Chapter 14: The Signature That Exposed Everything
Brianna looked as if she might faint.
“That's not my signature.””
Daniel enlarged the property document.
The signature at the bottom looked remarkably similar to hers.
But there was something wrong with the date.
It showed a transfer completed four months before her eighteenth birthday.
She had been twenty-one.
“Who prepared this?”” she asked.
Daniel examined the registration details.
“A law firm connected to Sterling Creative Holdings.””
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“Richard.””
Brianna backed away from the desk.
“He used my name?””
“Possibly,” Daniel replied.
“We need to verify the original registration and identify who submitted it.””
I stared at the property document.
“Why would Richard put the building in Brianna's name?””
Daniel looked toward the vault door.
“Because he needed a way to control the property without making the transfer appear directly connected to him.””
Brianna sat down.
“He told Mom he was helping me build a business.””
“What business?”” I asked.
“A fashion distribution company. He said he wanted me to become his partner.””
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“Did you sign anything?””
Brianna looked embarrassed.
“Some paperwork. Mom said it was for the company registration.””
Daniel's expression became serious.
“Do you remember signing a power of attorney?””
She nodded.
“He said it would let him handle the legal documents while I focused on the business.””
I closed my eyes.
Richard had been using my sister's name just as he had used mine.
He had created a false ownership claim for my dress, transferred property under Brianna's identity, and used my mother's signature to move money.
The three of us had been turned against one another while he quietly took control of everything.
Daniel called the estate administrator.
Within an hour, he had obtained the original property records.
There it was.
A document signed by Brianna, authorizing Richard Hale to act on her behalf.
But the signature date was impossible.
Brianna had been in London that week.
She produced an old passport and airline confirmation showing she had left the country three days before the document was notarized.
Daniel looked at the evidence.
“This could help establish that the authorization was fabricated or improperly executed.””
Brianna covered her face.
“I was so stupid.””
I sat beside her.
“You trusted someone who was supposed to help you.””
She looked at me.
“After everything I did to you, why are you being nice?””
I thought about it.
“Because I know what it feels like when someone you love uses your trust against you.””
She began crying.
For the first time, I reached for her hand.
But forgiving her wasn't the same as pretending nothing had happened.
“We still have a lot to fix,” I told her.
“I know.””
Daniel continued examining the vault.
He found a second folder containing original property deeds and a sealed letter from my father.
This one was addressed to both of us.
*FOR MY DAUGHTERS, EMILY AND BRIANNA.*
Brianna and I looked at each other.
Daniel handed us the letter.
I opened it.
My girls,
If you've reached this point together, then I hope you've discovered something more important than the money, the studio, or the designs.
You are sisters.
I know you have different personalities. Brianna, you have always been bold, charming, and determined to make people notice you. Emily, you have always been patient, imaginative, and willing to work quietly until something becomes beautiful.
Neither of those qualities makes one of you more deserving of love.
Brianna started crying.
I continued.
I have made arrangements to protect both your futures. Emily will receive the design archive and the controlling interest in Walker Atelier. Brianna will receive an educational and business development fund, managed independently until she reaches twenty-five.
Brianna wiped her cheeks.
“He really did leave something for me.””
I nodded.
The letter continued.
But I will not allow either of you to use your inheritance to hurt the other. If one daughter attempts to steal from the other, the independent trustee must suspend the distribution until the matter is resolved.
I looked at Brianna.
She lowered her head.
“I deserved that.””
Then I reached the final paragraph.
There is one person I have not mentioned. Someone who helped me protect the original designs when I became ill. She has been more loyal to this family than either of you may realize.
I looked at Mrs. Collins.
The letter continued.
Margaret Collins is not simply my business partner. She is the woman who helped me create the Walker Design Trust. I have left her a permanent position as creative director of the studio, should she choose to accept it.
Mrs. Collins began crying.
“Oh, Thomas.””
She sat down and held the letter against her chest.
I looked around the vault.
“Then we can reopen the studio?””
Daniel nodded.
“Once the ownership and financial issues are resolved.””
I smiled for the first time in days.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from my mother.
Emily, please come home. I need to tell you something before Richard does.
I showed Daniel.
He immediately called Rachel Morgan.
“Linda has contacted Emily. I believe she may have information relevant to the investigation.””
Rachel advised us not to meet her alone.
We agreed to meet at the house with Daniel present.
When we arrived, my mother was sitting at the dining table.
There were photographs scattered across the surface.
She looked exhausted.
Her makeup was gone, and her hands were shaking.
“Emily,” she whispered.
I remained standing.
“What do you want?””
She pushed one photograph toward me.
It showed Richard and my father standing outside Walker Atelier.
But there was something strange about the date written on the back.
It was dated six months before Dad died.
Mom pointed to Richard.
“He didn't just steal the company.””
“What else?””
“He was the person who caused your father's final financial crisis.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Explain.””
Mom swallowed.
“Richard had been secretly borrowing against the company's assets. When your father discovered it, he threatened to report him.””
“And?””
“Richard threatened to expose an old financial arrangement involving me. He said he would make it look like I had stolen everything.””
I stared at her.
“But you did take the money.””
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I did. But I didn't take all of it.””
She pulled another photograph from the pile.
It showed a bank transfer confirmation.
The money had gone to an account controlled by Richard.
Mom looked at me.
“He promised he would return it. He said we could start over once the company was sold.””
Daniel examined the document.
“Why are you showing us this now?””
Mom's eyes filled.
“Because Richard called me this morning.””
She reached into her handbag and removed a small voice recorder.
“He told me that if I didn't give him the original vault key, he would release documents making it look as though I had stolen the entire trust.””
I stared at her.
“You still have the key?””
She shook her head.
“No. I gave him a copy three weeks ago.””
My stomach tightened.
“Then why does he need the original?””
Mom looked directly at me.
“Because the original key opens a second compartment.””
Daniel went still.
“What second compartment?””
Mom lowered her voice.
“The one containing the original patent assignment.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“What's in it?””
She looked toward the window.
“Your father's final design ownership transfer. The document that proves the Rose Legacy was yours before he died.””
Daniel immediately stood.
“Where is the second compartment?””
Mom closed her eyes.
Then she whispered:
“Richard already knows where it is.””
Before anyone could respond, the front door slammed.
A man's voice came from the hallway.
“Linda?””
Richard Hale.
May you like
He had come to the house.
And he wasn't alone.
