Chapter 12: The Forged Letter
I arrived at the competition office with Margaret and my father less than an hour later.
The building was nearly empty.
Most contestants had already left, but Olivia was waiting near the reception desk.
“Thank you for coming,” she said.
“Where is the photograph?””
She led us into a conference room.
A printed image lay on the table.
I sat down and asked Margaret to describe it.
“It shows a red evening gown,” she said.
“There's a handwritten note beside it. The paper looks old.””
I reached for the image.
“Can I touch it?””
Olivia passed it to me.
The paper had a slightly rough surface.
I found the handwritten section.
The ink was raised in places where the pen had pressed hard against the paper.
My mother had distinctive handwriting.
Her capital E always had a long lower stroke.
Her letter M leaned slightly to the right.
The note on the photograph looked similar.
But something was wrong.
“Margaret, read the entire note.””
She did.
I, Eleanor Carter, confirm that the original red evening gown design belongs to Vanessa Carter. I created this piece as a personal gift and transferred all rights to her voluntarily.
My stomach tightened.
“This is fake.””
Olivia looked concerned.
“How can you be certain?””
“Because my mother never designed this dress.””
I explained that the red gown was my own original creation, based on a silhouette I had developed over six months.
Margaret examined the photograph.
“There's something else. The paper looks artificially aged.””
She turned it over.
A small printer mark appeared near the bottom.
“This wasn't produced twenty years ago.””
Olivia frowned.
“Can you tell?””
Margaret nodded.
“The printing format is much more recent.””
My father leaned forward.
“Then who submitted it?””
Olivia opened the competition's records.
“Brielle sent it through her personal account. She claims Vanessa found it among Eleanor's belongings.””
I shook my head.
“Where is Brielle now?””
“She has requested another hearing tomorrow morning.””
Margaret closed the folder.
“Then we'll attend.””
But I wasn't satisfied.
I wanted to know who had created the letter.
And why.
My father spoke quietly.
“Vanessa.””
I turned toward him.
“You think she forged it?””
“I know she has done something.””
“That isn't an answer.””
He sighed.
“Brielle may have been involved too.””
I thought about Brielle's confession.
She had known the red dress wasn't hers.
But had she known about the old collection?
Had she helped Vanessa create the false documents?
There was only one way to find out.
I asked Olivia to arrange a meeting with Brielle.
She agreed.
The following morning, Brielle arrived alone.
For once, she wasn't wearing expensive clothes or carrying a designer handbag.
Her voice sounded tired.
“Maya.””
I faced her.
“Did you create that letter?””
She hesitated.
“No.””
“Did you know it was fake?””
She looked down.
“I don't know.””
“That's not an answer.””
Brielle exhaled.
“Mom told me it was real.””
“Did you believe her?””
She was silent.
I placed my mother's silver charm on the table.
“Brielle, I need you to understand something. This isn't about who wins a competition anymore. My mother spent years trying to protect her work. I want the truth.””
Brielle's voice cracked.
“I didn't know about the old collection until yesterday.””
“But you knew about my red dress.””
“Yes.””
“You knew I made it.””
She nodded.
“Then why did you lie?””
She began crying.
“Because I wanted the prize.””
I waited.
Brielle continued.
“Mom said I could finally have something that was mine. She told me you wouldn't be able to compete properly because you couldn't see the dress. She said the judges would focus on your disability instead of your design.””
I felt a familiar sting in my chest.
“And you believed her?””
“I wanted to.””
“Why?””
Brielle's voice became small.
“Because I've spent my entire life trying to make her proud.””
I didn't answer.
She continued.
“Every time I failed at something, she told me it was because I wasn't trying hard enough. When I wanted to study fashion, she said I needed to be better than everyone else. When I didn't win anything, she told me people were jealous.””
She wiped her face.
“When she showed me your dress, she said it was an opportunity. I knew you had made it. But she told me you were never going to get anywhere with it.””
I sat quietly.
Then I asked the question I had been avoiding.
“Did you help her forge the letter?””
Brielle shook her head.
“No. But I sent it to the judges.””
“Why?””
“Mom told me it was proof.””
I leaned forward.
“Did you see the original?””
She hesitated.
Then she reached into her handbag.
“I brought something.””
She placed a small USB drive on the table.
“What is it?””
“An audio recording.””
My heart began racing.
“Of what?””
“Mom talking to Uncle Thomas.””
I stared at her.
“Why do you have that?””
“Because I recorded it last night.””
She explained that Vanessa had been on the phone with Thomas after returning home from the competition.
Brielle had been upstairs.
She heard them arguing about the forged letter.
She started recording because she was frightened.
“What did they say?””
Brielle looked toward the door.
“I haven't listened to all of it. But I heard your mother's name.””
I took the USB drive.
“Why are you giving it to me?””
She began crying again.
“Because I don't want to be like her.””
For a moment, I felt something close to pity.
Then I remembered the dress.
The six months of work.
The humiliation.
The way Brielle had laughed when she told me it looked better on her.
I stood.
“You should have thought about that before you wore my work.””
She nodded.
“I know.””
I turned toward Margaret.
“Can we listen to it?””
Margaret arranged for the recording to be copied and reviewed by the competition's legal representative.
A few minutes later, Daniel joined us.
He connected the drive to his laptop.
The recording began with background noise.
Then Vanessa's voice.
“Thomas, the girl has found the ledger.””
A man's voice answered.
“Then you should have destroyed it years ago.””
My stomach tightened.
Vanessa continued.
“I thought Eleanor had hidden it somewhere in the studio. I never imagined Maya would find it.””
Thomas laughed.
“She's just like her mother.””
“She's becoming a problem.””
“Then deal with her.””
There was a pause.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“The competition judges are questioning the ownership.””
“Use the letter.””
“They're suspicious.””
“Then give them something stronger.””
“What?””
Thomas's answer was clear.
“Tell them Eleanor transferred the entire collection before she died.””
Vanessa hesitated.
“But she didn't.””
“Who is going to prove otherwise?””
I felt cold.
Then Vanessa said something that made everyone in the room freeze.
“Richard has the original trust documents.””
Thomas laughed.
“Richard doesn't even know what he signed.””
My father stood abruptly.
“That's enough.””
But the recording continued.
Vanessa spoke again.
“If Maya discovers the trust, she'll inherit everything.””
Thomas's voice became hard.
“Then she must never see the final document.””
Margaret leaned forward.
“What final document?””
The recording crackled.
Then Thomas answered.
“The one Eleanor signed the week before she died.””
My heart began pounding.
My mother had signed something shortly before her death.
Something even Margaret hadn't seen.
Vanessa asked, “Where is it?””
Thomas replied:
“Inside the original red dress pattern. The one Eleanor gave Richard.””
I turned toward my father.
“Dad?””
He looked confused.
“What?””
“Mom gave you an original pattern?””
He nodded slowly.
“She gave me a rolled-up design sheet before she died. She told me to keep it safe.””
“Where is it?””
His face changed.
“It's in my office.””
Margaret stood.
“Richard, we need to retrieve it immediately.””
My father shook his head.
“That's impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because I threw it away.””
I felt my blood run cold.
“When?””
He lowered his head.
“Three years ago. Vanessa told me it was an old piece of paper with no value.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Brielle whispered:
“Mom knew.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
Brielle's voice trembled.
“She knew the document was inside the pattern. That's why she kept asking Dad about it.””
Margaret looked horrified.
“Do you know where it went?””
Brielle nodded.
“I remember.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Mom didn't throw it away.””
My father stood.
“What are you talking about?””
Brielle looked toward the doorway.
“She took it to Uncle Thomas.””
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out another envelope.
“I found this in her bedroom last night.””
The envelope was addressed to Thomas.
And written across the front were five words.
*THE ORIGINAL TRUST DOCUMENT — DESTROY IT.*
Margaret took the envelope.
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
Inside was a letter dated three years earlier.
At the bottom was Vanessa's signature.
But the most shocking part wasn't her signature.
It was the sentence beneath it.
If Eleanor's final document becomes public, Richard will discover that Maya is entitled to the entire Carter House Designs company.
My father made a choking sound.
I couldn't move.
The entire company?
Not just the designs.
Not just the royalties.
Everything.
And if Vanessa knew that three years ago, then stealing my red dress had never been about giving Brielle a chance to win.
It had been about making sure I never discovered what my mother had left me.
Margaret slowly folded the letter.
Then she looked at my father.
“Richard, there's something you need to understand.””
He stared at her.
“What?””
“Your wife has spent years trying to keep Maya away from a document that may already make her the legal owner of your entire business.””
May you like
And somewhere, in my uncle's possession, was the final piece of my mother's plan.
The only question was whether he had destroyed it—or whether he was still hiding it.
