Chapter 5 - The Video Spreads
Vanessa ended her broadcast after security arrived.
She expected the officers to remove Emily and Noah from the reserved filming area.
Instead, they asked Vanessa to step away from the family.
“I have permission to be here,” she insisted.
A tourism committee coordinator named Rachel hurried down from the boardwalk.
Rachel had spent two months arranging Vanessa’s promotional appearance. She had defended the decision when other committee members worried about the influencer’s reputation.
Now her phone was filling with messages.
Clips of Vanessa kicking the castle were spreading online.
The original broadcast had been watched by thousands of people. Viewers had recorded it before Vanessa deleted the video.
One clip showed Noah saying he had built the castle for his father.
Another showed Vanessa responding, “It’s just sand.”
Rachel approached her.
“Turn off your camera.”
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“This misunderstanding is actually creating engagement. We can use it.”
“There is no ‘we’ anymore.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The committee has suspended your filming permit.”
“You can’t do that.”
“We just did.”
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“I have a contract.”
“The contract requires you to follow beach regulations and avoid conduct that harms the event’s reputation.”
“I moved some sand.”
Rachel looked toward Noah.
“That castle was a memorial for Captain Daniel Carter.”
Vanessa’s face went still.
She knew Daniel’s name.
Everyone in Silver Bay knew it.
His rescue had been reported across the state. The two fishermen he saved had attended his memorial service. Local businesses displayed his photograph for weeks.
Vanessa quickly looked at her phone, searching for a way to control the situation.
“I didn’t know.”
Rachel’s expression remained cold.
“You didn’t care enough to ask.”
Vanessa began typing a statement for her audience.
She wrote that the incident had been taken out of context. She claimed Emily had placed the castle inside a restricted production area. She suggested Noah had been encouraged to cry for attention.
Before she could publish it, one of her assistants took the phone from her hand.
“What are you doing?” Vanessa demanded.
The assistant’s eyes were filled with disgust.
“I’ve spent two years helping you hide who you are.”
May you like
She placed the phone on top of Vanessa’s bag.
“I’m done.”
