Episode 3 of Inventing Anna kicks off with Vivian, alongside Anna, inside Rikers. As Vivian broaches the subject of the Anna Delvey Foundation, Anna staunchly refuses to acknowledge any romantic involvement with Chase, claiming she merely utilized him as a stepping stone. She boasts about her linguistic proficiency and intellectual prowess, emphasizing her superiority.
Vivian remains indifferent to her duties as a mother, leaving Jack to set up the crib and handle the mundane tasks of parenting. With her Anna-centric wall still standing, Vivian pursues leads, heading straight to Nora. She assures Nora of confidentiality, earning her trust. Nora reveals that Anna and Chase resided with her for months in 2014. Anna, seeking independence from her father's wealth, embarked on her own path, while Chase poured all his funds into his startup. Nora, however, saw through Anna's facade, describing her as a "name dropper" who rarely rose before noon. She also held little fondness for Chase.
The timeline shifts to post-Val incident, with Anna and Chase residing at Nora's. In the morning, Anna arranged meetings with three notable individuals: Gabriel Calatrava, a renowned architect; Sasha Thomas, the founder and leading gallerist of Thomas & Fortman; and Richard Lavin, who oversees Manhattan's high-end properties. However, Anna encountered a significant obstacle, receiving rejections from all. Desperate, she resorted to using Nora as a conduit to open doors and recruit talent for her team. Though Chase warned her about Nora's prickly nature, Anna, being the consummate hustler, followed suit, meeting numerous influential women.
Meanwhile, Chase decided to depart, aiming for Open Air Berlin, only to discover it had been canceled. Where is Chase? Anna's confusion led to a spree of drunken voicemails, searching for answers. As Vivian delves deeper into Chase's whereabouts, we learn that Silicon Valley invested $3 million in his app in 2015. Yet, despite being hailed as the next big thing, he vanished into the shadows months later. Rumors suggest he's working for a Sheikh in Dubai. Thus, Vivian tirelessly calls various hotels, determined to uncover the truth of his whereabouts.
Visiting Anna once again sheds further insight into this tangled web, highlighting how Chase, with his dwindling finances, stands on the verge of a 2 million investment from Nora's acquaintance. But if Nora discovers the truth about his precarious state, the game would be over. As for Anna, she nonchalantly dismisses Chase as merely a nuisance.
When Vivian finally locates Chase, they engage in a video call, and she unearths the intricate details of his and Anna's past. His company, Wake, was struggling, and amidst a sea of debts and obligations, Anna cunningly divulged Wake's vulnerabilities to Nora. This was her calculated move to manipulate the situation, regardless of how deeply it would plunge Chase into despair.
This turn of events prompts Nora to bring Anna, rather than Chase, to her prestigious art fundraiser. This strategy not only propels Anna's name into the spotlight but also snatches the valuable connections that Chase and Nora had painstakingly cultivated. However, their paths diverge, and Chase desperately begs Anna for a 40% stake in the Anna Delvey Foundation, to which she coldly refuses.
Armed with this news, Vivian rushes to Catherine's doorstep. She cunningly weaves a tale, probing whether Nora filed a complaint against Anna. Catherine remains tight-lipped, but Vivian skillfully unravels the entire story, painting Chase as the real culprit behind the deception. Her sources, apparently, validate this claim.
Catherine, swayed by Vivian's artful narrative, reveals that someone has indeed reconsidered pressing charges. That someone is Nora. It transpires that a string of unauthorized charges on Nora's card traces back to Anna's unauthorized signature, amounting to a staggering $400k.
Does this damning evidence convince Vivian that Anna is not the angel she portrays, but a cunning con artist? Well, Nora insists that she merely delivered a package for Anna, facilitated by Val.
Determined, Vivian marches to see Todd, pleading to be a part of the team. After some deliberation, he relents, granting Vivian a significant opportunity. With a plethora of crucial details at her fingertips, Paul and the team grant Vivian additional weeks to pursue the investigation.
