Chapter 4
I didn't want to believe Vanessa had recognized me.
It was easier to think she was simply cruel.
A wealthy woman who saw an awkward young designer in inexpensive clothing and decided to make her feel small.
That was terrible enough.
But if she knew I was Arthur Carter's granddaughter, everything changed.
I looked at Camille.
"How long has Vanessa been engaged to Victor?"
"About eight months."
I swallowed.
"Has she met him before?"
Camille frowned.
"Arthur?"
I nodded.
"My grandfather."
She looked toward him.
Arthur was standing near the window speaking quietly into his phone.
Camille lowered her voice.
"She's attended several family events."
My stomach tightened.
"Then she must have known about Dad."
Camille hesitated.
"Possibly."
I looked down at my stained portfolio.
The first time Vanessa approached me at the gala, she'd asked my last name.
I told her Carter.
She smiled.
Then asked whether I was related to the foundation's founder.
I said my grandfather was Arthur Carter.
Her expression changed.
At the time, I thought she was impressed.
Now I realized she might have been alarmed.
I remembered her next question.
"Does Arthur know you're here?"
I'd told her no.
She smiled again.
Then she said, "Let's make sure you don't embarrass him."
My stomach dropped.
She'd known.
Arthur ended his call.
He turned toward us.
"Victor says he can't come."
Camille looked surprised.
"Why?"
"He says he's leaving town for business."
Arthur's voice was cold.
I stared at him.
"That's convenient."
He looked at me.
For a moment, I saw something like shame in his eyes.
Then he nodded.
"Yes, it is."
Camille suggested we review the foundation's application records.
Arthur agreed.
I watched them work.
The gala was still happening outside the lounge.
Music played.
Guests laughed.
Cameras flashed.
But everything felt different now.
The building wasn't simply a beautiful place where wealthy people gathered.
It was full of secrets.
And I had somehow walked directly into the middle of them.
Camille returned with the application file.
She showed me the score sheet.
My designs had been ranked second among more than four hundred submissions.
I stared at the numbers.
"Second?"
She smiled gently.
"Yes."
I felt tears rise.
For months, I'd questioned whether my work was good enough.
I submitted the portfolio expecting rejection.
And now I was learning that the judges had actually liked it.
Camille continued.
"Your application was marked for final review."
I nodded.
Then she showed me another document.
An email from Vanessa.
Remove Maya Carter from the finalist presentation. Her presence creates an unacceptable family conflict.
My hands began shaking.
Vanessa had tried to remove me before I ever entered the building.
When that failed, she humiliated me publicly.
Arthur read the email.
His face went cold.
"Who authorized her to influence the committee?"
Camille shook her head.
"Nobody."
He looked toward the door.
"Then we need to understand how she gained access."
I swallowed.
There was another question bothering me.
"Why would Victor care whether I entered a fashion competition?"
Arthur didn't answer immediately.
Then he sat beside me.
"Your father was an exceptionally talented designer."
I stared at him.
"What?"
Arthur smiled sadly.
"Daniel didn't only repair cars."
I shook my head.
Dad had taught me to sew.
He helped me build a dress form from old pillows.
He knew how to cut fabric.
How to repair seams.
How to sketch clean lines.
I always thought those were hobbies he'd learned from my mother.
Arthur continued.
"He studied fashion design in New York."
My heart pounded.
"He did?"
"He was brilliant."
I felt tears rising.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
Arthur looked away.
"Perhaps because it reminded him of what he lost."
I thought about Dad's old sewing machine.
The one he kept beneath a cloth in our apartment.
He rarely used it for himself.
But whenever I needed help with a project, he knew exactly what to do.
Arthur continued.
"Daniel designed an eveningwear collection when he was twenty-five."
I leaned forward.
"What happened to it?"
Arthur looked at me.
"That's part of what I need to find out."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
He swallowed.
"Because the collection disappeared around the same time as the money."
I stared at him.
Then I thought about my blue gown.
The silver branches.
The flowing train.
The unusual neckline I'd spent weeks perfecting.
I had drawn it after finding one of Dad's old sketches in a wooden box.
I thought I'd been inspired by a childhood memory.
Now I wondered whether my design resembled something important.
Arthur reached for the ruined blue-gown drawing.
He studied it again.
Then looked at Camille.
"Do you remember the Midnight Garden collection?"
Camille frowned.
"That was before I joined the company."
Arthur nodded.
"Daniel's collection."
I felt cold.
"Midnight Garden?"
Dad used to call my blue dress that.
I remembered him whispering the name while helping me choose fabric.
He said blue reminded him of the sky after a storm.
I looked at Arthur.
"That was my father's idea."
He nodded slowly.
"Yes."
I felt my throat close.
Arthur turned the sketch over.
On the back, I'd written a dedication.
For Dad, who taught me that beauty can survive anything.
His eyes filled.
Then he whispered, "Maya, your father may have left you more than memories."
Before I could ask what he meant, Camille's phone rang.
She listened for several seconds.
Then looked directly at Arthur.
"The archival department found the old collection records."
My heartbeat quickened.
Camille continued.
"Daniel's original designs were registered under the company."
Arthur frowned.
"That isn't possible."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
He looked devastated.
"Because your father never agreed to give them away."
Then Camille said something that made my entire body go cold.
"The company records list Victor Carter as the designer."
May you like
I looked at my ruined blue gown.
And suddenly, I wondered whether someone had stolen my father's work long before Vanessa tried to destroy mine.
