Chapter 5: The Contract Signed After Her Death
I placed the phone on the worktable.
My fingers had gone numb.
Mrs. Bell noticed my expression and came around the table.
"What happened?""
I showed her Brianna's message.
She read the document, then zoomed in on the signature.
For a moment, she looked as if she'd been struck.
"Where did she get this?""
"She says Vanessa found it.""
Mrs. Bell pulled a chair closer and examined the date.
"Eleven days after Elena's funeral," she murmured.
"Could Mom have signed it before she died, and they recorded it later?""
"Not with that date printed beside her signature.""
She opened a drawer and removed a pair of reading glasses.
"Contracts can be executed on one date and filed on another, but this document claims your mother signed it on that specific day. We need the original before drawing conclusions.""
I stared at the photograph.
"Does it mean the collection belongs to them?""
"Not necessarily. A signature can be challenged. The terms matter.
The circumstances matter. And if your mother was already deceased, that raises serious questions.""
I leaned against the table.
"Why would Vanessa show Brianna something like this?""
"Because she wants you to give up.""
Mrs. Bell returned the phone.
"Don't respond while you're upset. Save the message, preserve the original image, and don't accuse anyone publicly until we know what we're dealing with.""
I nodded.
But inside, anger was burning through the fear.
My mother had been dead for six years.
For six years, I had believed she left behind little more than memories and a silver thimble.
Meanwhile, someone had been building a business around her work.
Someone had taken the collection she had spent years creating and placed another family's name on it.
And now that I'd begun asking questions, they were trying to convince me that even the questions belonged to them.
Maya sat beside me.
"Do you want to go home?""
I shook my head.
"Not yet.""
"Then we're staying.""
Mrs. Bell brought us hot chocolate and locked the front door.
I worked until nearly midnight, drafting the bodice pattern and adjusting the skirt so the stars would fall at different angles when the fabric moved.
The machine hummed steadily beneath my hands.
For the first time since the auditorium, I felt in control of something.
At twelve fifteen, Mrs. Bell placed a small metal tin beside my notebook.
"Your mother used to keep her most important measurements in one of these.""
I opened it.
Inside lay a silver thimble, a few old buttons, and a folded piece of tracing paper.
The thimble was engraved with two letters.
E.C.
I recognized it immediately.
It had been on my mother's bedside table the night before she died. After the funeral, Vanessa told me she'd donated most of Mom's sewing supplies to charity.
Apparently, she'd kept this one.
"How did you get it?"" I asked.
"Elena gave it to me years ago. She said I should return it to you when you were ready to work on Starfall.""
I ran my thumb across the engraving.
"Why didn't you give it to me sooner?""
"Because I thought your father would keep his promise and tell you the truth. I didn't want to interfere with your family.""
She paused.
"I see now that my silence may have helped the wrong people.""
I looked at her.
"You didn't know what Vanessa was doing.""
"No. But I should have asked more questions.""
She pushed the tracing paper toward me.
"Look at the back.""
I unfolded it carefully.
There was a handwritten note in my mother's script.
The stars belong to the person who sees them first.
Beneath the sentence were three initials.
E.C.
M.B.
D.C.
Elena Carter. Margaret Bell. Daniel Carter.
The three people who had once stood together beneath the Carter Atelier banner.
"What does this mean?"" I asked.
Mrs. Bell studied the initials.
"Your mother, your father, and me. We were the original partners behind Starfall.""
I looked at her.
"You were partners in the collection?""
"Not in the ownership of every design. We had an agreement to develop the label together. Elena created the garments, I handled production, and Daniel managed the business.""
"What happened to the agreement?""
"After Elena died, Daniel told me he was handling the estate. I received a letter saying the collection had been transferred to cover outstanding debts. I disagreed, but I couldn't afford a prolonged legal battle.""
"Did you see the contract?""
"No.""
"Did you see Mom's signature?""
"No.""
I sat very still.
"So Vanessa could have shown you a false explanation, too.""
Mrs. Bell's eyes met mine.
"Yes.""
We both looked at the photograph of the contract.
For the first time, I realized that the mystery was larger than my stepsister stealing a dress.
If the agreement had been fabricated, Vanessa might have taken possession of the entire collection using paperwork that nobody had properly examined.
But why?
What had my mother created that made it worth so much?
The next morning, I went to school with my sketchbook tucked under my arm and the silver thimble hanging from a chain around my neck.
Brianna was waiting beside my locker.
She wore a tailored jacket and the same confident expression she'd worn when accepting my award.
"Did you see the document?"" she asked.
"Yes.""
"Then you understand why you need to stop.""
"Did you read it?""
"Of course.""
"Did you notice the date?""
Her expression flickered.
"Mom explained that.""
"What did she say?""
Brianna crossed her arms.
"That your mother agreed to transfer the collection before she died.""
"Then why does the contract say she signed it afterward?""
She glanced around the corridor.
"You're twisting things.""
"I'm asking a question.""
"And I'm telling you to leave it alone.""
I opened my locker.
Brianna leaned closer.
"Do you know what happens if Mitchell House discovers you're using a protected design? They can have your work disqualified. They can make sure no competition ever accepts your name again.""
I turned toward her.
"Is that what you want?""
"I want you to stop acting like everything belongs to you.""
"Does that include the dress you wore to win my award?""
She flushed.
"You have no idea what you're talking about.""
"Then show me the original design files.""
Brianna's mouth tightened.
For one second, I thought she might admit something.
Instead, she reached into her bag and pulled out a glossy brochure.
On the cover was a photograph of her midnight-blue gown.
Across the top, in gold lettering, were the words:
*MITCHELL HOUSE PRESENTS: THE STARFALL LEGACY.*
The launch date was Friday.
Beneath the title was a line that made my stomach turn.
Inspired by the visionary work of Elena Carter.
At least they were finally using my mother's name.
But the designer credit belonged to Brianna Mitchell.
"You're using Mom's name to sell my design," I said.
Brianna's face hardened.
"Mom says the collection belongs to us.""
"Then why are you afraid of me showing my sketches?""
She shoved the brochure into her bag.
"Because you don't understand how the real world works.""
She walked away before I could respond.
I stood at my locker, listening to the echo of her footsteps.
Then I opened my phone and sent the brochure to Maya and Mrs. Bell.
They're launching Starfall on Friday.
Mrs. Bell replied first.
Do not withdraw from the competition.
Maya sent a second message.
And don't let them make you fight this alone.
I looked at my sketchbook.
Friday was no longer just a school showcase.
It was the first opportunity I'd have to put my work beside theirs and make people look closely.
That afternoon, I finished the first version of the midnight-blue gown.
The stars were hand-stitched in gold thread, concentrated near the shoulders and scattered down the skirt like light fading into darkness. I reinforced the inner seams, added a hidden fastening, and shaped the waist so the fabric would move naturally.
Mrs. Bell stood back to examine it.
"Nia, this is good.""
"Good enough to compete?""
"Good enough to make people remember it.""
I smiled for the first time in days.
Then the shop phone rang.
Mrs. Bell answered, listened, and slowly turned toward me.
"Yes, this is Margaret Bell.""
A pause.
"Who is calling?""
Another pause.
Her hand tightened around the receiver.
"That's impossible. Elena's daughter has never signed anything with Mitchell House.""
She listened for several more seconds.
Then she said, "No. I will not tell her to stop asking questions.""
She hung up.
"What was that?"" I asked.
Mrs. Bell looked toward the front windows, where a black sedan had stopped across the street.
"Mitchell House's attorney," she said.
"He claims your mother signed a second agreement granting them exclusive rights to the Starfall designs.""
"Another contract?""
"He says they have the original.""
I stared at her.
"Can they prove it?""
Mrs. Bell looked at the unfinished gown.
"Apparently, they're prepared to try.""
My phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from my father.
Nia, come home immediately. Vanessa found something in your mother's old files. You need to see it before Friday.
May you like
A second message arrived before I could reply.
Please don't bring Margaret Bell.
