Chapter 4: The Clause That Could Destroy Everything
“Where is it, Nia?””
Vanessa stood beside the sewing table, her fingers wrapped around the silver key. Her gaze never left the mattress.
Nia kept her phone behind her back.
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
“Don't insult me.”” Vanessa stepped closer.
“You found your mother's box. You read her letter. And now you're speaking to Evelyn Shaw.””
Nia's stomach tightened.
“How do you know that name?””
For one brief second, Vanessa's expression faltered.
Then she laughed.
“Your mother used to talk about her constantly. Evelyn was always interfering, always pretending she knew what was best for everyone.””
“She was my mother's friend.””
“She was a business associate.””
“She was both.””
Vanessa reached for the phone.
Nia pulled away.
“Give it to me.””
“No.””
Vanessa's hand closed around Nia's wrist.
“I have tolerated your little rebellion long enough. You have no idea how much damage you've already caused.””
Nia looked down at the fingers digging into her skin.
“Let go.””
“Not until you tell me what Evelyn said.””
“You could ask her yourself.””
Vanessa released Nia so abruptly that she stumbled backward.
“You think you're clever.””
“No. I think you're scared.””
The words escaped before Nia could stop them.
Silence filled the room.
Vanessa's face changed. The polished stepmother who could smile through school meetings and charm Daniel's business associates disappeared.
In her place stood a woman who had spent years burying something and had just discovered that the grave was empty.
“Listen to me carefully,” Vanessa said.
“Whatever your mother told you, she was sick. She wasn't thinking clearly. Those designs were part of a failed business. They belong in the past.””
“Then why are you so worried about a sketch?””
Vanessa's eyes flicked toward the bed.
Nia saw it.
And suddenly, she understood that Vanessa didn't know for certain where the drawing was.
She was guessing.
Nia forced herself to remain still.
“Get out of my room.””
Vanessa stared at her for several seconds.
Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out another key.
“You're not going to school tomorrow.””
“What?””
“You'll stay here until your father and I decide how to handle this situation.””
“You can't keep me home.””
“Watch me.””
Vanessa walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned back.
“And Nia? If you call Evelyn again, I'll make sure your father knows exactly what you've been doing. Every dollar you've spent on that ridiculous competition.
Every hour you've wasted instead of helping around this house. Everything.””
Nia's fingers tightened around her phone.
“You already told him I was selfish.””
Vanessa smiled without warmth.
“Then you understand how easy it is for people to believe me.””
The door shut.
A key turned in the lock from the outside.
Nia stood motionless until she heard Vanessa's footsteps disappear down the stairs.
Then she hurried to the bed and pulled the sketch from beneath the mattress.
The paper had a crease running through one corner, but the design remained intact.
She photographed it and sent it to Evelyn.
A moment later, her phone rang.
“Are you all right?”” Evelyn asked.
“Vanessa locked me in my room.””
“What?””
“She took the key. She says I'm not going to school tomorrow.””
Evelyn's voice became firm.
“Is your father home?””
“Downstairs.””
“Then call him. Tell him what happened.””
“He'll ask me to calm down. He always does.””
“Then tell him this isn't about an argument between family members. It's about your safety and your legal rights.””
Nia looked at the locked door.
“Evelyn, what is the clause you mentioned?””
A pause followed.
“Your mother placed the original patterns, sketches, and trademarks under a protected trust. When you turn eighteen, you become its sole beneficiary. But there is an additional provision.””
“What provision?””
“If anyone attempts to transfer, reproduce, or claim ownership of the protected designs before your eighteenth birthday, the trustee can freeze all pending licensing agreements and investigate any unauthorized use.””
Nia thought of Brianna's photograph.
“She posted my dress and claimed she designed it.””
“That's why I need you to preserve that post, along with every message and photograph showing your work. Don't alter anything.””
“Can that clause help me?””
“It could. But I need to review the documents before I can promise anything.””
Nia lowered herself into her desk chair.
“How much time do I have?””
“Your eighteenth birthday is in twelve days, according to the records I have. Until then, the trust's protections remain in effect.””
Twelve days.
The fashion competition was six days away.
Nia had spent years imagining the moment she would finally become an adult, free to make her own decisions. She had never imagined that the days before her birthday could be so dangerous.
“Why didn't my father tell me?””
“I can't answer that for him.””
“Did my mother think he would betray her?””
“No,” Evelyn said softly.
“She thought he would become afraid.””
Nia closed her eyes.
That sounded painfully familiar.
“Evelyn, there's something else. When my father saw Brianna wearing the gown, he said he recognized it from my mother's final collection.””
“Yes.””
“But I made it myself. I never saw the original designs.””
“I believe you.””
“Then how is that possible?””
“Your mother had a distinctive visual language. You grew up around her fabrics, her sketches, and the things she made for you. Even if you don't consciously remember them, you may have absorbed more than you realize.””
Nia glanced at the sketch.
“So I accidentally recreated her style?””
“Perhaps. Or perhaps your instincts led you toward the same idea she had been developing. Inspiration can be inherited without anyone knowing exactly how.””
The explanation comforted her, but it didn't answer the question that mattered most.
Why had Vanessa reacted as though the gown itself were dangerous?
Before Nia could ask, the bedroom door rattled.
“Nia?”” Daniel called.
She hurried toward it.
“Dad?””
“Open the door.””
“Vanessa locked it.””
There was a sharp pause.
“She did what?””
Nia heard keys jingling.
A moment later, the lock turned.
Daniel stepped inside, his expression tense.
“Are you hurt?””
“No.””
He looked at her wrist.
“Did she grab you?””
Nia hesitated.
“Yes.””
Daniel's face tightened.
“I'm sorry.””
The words were so unexpected that Nia didn't know what to do with them.
He looked around the room, noticing the scattered fabric, the open wooden box, and the half-finished garment on the table.
“Who were you talking to?””
“Evelyn Shaw.””
His shoulders dropped.
“Oh, Nia.””
“You knew about her.””
“Yes.””
“You knew about the trust.””
Daniel sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yes.””
“And you never told me.””
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
“From what?””
He looked at the floor.
“From everything that happened to your mother.””
Nia felt anger rise in her chest.
“You let Vanessa tell me that my mother's work was worthless. You let her call my designs a waste of time. You watched her take my dress, Dad.””
“I know.””
“You watched her slap me.””
Daniel flinched.
“I should have stopped her.””
“You should have stopped her years ago.””
He didn't argue.
For a moment, Nia saw the shame in his face. It wasn't an excuse, but it was something honest.
“I was afraid,” he admitted.
“Of Vanessa?””
“Of losing another family.””
Nia stared at him.
“You lost Mom. Then you married someone who treats me like I don't belong here, and you thought keeping quiet would save the family?””
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
“I told myself things would improve. I kept thinking that if I gave Vanessa enough time, she would learn to love you.””
“She doesn't have to love me. She just has to stop hurting me.””
He lowered his head.
“You're right.””
The admission left Nia with nothing to say.
Daniel reached into his jacket and removed a folded document.
“I kept this after your mother died. It's a copy of the original trust agreement. I should have given it to you years ago.””
Nia took it.
The paper was worn at the edges. Her mother's signature appeared on the last page, followed by Daniel's and Evelyn's.
Near the bottom, a paragraph had been underlined in blue ink.
*Any attempted unauthorized transfer, reproduction, or public claim of ownership over protected designs shall trigger an immediate review of all related licensing interests.*
Nia read it twice.
“Does this mean Brianna can't claim my dress?””
“It means we need Evelyn to determine how the clause applies.””
“Why did you keep this from me?””
Daniel looked toward the door.
“Because Vanessa told me that if the collection ever resurfaced, it would destroy our marriage.””
Nia stared at him.
“Why?””
He swallowed.
“Because she was involved in the business dispute.””
The room seemed to tilt.
“Dad, what did she do?””
Before he could answer, a woman's voice sounded from the hallway.
“Daniel?””
Vanessa appeared in the doorway.
Her eyes fell on the document in Nia's hands.
The color drained from her face.
Then she looked at Daniel.
“You promised me you would never give her that.””
Daniel stood.
“I made a promise to Elise first.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“You have no idea what you're doing.””
“I know exactly what I'm doing.””
“No, you don't.”” She pointed at Nia.
“That girl has been manipulating you from the moment she learned about the trust.””
Nia rose.
“I didn't even know it existed until tonight.””
“Quiet!””
Daniel stepped between them.
“Don't speak to her like that.””
Vanessa stared at him as if he had slapped her.
For years, Daniel had avoided confrontation. He had allowed Vanessa to control the house, the finances, and the family narrative.
Now, for the first time, he was standing in front of Nia instead of asking her to step aside.
Vanessa's voice dropped.
“If you do this, you lose everything.””
Daniel looked at the document in Nia's hands.
“Then perhaps everything isn't worth keeping.””
Vanessa's mouth opened, but no words came.
She turned and walked away.
Daniel waited until she was gone.
Then he handed Nia his phone.
“Evelyn's number is saved in my contacts. Call her again tomorrow. I'll arrange a meeting with her.””
Nia looked at him cautiously.
“Are you going to tell Vanessa where we're going?””
“No.””
For the first time in years, Nia wanted to believe him.
She nodded.
Daniel reached for the door.
“Dad?””
He turned.
“Did Mom really believe someone would come after the Blue Monarch?””
His expression changed.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Daniel stared at her for a long moment.
Then he whispered, “The person who tried to steal it the first time.””
He left before Nia could ask another question.
A minute later, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent her a photograph.
It showed the unfinished Blue Monarch sketch lying on her sewing table.
The photograph had been taken from inside her bedroom.
Beneath it was a message.
*Stop digging into your mother's past. The last person who tried to protect that collection lost everything.*
Nia's blood ran cold.
May you like
Someone had been in her room.
And whoever it was knew exactly what she had found.
