Chapter 6: The Account That Shouldn't Exist
My father held the financial statement as though it might burn his fingers.
“Eleven months,” he whispered.
“You've been moving money for eleven months?””
Vanessa stood beside the door, her face pale beneath the reception room's warm lights.
“I can explain every transaction.””
“Then start with this one.””
Daniel pointed to the most recent transfer.
It had been made three days earlier, for an amount large enough to make Margaret's eyebrows rise.
Vanessa folded her arms.
“It was an investment.””
“In what?””
“A private opportunity.””
“With whose money?””
“Our money.””
“No,” Daniel said.
“That is company money.””
She gave him an incredulous look.
“You've always trusted me to manage the finances.””
“I trusted you to manage legitimate expenses. I didn't authorize payments to Richard Hale.””
Vanessa glanced at Margaret.
“This is a confidential financial matter. You have no right to examine it.””
Margaret remained calm.
“The statement fell from your handbag during an investigation involving a document that appears to contain a forged signature. We will preserve it and turn it over to the appropriate authorities.””
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
“You're enjoying this, aren't you?””
“No,” Margaret replied.
“I'm doing my job.””
I stood beside my father, looking at the transactions.
Something about the dates bothered me.
The first payment had been made eleven months ago, shortly after Vanessa began complaining that my father was spending too much money on the business.
The second had appeared during the week Brianna bought a new luxury car.
The third had been made on the same day Vanessa told me that my restoration work was a waste of time.
I pointed to the earliest entry.
“Dad, what happened eleven months ago?””
He studied the date.
“That was when the company refinanced the old warehouse.””
“Was that the money you used to expand the business?””
“Yes.””
Vanessa shook her head impatiently.
“This is completely irrelevant.””
I turned toward her.
“Then why was money from the refinancing transferred to Richard Hale?””
She looked at me with open hostility.
“Because you have no understanding of how businesses operate.””
“Then explain it to me.””
“I'm not going to discuss corporate finances with you.””
“Why not? You're the one who keeps telling everyone that we're family.””
For a moment, Vanessa seemed unable to respond.
Then she turned toward Daniel.
“You are allowing her to humiliate me in front of strangers.””
Daniel looked exhausted.
“You humiliated yourself when you put a forged document in front of me.””
“You don't know that it was forged!””
“I know I didn't sign it.””
He placed the document on the table.
“And I know I never authorized these payments.””
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“You signed plenty of documents without reading every page.””
“Not one involving a private acquisition of a couture archive.””
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Margaret glanced at the security officer.
“Please make sure these documents are preserved exactly as they are. We don't want anything misplaced.””
The officer nodded.
Brianna sat silently on the sofa, her hands clasped between her knees.
Her anger had disappeared. Without the audience she had once used to make herself feel powerful, she looked younger than twenty-four.
I approached her.
“Did you know about the transfers?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Did your mother ever mention the archive?””
“Only this week.””
“What did she say?””
Brianna looked at Vanessa, who immediately snapped, “Don't answer that.””
Brianna flinched.
I waited.
Finally, she whispered, “She said the dress was part of a deal that would fix everything.””
“What does that mean?””
“She said Dad's company was in trouble. She said Richard could help us if we helped him get something valuable.””
My father sat down.
“Brianna, the company isn't in trouble.””
She looked at him with confusion.
“But Mum said—”
“I've been working on a new development project for almost a year. We're doing well.””
Vanessa looked away.
The silence that followed felt worse than shouting.
I suddenly understood that the stolen gown might have been only one piece of a larger deception. Vanessa had spent months telling each of us a different story, shaping our fears and ambitions until we were all moving in separate directions.
She had told me I was insignificant.
She had told Brianna she deserved everything she wanted.
She had told my father his business was failing.
And she had apparently told Richard Hale that she could obtain a valuable piece of couture history.
But why?
Margaret's phone rang.
She stepped into the corridor to answer it, returning a minute later with a grave expression.
“The foundation's legal counsel has confirmed that the transfer agreement contains several irregularities. They are arranging for an independent examination of the signatures.””
Daniel rubbed his face.
“What happens now?””
“We preserve the evidence, cooperate with the investigation, and avoid making assumptions until the facts are established.””
Vanessa laughed sharply.
“Wonderful. So I'm guilty until proven innocent.””
“No,” Margaret replied.
“You're being asked to explain a document bearing your signature and a transaction you appear to know about.””
“I've explained enough.””
“Then you can explain the rest to your attorney.””
Vanessa picked up her handbag.
“I am leaving.””
The security officer stepped aside but remained close enough to accompany her.
Before she reached the door, Daniel spoke.
“Vanessa.””
She stopped.
“Where is the original transfer agreement?””
Her shoulders stiffened.
“I don't know.””
“Where is it?””
“I told you. I don't know.””
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he asked, “Did you use my signature?””
Vanessa slowly turned around.
For several seconds, she looked like the woman I had known for thirteen years: immaculate, composed, and certain that she could make anyone feel guilty for asking a difficult question.
Then the expression cracked.
“I did what I had to do.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“What does that mean?””
“It means you never listen! You spend every day worrying about your precious company, your projects, your employees. You never ask what happens to the people who keep your life running!””
“I gave you access to our finances.””
“You gave me a list of restrictions!””
“Because it was company money!””
“And I was trying to protect our family!””
She pointed toward me.
“Do you think Nia understands anything about sacrifice? She's spent years sitting in that room making clothes while I kept this household together!””
I looked at her.
“You didn't keep it together. You made everyone afraid to disagree with you.””
Her eyes flashed.
“You ungrateful little—”
“Finish that sentence,” Daniel said quietly.
Vanessa stopped.
He stood.
“You have spent years telling me that Nia is the problem. Every time she came to me for help, you said she was difficult. Every time Brianna took something that belonged to her, you said it was a misunderstanding. And every time I questioned you, you told me I was failing my family.””
His voice broke.
“I believed you.””
For the first time, Vanessa looked genuinely uncertain.
“Daniel…”
“No. I need to finish.””
He took a slow breath.
“I don't know yet what you've done with the money. I don't know whether you forged that document. But I know I let you convince me that protecting my marriage meant abandoning my daughter.””
He looked at me.
“I'm sorry, Nia.””
I felt the words settle into the space between us.
This time, he wasn't apologizing because strangers were watching.
He was looking at me as though he finally understood that my silence had cost me something.
I nodded, but I didn't rush to comfort him.
“I need time,” I said.
“You deserve it.””
Vanessa watched us, her expression turning cold.
“You'll regret choosing her.””
Daniel didn't answer.
Instead, he asked the security officer to accompany Vanessa while she contacted her attorney.
She left without another word.
Brianna remained on the sofa.
After several minutes, she spoke.
“Is Mum going to prison?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Margaret finally said, “That isn't something we can predict. The authorities will investigate the evidence and determine whether any laws were broken.””
Brianna began crying again.
I sat across from her.
“What did you mean when you said your mother was going to fix everything?””
She wiped her face.
“She said Richard had money. She said he could pay off a debt that was threatening our family.””
“What debt?””
“I don't know.””
“Brianna, you need to tell the truth.””
“I am telling the truth!””
Her voice cracked.
“Mum told me that if I wore the gown to the gala, Richard would see how valuable it was. She said it would make the transaction easier because everyone would assume I had some connection to the designer.””
Elise, who had been listening quietly near the desk, stepped forward.
“That makes no sense. A photograph of the gown wouldn't establish ownership.””
“I know that now!””
“Did Richard contact you directly?””
Brianna hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“He sent me a message.””
Margaret held out her hand.
“May we see it?””
Brianna took her phone from her handbag and opened a conversation.
The first message was from an unknown number.
Your mother says you have access to the Beaumont gown.
The next read:
Make sure the silver tag stays inside the hem. It proves the piece is authentic.
Then:
Once the dress is photographed at the gala, everything will be easier.
I leaned over Brianna's shoulder.
My skin went cold.
The message had been sent on Thursday afternoon, before I discovered the paint damage.
Brianna scrolled farther.
The next message had arrived Friday morning.
If Nia refuses to cooperate, don't let her stop you.
I looked at her.
“You knew he wanted the tag.””
“I thought he wanted proof that the dress was real.””
“And you tore the lining tonight.””
“I didn't know it was important! I only pulled it because everyone was staring at me.””
Margaret took a photograph of the messages for the investigation.
“Please don't delete anything or respond to that number.””
Brianna nodded.
Then she looked at me.
“I know you don't believe me, but I never wanted to steal a dress for Richard.””
“You wanted to hurt me.””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
“And you still did it.””
“Yes.””
I stood.
“I can't make that disappear for you.””
She nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I know.””
It was the first honest thing she had said all evening.
While Margaret continued documenting the evidence, I stepped into the corridor to call my friend Maya, who had offered to collect me if the gala became uncomfortable.
She answered immediately.
“Nia? Are you okay?””
“I'm safe. But I think I've stumbled into something much bigger than a family argument.””
“Do you need me to come?””
“No. I just needed to hear a familiar voice.””
Maya was quiet for a moment.
“Remember what you told me after the scholarship ceremony? You said you were tired of being the person who fixed everything while everyone else broke it.””
I leaned against the wall.
“I remember.””
“Maybe this is the first time you don't have to fix it.””
I closed my eyes.
For years, I had believed that if I could repair every damaged thing in my life, eventually the people around me would stop breaking them.
The gown had taught me something different.
Some things could be restored.
Some things needed to be replaced.
And some things needed to be documented honestly before anyone could decide what came next.
When I returned to the reception room, Margaret was speaking to Elise beside the window.
My father stood near the table, staring at the financial statements.
Brianna had gone quiet.
I approached Margaret.
“Has Richard Hale been contacted?””
“His attorney has been informed that the foundation disputes the transfer agreement. We haven't made any accusations beyond the facts currently supported by the documents.””
“Will he come here?””
“Possibly, but he has not confirmed anything.””
My father looked up.
“If Richard is involved, he'll try to get ahead of the story. He always does.””
Elise folded her arms.
“Then we should be prepared for that possibility.””
Margaret's phone vibrated.
She glanced at the screen.
Then she looked at Daniel.
“Mr. Carter, I believe you should read this.””
She handed him the phone.
A message had arrived from an attorney representing Richard Hale.
It contained a single attachment: a scanned copy of the alleged transfer agreement.
Daniel studied the first page.
Then the second.
By the time he reached the final page, his face had gone gray.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He handed me the phone.
The document claimed that Daniel and Vanessa had agreed to transfer ownership of the Beaumont archive gown to Richard Hale in exchange for the settlement of a private debt.
But the signature wasn't the most disturbing part.
At the bottom of the final page was a handwritten clause, dated eleven months earlier.
It stated that the gown was being transferred as part of a broader agreement involving a family trust established by my late mother.
I read the line again.
Then I looked at my father.
“My mother's trust?””
He nodded slowly.
“I thought it had been closed.””
“Why would Richard have a document involving it?””
Daniel stared at the page.
“I don't know.””
Elise took the phone and examined the clause.
“There's a reference number here.””
Margaret leaned closer.
The number was unfamiliar to me, but my father recognized it instantly.
He gripped the edge of the table.
“That isn't a trust account number.””
“Then what is it?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
“It's the reference number for the original estate file.””
My mother's estate.
The file that Vanessa had insisted was settled years ago.
The file that contained the documents relating to my mother's designs, her personal property, and the small inheritance she had left me.
I felt suddenly cold.
“Dad, what did Mum leave me?””
He opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
The screen displayed a name he hadn't seen in three years.
*RICHARD HALE.*
My father stared at it.
Then he answered and switched on the speaker.
Richard's voice filled the room.
“Daniel, I hear your wife has made a mess of things.””
My father gripped the phone.
“What have you done with Catherine's estate?””
A pause followed.
Then Richard gave a quiet laugh.
“Nothing that wasn't agreed upon.””
I stepped closer to the phone.
“Agreed upon by whom?””
Silence.
Then Richard spoke again.
“Ah. Nia Carter.””
His voice changed when he said my name.
“You have no idea what your mother left behind, do you?””
I felt my pulse hammering in my throat.
“What did she leave?””
Richard took a slow breath.
“Ask your stepmother why she made you sign those papers when you were eighteen.””
My father went completely still.
I stared at him.
“What papers?””
He looked at me with a horror I had never seen on his face before.
Then Richard delivered the final blow.
“The ones that transferred your mother's entire design archive out of your name.””
The call disconnected.
May you like
And for the first time that night, the stolen gown no longer seemed like the center of the story.
It seemed like the first piece of evidence in a theft that had begun years before I ever touched the silver embroidery.
