Chapter 9: The Buyer Who Wasn't Real
The room fell silent.
I looked at Daniel.
Then at Mrs. Collins.
Neither seemed surprised by my mother's words.
That frightened me more than anything.
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
Daniel took the phone from Brianna.
“Linda, are you saying the company sale was fraudulent?””
My mother laughed bitterly.
“You don't know the whole story.””
“Then explain it.””
“Not over the phone.””
Daniel's voice became firm.
“You have an opportunity to clarify the financial records. I suggest you take it.””
My mother hung up.
Brianna stared at her phone.
“She said Dad died believing the buyer wasn't real.””
Mrs. Collins slowly sat down.
“I always wondered.””
I turned toward her.
“Wondered what?””
She rubbed her forehead.
“Your father received a purchase offer for Walker Atelier about four months before he died. A company offered to buy the majority of the business.””
“Did he accept?””
“No. He refused. He said the buyer's financial background didn't make sense.””
“Then what happened?””
“Your mother later told us the deal had been canceled.””
Daniel examined the documents.
“According to the financial records, a payment was made to an entity called Sterling Creative Holdings.””
I looked at him.
“Was that the buyer?””
“Yes.””
“Does it exist?””
Daniel searched the company registration details on his laptop.
A few seconds later, his expression changed.
“No.””
Brianna stepped closer.
“What do you mean, no?””
“Sterling Creative Holdings was registered under a temporary business address. It was dissolved less than two weeks after receiving the payment.””
I felt sick.
“Who registered it?””
Daniel turned the laptop.
The registration showed a director's name.
*Linda Walker.*
Brianna covered her mouth.
“She created a fake company?””
Mrs. Collins shook her head slowly.
“Thomas was right.””
I stared at the documents.
“How much money did it receive?””
Daniel checked the transaction record.
“Three hundred and twenty thousand dollars.””
Brianna began crying.
“Mom told me the business had been sold because Dad couldn't afford to keep it.””
Mrs. Collins looked at her.
“Your father had offers from three legitimate buyers. He rejected them because he wanted to keep the studio in the family.””
I thought about the letter.
Let her finish what I started.
My father hadn't simply wanted me to become a designer.
He had wanted me to inherit the business he had spent his life building.
And my mother had apparently sold it to a company she controlled.
Daniel gathered the documents.
“This is enough to request a formal review. But we still need the forensic audit.””
Mrs. Collins nodded.
“Evelyn Price would have the original.””
“Can you contact her?””
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“Not directly.””
I looked at the photograph again.
There was a small logo in the corner.
A blue compass.
I turned it over.
Below Evelyn's name was a handwritten phone number.
“Could this still work?””
Daniel examined it.
“It's worth trying.””
He called.
The number rang several times.
Then a woman answered.
“Hello?””
Daniel introduced himself.
“Ms. Price, my name is Daniel Reed. I'm calling regarding the Walker Design Trust.””
There was silence.
Then the woman said, “I told Thomas I would never get involved again.””
“His daughter has found the original records.””
Another pause.
“Emily?””
I stepped forward.
“Yes?””
The woman's voice softened.
“I was wondering when you'd find me.””
My eyes widened.
“You know who I am?””
“Your father spoke about you constantly. He showed me pictures of your first sketches.””
I swallowed.
“Can you help us?””
“I can. But you need to understand something.””
“What?””
“Your mother wasn't the only person involved in the fraudulent sale.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Who else?””
Evelyn lowered her voice.
“The buyer was real in one sense. It was controlled by someone who already had access to your father's business.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she said:
“Your sister's biological father.””
Brianna stopped crying.
“What?””
I looked at her.
“What did she just say?””
Brianna shook her head violently.
“That's impossible.””
Evelyn continued.
“Thomas knew about the relationship before he died. He asked me to investigate the financial transfers because he suspected the money was being diverted to an outside partner.””
I stared at Brianna.
“Mom and Dad were married when you were born.””
Brianna looked like she couldn't breathe.
“I know.””
Evelyn's voice came through the speaker.
“Your father loved both of you. But he had discovered that Brianna's biological father had been using the company to move money for years.””
Mrs. Collins covered her mouth.
I looked at the photograph.
The woman beside my father.
The audit.
The fake company.
Everything seemed to be connecting.
“Who is he?”” I asked.
Evelyn hesitated.
“His name is Richard Hale.””
Brianna shook her head.
“No. Mom told me Richard was just a family friend.””
Evelyn spoke carefully.
“He was more than that. He was involved in the original partnership negotiations, and he was the person your mother had been communicating with before the sale.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Is he still alive?””
“Yes,” Evelyn answered.
“And where is he?””
“He lives in Atlanta. He currently owns a fashion distribution company.””
Brianna suddenly grabbed the edge of the table.
“Wait.””
We all turned toward her.
She reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone.
“I know that name.””
She opened an old email.
Then she turned the screen toward us.
The sender was Richard Hale.
The subject line read:
*THE PINK GOWN — FINAL ARRANGEMENTS.*
The email had been sent three days before my mother gave Brianna the dress.
I read the message.
Your mother has assured me the original design will be transferred before the showcase. Once the lining is removed, the ownership evidence will disappear. Make sure Emily doesn't interfere.
I felt my hands go numb.
Brianna stared at the screen.
“I didn't know what he meant.””
I looked at her.
“You received this before you claimed the design?””
She nodded, tears falling down her face.
“I thought it was about the gala.””
I read the final sentence.
After the event, bring the garment to my office. I have a buyer waiting.
Daniel took the phone.
“Brianna, do you know where Richard Hale's office is?””
She nodded slowly.
“It's in the building where the gala's after-party is being held.””
Mrs. Collins looked at the clock.
The gala was scheduled for the following evening.
I stared at the pink gown lying across the table.
My mother hadn't given Brianna the dress because she thought she deserved it.
She had given it to her because someone wanted the original design destroyed.
And now we knew who was waiting to receive it.
But there was one detail I couldn't understand.
Why would Richard Hale want my dress so desperately when the company already owned hundreds of my father's designs?
Then Daniel opened the final page of the audit record.
His face changed.
“Emily,” he said quietly.
“What?””
He pointed to a line near the bottom.
It listed the original sale price of my father's most valuable design.
The design was titled:
*THE ROSE LEGACY.*
And the registered creator wasn't Thomas Walker.
It was Emily Rose Walker.
My name.
My birth date.
And a copyright registration dated six months before my father died.
I stared at the page.
“I was fourteen.””
Daniel nodded.
“Your father registered it in your name to protect it.””
Mrs. Collins looked toward the pink gown.
“That's why he wanted you to make that dress.””
I swallowed.
“What do you mean?””
She pointed to the five flowers.
“The Rose Legacy isn't just a design, Emily. It's the pattern that connects every original piece in the Walker collection.””
Brianna stepped backward.
“So the dress…”
“Contains the original ownership mark,” Daniel finished.
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
One message.
If you want to know why your father registered the Rose Legacy in your name, come to the gala tomorrow. Come alone.
A second message arrived immediately.
And bring the pink gown.
I looked at the sender.
The number was unfamiliar.
May you like
But the name displayed beneath the message made my blood run cold.
*Richard Hale.*
