optics..." Riley gestured at the tablet. "Two women with connections to the Boone brothers hired within months of each other? The article makes it look like Stone Bridge is some kind of dating service."
Walter turned to Devon, his voice measured but firm. "I need to ask you something directly, and I need a straight answer. Were you sleeping with Emery before we hired her? And are you sleeping with her now?"
"Dad—" Bryson started, but Walter held up a hand again.
"This isn't about judgment. I need to know what we're dealing with."
Devon felt heat creep up his neck, but he held his father's gaze steadily. “We’ve been… together.”
The silence in the room was deafening.
"How long?" Walter asked.
“We’re not together. We saw each other once before she was fired. That night, and again more recently.” Devon's voice was firm despite the embarrassment. "But when she accepted the job offer about a month ago, we both agreed to keep things strictly professional. Since she started working here, we haven't been together. Not once."
"But the relationship did exist before her employment," Walter said.
"It did," Devon admitted. "But I didn't ask you to create a position for her because we were sleeping together. I recognized her talent at that auction three months ago. The personal stuff... that complicated things, but it didn't create the job opportunity. The job was real regardless of what was or wasn't happening between us."
Bryson stepped forward. "And for the record, Devon's been pretty miserable keeping his distance. If this was just about convenience or nepotism, he wouldn't be trying so hard to maintain boundaries."
"I'm not questioning your brother's character," Walter said, but his tone suggested he wasn't entirely pleased with the situation. "But this doesn't look good, Devon. Not for you, not for the winery, and especially not for Emery. Between thephotos, her father's background, and this video of her losing control at the tasting room, the article paints a picture of someone unstable and opportunistic who's using a personal relationship to rebuild her career."
"She's not," Devon said firmly.
"I believe you. But the rest of the wine industry isn't going to know that." Walter sank into his desk chair. "What concerns me most is the timing and coordination of all this. First, someone plants that story about her hiring right after she starts. Now this—photos from months ago, video from yesterday, details about her father's background. This isn't random gossip. Someone is systematically attacking her."
