Part 8: The Recording and Blacklist
Claire opened the final tab of her leather portfolio. "Furthermore, Vanessa signed a strict publicity restriction clause during her initial consultation. She was never authorized to claim a formal corporate sponsorship or use the Laurent House brand name to solicit external wedding vendors."
Diane gripped the edge of the velvet sofa, her face entirely drained of color. "What do you mean, solicit vendors?"
Elena brought up a series of flagged emails on her tablet. "Ms. Mercer sent unauthorized promotional emails to her wedding florist, her cake studio, her luxury car rental company, and the hotel venue. In these emails, she falsely claimed that Laurent House Bridal was officially sponsoring her wedding. Based on that lie, she demanded massive financial discounts and promised them exclusive media exposure through our celebrity network."
The bridesmaids began whispering furiously among themselves. Rachel stared at Vanessa with pure betrayal. "You told us the Manhattan hotel gave you the grand ballroom for free because you were an elite brand partner!"
"Stay out of this, Rachel!" Vanessa snapped, her hands shaking violently.
"Our legal counsel will be notifying every single one of those vendors by the end of the afternoon," Claire stated calmly. "They deserve the absolute truth before they provide tens of thousands of dollars in high-end services based on a fraudulent representation."
In a final act of desperation, Vanessa lunged across the desk toward Claire’s portfolio. "Give me that! You're ruining my life!"
Before she could make contact, a burly, uniformed security officer stepped into the suite from the main lobby, placing himself firmly between Vanessa and the designer. Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks, the reality of her situation finally crashing down upon her.
"The elite bridal trade network will receive a factual risk notice within the hour," Claire concluded. "It will include the unpaid invoice, the fraudulent sponsorship communications, and the intentional destruction of boutique property."
May you like
"You're blacklisting me?" Vanessa whispered, her voice barely audible.
"I am warning independent luxury businesses not to extend credit to a client who operates on fraud," Claire replied. "Your wedding is this Saturday. You should have considered the consequences before you chose to humiliate my child inside a business you hadn't even paid for."
