Chapter 8: The Engagement Nobody Was Supposed to See
I called Brianna from Margaret's apartment.
She answered almost immediately.
“Thank God.””
“Explain the photograph.””
I could hear traffic in the background.
Then a car door slammed.
“Adrian told me he was going to marry Mom.””
I closed my eyes.
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
I sat down.
“Three weeks?””
“Yes.””
“And you knew?””
“I found out tonight.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Brianna, what exactly is happening?””
She began crying.
“I thought he loved me.””
I didn't answer.
“He told me I was the woman he wanted to build a future with. He said my social media career was just the beginning. He promised to introduce me to investors and help me launch my fashion company.””
“Did he tell you about the engagement?””
“No. I found the ring receipt on his laptop.””
I looked at Margaret.
She was listening silently.
“Why is he marrying Mom?”” I asked.
Brianna sniffed.
“Because of the foundation.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“Adrian told me Mom still has legal connections to the original Bellamy company. He said if she married him, they could combine their interests and rebuild the business.””
My stomach tightened.
“Does he know about the archive?””
“Yes.””
“Does he know you don't own it?””
Brianna was quiet.
Then she whispered, “I think he knew before I did.””
I leaned forward.
“Brianna, listen to me. Did you sign anything?””
“Yes.””
“What?””
“The company registration. A partnership agreement. Some documents for the gala.””
“Did you read them?””
She didn't answer.
I closed my eyes.
“What did you sign?””
“I don't know.””
I felt anger rising.
“You signed legal documents without reading them?””
“He said they were routine.””
“Brianna!””
“I know!””
Her voice broke.
“I know I messed up, okay?””
I took a breath.
“Where are you?””
“Outside Adrian's apartment.””
“Go somewhere safe.””
“I can't. My phone and wallet are inside.””
“Then call someone you trust.””
She was quiet.
Then she asked, “Can I come to you?””
I looked at Margaret.
She nodded.
“Come to the foundation office. I'll meet you there.””
Before ending the call, Brianna said something that made me pause.
“Nia?””
“Yes?””
“There's something else.””
“What?””
“Adrian has been recording Mom.””
I went still.
“What do you mean?””
“I saw a folder on his laptop. It contained voice recordings and videos.””
“Of what?””
“Mom talking about Grandma. About the original designs. About the money.””
I looked at Margaret.
Her expression sharpened.
“Did you hear any of them?””
Brianna lowered her voice.
“One.””
“What did it say?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Mom said she was the one who changed Grandma's final will.””
At 4:05 a.m., Brianna arrived at the foundation office.
She looked exhausted.
Her makeup had run down her cheeks, and she was carrying a small overnight bag.
She stood in the doorway.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at the large photograph of our grandmother on the wall.
“I didn't know she was this important.””
I crossed my arms.
“She's our grandmother.””
“I know.””
“No, Brianna. You knew she was the woman who gave us gifts on birthdays. You knew she had an old sewing machine. You knew she used to make clothes.””
I paused.
“But you never cared enough to ask what she actually created.””
Brianna looked down.
“I was young.””
“So was I.””
She didn't argue.
Margaret invited her to sit.
Daniel arrived fifteen minutes later.
He placed a recording device on the table.
“We need to be careful,” he said.
“If there are recordings, we need to know how they were obtained and whether they can be authenticated.””
Brianna nodded.
“I can get them.””
“How?””
“Adrian gave me access to his shared company account.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Do you still have access?””
“I think so.””
“Can you retrieve the files without altering or deleting anything?””
She nodded.
Daniel explained that she should preserve the original files and avoid sharing them publicly.
Then Brianna opened her laptop.
Her hands shook as she logged in.
A folder appeared.
*EV CARTER — LEGACY FILES.*
There were forty-two audio recordings.
Eleven videos.
And several scanned documents.
Margaret leaned closer.
“That's Evelyn Carter's archive.””
Brianna opened the first audio file.
A man's voice came through.
“Denise, we need the original ownership declaration.””
My mother's voice answered.
“I told you, it's in the blue folder.””
“The one Evelyn signed?””
“Yes.””
“Then why hasn't it been transferred?””
“Because Nia has the archive now.””
The man's voice became colder.
“Then we need to get her to sign.””
My mother laughed.
“She'll never sign voluntarily.””
“Then what?””
“Brianna.””
There was a pause.
“What about her?””
“She's the easiest way to get access.””
Brianna's face went white.
I stared at her.
The recording continued.
“She trusts me,” my mother said.
“If I tell her the dress is for a business opportunity, she'll take it to Adrian herself.””
A man's voice responded.
“And the granddaughter?””
“Nia?””
“Yes.””
My mother laughed.
“She won't matter once the transfer is complete.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Brianna covered her mouth.
I stared at the laptop.
My mother hadn't simply allowed my sister to take the dress.
She had deliberately used her.
And she had expected me to surrender the archive without understanding what I was signing.
Daniel opened another file.
This one was a video.
My mother appeared on screen, sitting in Adrian's office.
She was holding a document.
Adrian sat opposite her.
“Are you certain Evelyn signed this?”” he asked.
My mother nodded.
“Of course.””
“Because the signature doesn't match the copy we have.””
“It's an old document.””
Adrian leaned forward.
“Denise, I need you to understand something. If this is challenged, we could lose everything.””
My mother placed the paper on the table.
“Then make sure it isn't challenged.””
“And if Nia finds out?””
Denise smiled.
“She won't.””
The video ended.
Brianna looked at me.
“I swear I didn't know.””
I stared at her.
“Why should I believe you?””
She began crying again.
“Because he was doing the same thing to me.””
I didn't answer.
She wiped her face.
“He told me I was going to be the face of the new company. He said I would own the collection. He said the dress was mine.””
“And you believed him.””
“Yes.””
“Even though you knew I made it?””
Her eyes dropped.
“I thought we could work something out.””
I shook my head.
“You thought you could take it first and apologize later.””
She didn't deny it.
Margaret closed the laptop.
“We have enough to establish that Adrian and Denise were coordinating the transfer. But we need the original document from the dress.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because the ownership declaration may contain a clause that invalidates the entire agreement.””
Daniel nodded.
“Without it, we can challenge the forged documents, but the process could become complicated.””
I looked at Brianna.
“Where is the original envelope?””
She swallowed.
“Adrian has it.””
“Where?””
“In the safe at his apartment.””
Daniel shook his head.
“We cannot simply enter his property.””
Brianna opened another folder.
“There are copies of the safe access records here.””
Daniel studied the screen.
Then he looked at her.
“Why do you have these?””
“Because Adrian asked me to help organize the company files.””
She scrolled.
A document appeared.
*PRIVATE VAULT INVENTORY — COLE RESIDENCE.*
The last item listed was:
*EVELYN CARTER — ORIGINAL DECLARATION AND SEALED LETTER.*
I stared.
My grandmother's original letter was still intact.
And Adrian had it.
Margaret checked the time.
“It's nearly six. We need to contact the gala organizers.””
Daniel stood.
“I'll prepare an emergency injunction request.””
I looked at the screen.
“Can we get the dress back before tonight?””
“Not without cooperation or a court order,” he said.
I nodded.
Then Brianna spoke.
“There's another way.””
Everyone turned toward her.
She hesitated.
“Adrian has an assistant named Victor. He handles the gala preparations. Victor knows what happened to the original document.””
Daniel frowned.
“Can you contact him?””
“I can try.””
She took out her phone.
She sent a message.
Several minutes passed.
Then the phone vibrated.
A reply appeared.
I know where the document is. But you need to see what Adrian plans to do with it.
Brianna looked at me.
“What should I tell him?””
I stared at the message.
“Ask him to meet us.””
At 7:30 a.m., we met Victor in a parking garage beneath a hotel in Manhattan.
He was in his early thirties, wore a dark jacket, and kept looking over his shoulder.
When he saw Brianna, he immediately approached.
“Did you bring anyone?””
She pointed toward me and Daniel.
Victor sighed.
“Fine.””
He handed Daniel a small flash drive.
“Everything is on there.””
Daniel took it.
“What exactly?””
“Copies of the transfer documents. Payment records. And the instructions Adrian gave Denise.””
I looked at him.
“What instructions?””
Victor hesitated.
Then he said, “Adrian isn't planning to marry your mother.””
Brianna's face tightened.
“We know about the engagement.””
Victor shook his head.
“No. You don't understand.””
He looked directly at me.
“Adrian plans to marry Denise publicly tonight, then announce that she has transferred her remaining rights to him.””
Margaret frowned.
“Why would Denise agree?””
“Because she thinks she's getting a controlling interest in the company.””
“And she's not?””
Victor looked down.
“No.””
He opened his phone and showed us a photograph of another contract.
It was a private agreement between Adrian and an offshore investment company.
The document stated that Denise would receive a fixed payment after the transfer.
Afterward, her shares would be canceled.
Brianna stared.
“He's using her.””
Victor nodded.
“He's using everyone.””
I looked at the document.
“What happens to the archive?””
Victor swallowed.
“Adrian plans to sell it to a private collector overseas.””
Daniel's expression hardened.
“Who?””
Victor showed us the buyer's name.
Thomas Vale.
I recognized it immediately.
The same man from my grandmother's ledger.
The man who had helped my mother sell the original designs forty years ago.
He was still involved.
I felt a chill move through me.
“How much?””
Victor answered.
“Twenty million dollars.””
The number hung in the air.
My grandmother's entire life's work.
Twenty million dollars.
And my mother was prepared to trade it away for a promise of a business partnership that would never exist.
I looked at Brianna.
“Why are you helping us?””
She stared at the ground.
“Because I finally understand what I've done.””
I didn't respond.
She continued.
“I spent my entire life thinking you were the problem. Mom always told me you were jealous of me. That you couldn't stand seeing me succeed.””
She looked up.
“But Adrian told me something last night.””
“What?””
“He said the only reason he chose me was because I was easy to control.””
My jaw tightened.
Brianna wiped her eyes.
“He said I was pretty enough to sell the brand but not smart enough to own it.””
For a moment, I felt sorry for her.
Then I remembered the gown.
The red wine.
The photographs.
The years of humiliation.
“Being manipulated doesn't erase what you did to me,” I said.
“I know.””
“I'm not ready to forgive you.””
“I understand.””
She handed me her phone.
“But I can help you stop them.””
I looked at the screen.
It showed a photograph of my mother sitting beside Adrian at a private dinner.
Below it was a message.
Tonight, after the ceremony, Denise signs the final agreement. Once the archive is transferred, we leave the country.
I looked up.
“Leave the country?””
Victor nodded.
“Adrian has already booked private transportation.””
Daniel took the phone.
“We need to move immediately.””
Margaret looked at me.
“Nia, there's one more problem.””
“What?””
She showed me a notification from the gala organizers.
The event's program had just been updated.
At seven that evening, Adrian would introduce the new company.
At seven fifteen, Brianna would present the midnight-blue gown.
At seven thirty, Denise Carter would sign the ownership agreement.
And at eight, Thomas Vale would appear as the new international licensing partner.
I stared at the schedule.
They were planning to complete the entire theft in front of hundreds of people.
Margaret looked at me.
“We need to stop the ceremony.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Daniel frowned.
“What do you mean?””
I looked at the photograph of my grandmother's gown.
“Let them hold the ceremony.””
“Nia,” Margaret warned.
I took a breath.
“I want everyone there to hear the truth.””
I looked at Brianna.
“Especially the people who have been congratulating her.””
Then I turned toward Daniel.
“I want the legal team ready. I want every document authenticated. And I want the original gown on that stage.””
Margaret studied me.
“Are you sure?””
I nodded.
“For three months, my family has been telling me that I'm not important enough to stand beside my own work.””
I looked at the gala schedule again.
“Tonight, I'm going to stand beside it.””
But before we could leave, Victor received another message.
He read it.
Then his face went pale.
“What's wrong?”” Brianna asked.
Victor slowly turned his phone toward us.
The message came from Adrian.
The dress has been destroyed. Make sure Nia doesn't find out until after the ceremony.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“What?””
Victor swallowed.
“Adrian ordered the gown to be cut apart this morning.””
I stared at him.
My grandmother's design.
My three months of work.
The only physical evidence of the hidden document.
I couldn't speak.
Then Brianna whispered something.
“He didn't destroy it.””
We all turned toward her.
She looked at Victor.
“Tell them.””
Victor hesitated.
Then he opened another photograph.
It showed the midnight-blue gown hanging inside a sealed garment case.
The dress was intact.
But someone had removed the red embroidered flowers.
And beneath the empty spaces were several rows of fresh stitching.
Brianna zoomed in.
My grandmother's original initials were visible.
E.C.
I stared at the photograph.
Adrian hadn't destroyed the gown.
He had altered it.
He was trying to remove my embroidery and restore the original design so he could claim it as Evelyn Carter's historic masterpiece.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Victor enlarged the lower lining.
There was a small white label attached to the fabric.
It read:
*ORIGINAL ARCHIVE SAMPLE — PROPERTY OF COLE INTERNATIONAL.*
I looked at Daniel.
“They've already prepared a new ownership label.””
He nodded.
“Then we need the original declaration before tonight.””
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
“Miss Carter, my name is Thomas Vale.””
I went completely still.
He continued.
“I believe your grandmother and I have unfinished business.””
“What do you want?””
“To offer you something.””
“What?””
“Twenty-five million dollars.””
I stared at Margaret.
Thomas continued.
“Walk away from the gala, and I will make sure your family is taken care of.””
I swallowed.
“And if I refuse?””
His voice became cold.
“Then you may discover that your grandmother wasn't the innocent woman you've been led to believe.””
The call ended.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Margaret looked at me.
“What did he say?””
I told her.
She went pale.
Then she opened the ledger and turned to the final page.
There was a handwritten note beneath the last transaction.
A note nobody had noticed before.
Margaret read it aloud.
Thomas Vale was not the first person to betray me.
She turned the page.
And there, in my grandmother's handwriting, was one final sentence.
The first betrayal came from the person I trusted to protect my daughter.
Margaret looked at me.
Then she whispered:
“Evelyn was talking about Robert.””
My father.
The man who had delivered the stolen sketches.
The man who had witnessed the forged transfer.
The man who had just confessed to helping my mother.
But according to my grandmother, he had been involved long before that.
And I suddenly understood why Thomas Vale had called me.
May you like
He wasn't trying to buy my silence.
He was trying to make sure I never discovered what my father had done twenty years earlier.
