The Vaughn family had long treated Joanna Jacobs as a benefactor and one of their own. They had forgotten that, officially, she was no different from Sean Carter—both were subordinates of Damien Valerius.
Working for Damien and solving his problems was, by definition, part of Joanna's duties as his subordinate.
In contrast to the Vaughns, Damien was always keenly aware of his own position and treated Joanna in a straightforward, professional manner.
However, it was precisely because the Vaughns' feelings for Joanna transcended the typical employer-employee dynamic that they felt embarrassed when they saw how distant Sylvia was from her. They felt it was entirely Sylvia's fault.
And it was this very attitude from the Vaughn family that had, without anyone realizing it, pushed Joanna further and further down the path of her obsessive affection for Damien.
