Chapter 7: The Million-Dollar Betrayal
I read the proposed purchase price again.
$1.2 million.
My design.
My mother's original collection.
And Patricia's name beside the words PROPOSED SELLER.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
Then I called Laura.
She answered immediately.
“Olivia?””
“Did you see the attachment from Vantage House?””
“Yes. I'm reviewing it now.””
“Patricia was going to sell my dress?””
“That's what the document appears to suggest.””
“Can she do that?””
“Not if the rights belong to you or the trust. But we need to establish exactly what Vantage House was purchasing and whether any binding agreement exists.””
I looked at the list again.
Twenty-seven designs.
Twenty-seven pieces of work someone had apparently been planning to sell without my knowledge.
“Laura, there's something I don't understand. Why would Vantage House pay that much?””
“Because intellectual property can be valuable, Olivia. Especially when a company believes it can acquire an entire archive with exclusive commercial rights.””
“But Patricia doesn't own it.””
“That's precisely what we're investigating.””
I forwarded the email.
“Please don't let them sell anything.””
“We'll send an immediate preservation demand. And I want you to bring the original trust documents tomorrow.””
I hung up.
Hannah was standing behind me.
“Tell me that's not what I think it is.””
I turned the laptop toward her.
She read the attachment.
Her mouth fell open.
“Your stepmother was planning to sell your work for over a million dollars?””
“Apparently.””
“And Madison thinks she's getting a scholarship for wearing your dress?””
I nodded.
Hannah sat down.
“Olivia, this isn't about one competition anymore.””
I knew.
It was about my mother's entire legacy.
The following morning, I arrived at Vantage House's Chicago office with Laura.
The building was enormous, all glass walls and polished marble. A receptionist escorted us to a conference room on the twentieth floor.
A woman named Victoria Shaw entered a few minutes later.
She was the company's acquisitions director.
“Miss Bennett,” she said, extending her hand.
“I've been hoping we could speak.””
Laura shook her hand first.
“We're here to discuss the documents your company sent my client.””
Victoria sat down.
“Of course.””
She opened a folder.
“Vantage House has been approached by Harrington Creative regarding the acquisition of a private fashion archive. The proposed collection includes several designs associated with Catherine Bennett.””
“My mother,” I said.
Victoria nodded.
“We understand.””
“Who approached you?””
“Mrs. Patricia Harrington.””
I leaned forward.
“What did she tell you?””
Victoria glanced at Laura before answering.
“She represented herself as the authorized administrator of the collection.””
“Did she provide proof?””
“She provided corporate documents, a licensing agreement, and a notarized assignment.””
Laura placed a copy of my mother's trust on the table.
“This agreement explicitly restricts the transfer of the designs.””
Victoria examined it.
“I wasn't aware of this document.””
“Were you aware that the original designer had died before some of the proposed assignments were executed?””
Victoria became still.
“What do you mean?””
Laura explained the dates.
She showed the apparent inconsistencies in the notarization records and the trust's provisions.
Victoria listened without interrupting.
Finally, she closed her folder.
“This is extremely concerning.””
I looked directly at her.
“Did Patricia tell you the Phoenix gown belonged to Madison?””
“Yes. She described Madison as the next generation of the Bennett design legacy.””
I nearly laughed.
“The dress was made by me.””
Victoria looked at my photographs.
Then she compared them with the images submitted by Madison.
“Are these your original construction photographs?””
“Yes.””
“And the design registration?””
“Yes.””
She studied the images for several minutes.
“I see.””
Laura leaned forward.
“Until ownership is resolved, we expect Vantage House to suspend all negotiations and preserve every communication and document relating to Harrington Creative.””
Victoria nodded.
“We will cooperate with a formal investigation.””
I exhaled.
For the first time, someone outside my family had listened to me without calling me jealous.
Before we left, Victoria asked me something unexpected.
“Miss Bennett, if the ownership issue is resolved, would you be interested in presenting your own collection to our creative department?””
I stared at her.
“My own collection?””
“Yes. Your work shows considerable promise.””
I didn't know what to say.
Laura smiled.
“Let's resolve the current dispute first.””
Victoria nodded.
“Of course.””
That afternoon, Madison discovered we'd visited Vantage House.
She called me six times.
I finally answered the seventh.
“What did you do?”” she screamed.
I held the phone away from my ear.
“Hello, Madison.””
“Vantage House called Patricia! They suspended the acquisition!””
“That's unfortunate.””
“You had no right!””
“It's my work.””
“Mom says you're destroying everything!””
I looked at the wall.
“Madison, did you know Patricia was planning to sell the collection?””
Silence.
“Did you?””
She lowered her voice.
“She said it was a business arrangement.””
“Did you know my name was on the original design records?””
“Stop asking me questions!””
“Did you know she planned to sell my dress for $1.2 million?””
Madison began crying.
Not the quiet, embarrassed kind of crying.
The furious kind.
“You always get everything!””
I couldn't believe it.
“Everything?””
“You got Mom's attention. You got Dad's sympathy. You got the stupid workshop. And now you want the competition, too!””
I stared at the phone.
“You had a mother who loved you. You had every opportunity. All I wanted was one chance to build something myself.””
“That's not true!””
“Then why did you steal my dress?””
She hung up.
At 6:00 p.m., Patricia came into my bedroom without knocking.
She carried a thick folder.
“Sit down.””
I continued working on my laptop.
“What do you want?””
She placed the folder on my desk.
“You need to stop involving outsiders in this family.””
I looked at her.
“Then stop stealing from me.””
She opened the folder.
Inside were financial statements, company registrations, and a document with my mother's signature.
“Your mother owed your father money,” Patricia said.
“The business had obligations. Your father took responsibility.””
“Then why was the company transferred to you?””
“Because I managed it.””
“You didn't manage it. You took it.””
Her face reddened.
“You have no idea how much work went into keeping this family afloat.””
I stood.
“And you have no idea how much work went into making that dress.””
She closed the folder.
“Listen carefully. Vantage House is not the only company interested in this archive. There are people who would pay a great deal for those designs.””
“Then why don't you ask the trust?””
“Because the trust is a piece of paper!””
I stared at her.
She had finally dropped the polite act.
“You think your mother's little legal arrangement makes you powerful?”” she continued.
“You think a twenty-one-year-old girl can walk into a boardroom and tell experienced businesspeople what to do?””
I said nothing.
Patricia stepped closer.
“Your father and I built this life. We made the decisions. We carried the responsibilities. You were a child.””
“And now I'm not.””
She grabbed the folder.
“Your mother should never have put you in the middle of this.””
“My mother put me in charge of her legacy.””
Patricia's eyes flashed.
Then she leaned toward me.
“Your mother didn't trust you with the truth, Olivia.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What truth?””
She smiled.
“The reason she created that trust.””
Before I could respond, my father appeared in the doorway.
“Patricia. Stop.””
She turned toward him.
“Richard, she needs to understand.””
He looked at me.
Then he said quietly:
“Your mother knew I was planning to leave her.””
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“And she knew why.””
May you like
Patricia closed her eyes.
For the first time, I wondered whether the story of my parents' marriage had been another lie.
