Chapter 10: The Man Who Wanted My Father's Legacy
I read Richard Hale's message three times.
Come alone. Bring the pink gown.
There was something particularly disturbing about the way he had written it.
Not a request.
An instruction.
Daniel immediately took my phone.
“Absolutely not.””
“I wasn't planning to go alone.””
“Good. Because Richard knows we're investigating the trust. He's trying to control the situation.””
Brianna sat quietly beside Mrs. Collins.
She hadn't spoken for several minutes.
Finally, she whispered, “I know him.””
I turned toward her.
“You said Mom told you he was a family friend.””
“She did. But he used to visit our house when I was little. Sometimes he'd bring presents. Expensive ones.””
“Did Dad know?””
Brianna shook her head.
“I don't remember seeing them together.””
Mrs. Collins looked at her carefully.
“Did Richard ever call you his daughter?””
Brianna's eyes filled.
“Once. I was about eight. He told me I had his eyes.””
Nobody spoke.
Brianna wiped her face.
“I thought he was joking.””
Daniel closed his briefcase.
“Whatever your relationship with him, we need to establish why he's interested in the Rose Legacy.””
I looked at the registration document.
My name was printed beneath the copyright information.
Emily Rose Walker.
My father had registered the design in my name when I was fourteen.
But I had never seen the original design.
“Where is it?”” I asked.
Mrs. Collins looked toward the pink gown.
“Your father never completed the final version.””
“Why?””
“He said the design wasn't finished until you made something that carried the same signature pattern.””
I remembered the five flowers.
The hidden arrangement.
The tiny stitches I had made late at night.
“You mean my dress?””
Mrs. Collins nodded.
“Your gown was the first completed piece using the full Rose Legacy pattern.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Then Richard doesn't simply want the garment. He wants the original ownership evidence.””
“And if he gets it?”” I asked.
“He could attempt to challenge your copyright registration and claim that the design originated from the old partnership.””
I felt sick.
My father had spent years protecting something that I had accidentally brought into the world through my own work.
And now my mother, sister, and a man named Richard Hale had all become part of the same secret.
The following morning, Daniel arranged a meeting with Evelyn Price.
She arrived at Mrs. Collins's shop carrying a thick leather folder.
She was in her late sixties, with short white hair and sharp eyes.
The moment she saw me, she smiled sadly.
“You have your father's face.””
I swallowed.
“Did he tell you about me?””
“Every time we spoke.””
She placed the folder on the table.
“I've kept the original audit report for eleven years. Your father asked me to preserve it because he believed someone would eventually try to erase the financial trail.””
She opened the folder.
Inside were bank statements, company registrations, partnership agreements, and copies of several confidential emails.
“Richard Hale was not originally part of Walker Atelier,” she explained.
“He was introduced as an investor. Your mother insisted he could help expand the business.””
“What did he actually do?””
“He arranged overseas licensing agreements. But several payments were diverted through companies he controlled.””
Daniel examined the documents.
“Was Linda involved?””
Evelyn nodded.
“She approved the transfers. Richard provided the shell companies. Together, they moved money out of the business.””
Brianna stared at the papers.
“How much?””
“Over four hundred thousand dollars across several years.””
She covered her mouth.
“Mom told me Dad had left us with debt.””
Evelyn looked at her.
“Your father actually had enough legitimate assets to support both daughters.””
I felt anger rising in my chest.
“So Mom stole our inheritance?””
“Your mother and Richard diverted money that belonged to the company and the trust. Your father discovered the arrangement shortly before his death.””
Daniel turned to a page marked in red.
“There's something here about a design licensing agreement.””
Evelyn nodded.
“That's the reason Richard wants your dress.””
She pointed to a document.
“Richard claimed that Thomas had transferred the Rose Legacy design to Sterling Creative Holdings. But the transfer was never legally completed.””
“Why not?””
“Because Thomas registered the copyright under your name before the sale was finalized.””
I looked at the document.
“So the design belongs to me?””
“Correct. And the original pink gown provides physical evidence that you independently completed the design.””
I leaned back.
For six months, I had believed I was sewing a dress for a scholarship competition.
Now I understood why my father had wanted me to make it.
He had given me the final piece of a puzzle that other people had spent years trying to destroy.
Evelyn closed the folder.
“There is one more thing. Richard has scheduled a private presentation at tomorrow night's gala. He's planning to announce a new fashion collection.””
Mrs. Collins frowned.
“Using the Rose Legacy?””
Evelyn nodded.
“He has been advertising it to investors as an exclusive acquisition.””
Daniel looked at me.
“If he presents your design as his own, it could cause serious damage even if we eventually prove ownership.””
I stared at the pink gown.
“Then I won't let him present it.””
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“Emily, you're seventeen. We need to handle this carefully.””
“I understand.””
“Richard has money, lawyers, and business connections. You cannot simply walk into his event and confront him.””
I looked at Brianna.
She was studying the email on her phone.
Then she raised her head.
“I can help.””
Everyone turned toward her.
“I still have the messages Mom sent me. And I have Richard's emails.””
Daniel nodded.
“Those could be important.””
Brianna looked at me.
“I know I hurt you. I know I helped Mom take your dress. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life pretending I didn't know something was wrong.””
I didn't forgive her.
Not yet.
But I nodded.
That afternoon, Daniel received a call from the showcase director.
Mrs. Harrison had reviewed the additional ownership documents.
My entry had been provisionally reinstated.
However, she wanted the original garment inspected before the final competition.
The inspection was scheduled for the next evening.
The same evening as Richard's gala.
I looked at the calendar.
Two events.
One dress.
And one man determined to take it.
Then Daniel received another email.
He read it silently.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He turned his laptop toward me.
Richard Hale had sent an invitation to the showcase director.
He wanted to sponsor the entire Young Designers Showcase.
The proposed sponsorship amount was fifty thousand dollars.
May you like
And there was one condition.
*My entry had to be withdrawn before the event.*
