"Perfect," Gabe murmured. "She owned it without making accusations she can't prove."
For several more minutes, the interview continued smoothly. Sarah asked about Stone Bridge's expansion plans, about Emery's vision for the authentication program, and about how she was settling into the valley. Emery answered each question with the kind of genuine enthusiasm that would make any viewer want to meet her, work with her, and believe in her.
Devon was just beginning to relax when Sarah's expression changed.
"I want to circle back to your role at Stone Bridge Winery for a moment,"Sarah said, her tone shifting to something morepointed."Specifically, your authentication work on vintage bottles."
"Of course,"Emery said, though Devon caught the slight tension that entered her shoulders.
"I received some documentation from a source—documentation that raises questions about your methodology."Sarah pulled out a manila folder and extracted several pages."These appear to be authentication records for vintage wines in Stone Bridge's collection. The source claims you're fabricating provenance, making up historical details to inflate the value of ordinary bottles."
The blood drained from Emery's face."What? That's—can I see those?"
Sarah handed over the pages, and even on the monitor, Devon could see Emery's hands trembling as she reviewed them.
"These aren't mine," Emery said, her voice shaking.“I mean, they are, but this documentation has been altered. I never?—"
"But they have your signature,"Sarah pointed out. "Your initials on each page. Your authentication stamp."
"Then someone forged them, because I didn't create these."Emery looked up, her expression stricken."This is exactly what happened at Pemberton's. Someone created false documents with my signature to make it look like I approved fraudulent?—"
Devon was already moving. He burst through the door into the family room with Bryson and Gabe right behind him, all three of them clearly startling both Emery and Sarah.
"Stop the recording," Devon said, his voice tight with fury. "Stop it right now."
"Devon—" Emery started.
"Those documents are fake," Gabe said, already reaching for the pages in Emery's hands. "Let me see them."
Sarah looked between them, clearly thrown by the sudden interruption. "Gentlemen, we're in the middle of?—"
"I know exactly what you're in the middle of, and it's character assassination based on fraudulent documents." Devon's voice was stern. "We need to see those papers. Now."
Walter appeared in the doorway—his expression carved from stone. "Sarah, I'm going to have to ask you to pause the recording. This is a serious accusation, and we need time to review the evidence before proceeding."
Gabe was already examining the pages, his expression growing darker with each one he reviewed. "These are forgeries. The formatting is wrong. The authentication codes are outdated because we changed our system three weeks ago. Emery couldn't have created these recently because we're not using this template anymore."
"How do you know?" Sarah asked.
"Because I'm Operations Manager. I oversee all documentation protocols." Gabe looked up, his jaw tight. "And I have copies of the actual authentication records Emery's been working on. They're in my office. Give me five minutes."
He was already heading for the door.
"Devon," Walter said quietly. "Call Sandy."
Devon pulled out his phone, his hands steadier than he felt. This was it—proof that someone was actively sabotaging Emery, creating false evidence to destroy her credibility. But who? He pulled up Sandy’s contact information and tapped her personal phone number, knowing she was probably off-duty, or about to be.
Sandy answered on the second ring. "Kane."
"We need you at the main house. Now. Someone just tried to sabotage Emery during an interview with forged authentication documents."
"On my way." The line went dead.
In the family room, Brea had appeared with Riley, both women flanking Emery like protective guards. Emery lookedpale, shaken, her hands still trembling as she stared at the forged documents. “The night of the break-in,” Emery whispered. “I was working on these.” She glanced up, catching Devon’s gaze.
So, that’s what the intruder was doing.
"Who gave you these?" Devon asked Sarah, keeping his voice level with effort.
