Chapter 5: The Woman Who Knew Everything
The police arrived at my studio before I did.
Two officers stood outside the building, speaking to the owner of the laundromat.
A yellow evidence marker had been placed beside the broken window.
My heart pounded as I climbed the narrow staircase.
The studio door was open.
Inside, everything looked wrong.
Fabric rolls had been pulled from their shelves.
Drawers were scattered across the floor.
My sketchbooks lay open, their pages torn.
The mannequin that had once held my pink gown prototype was lying on its side.
But the worst sight was my worktable.
The little wooden table where I had created the design that changed my life was covered in muddy footprints.
One of the officers approached.
“Are you Simone Brooks?””
“Yes.””
“I'm Detective Harris. We need you to walk us through what happened.””
I nodded.
He showed me the note.
It had been written in black marker on a sheet of white paper.
*YOU WERE WARNED. LEAVE THE COLES ALONE.*
I stared at it.
“Did they take anything else?””
“We're still checking.””
I walked toward the sewing station.
My grandmother's old measuring tape was lying on the floor.
I picked it up.
It was worn, with faded numbers and a small tear near the end.
She had given it to me when I opened my studio.
I held it tightly.
“They knew what they were looking for,” I whispered.
Detective Harris looked at me.
“Why do you say that?””
“They didn't take the expensive equipment. They took the computer containing my original design files.””
“Do you have backups?””
“Yes. Some are stored remotely. Others are on an external drive.””
“Where's the external drive?””
I looked toward the empty drawer.
“It was here.””
He wrote something down.
“Did you recently have a dispute with anyone?””
I almost laughed.
“Does a fashion award count?””
He looked up.
I explained everything.
The stolen design.
The competition.
Vanessa.
The documents from my grandmother's trunk.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he nodded.
“We'll need copies of everything. And I suggest you avoid direct contact with anyone involved until we've established what happened here.””
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman's voice whispered.
“Simone Brooks?””
“Yes. Who is this?””
“My name is Claire Donovan.””
I froze.
The woman from the statement.
“Claire?””
“I'm sorry to call you like this. I saw the news last night.””
My heart began racing.
“Do you know Vanessa Cole?””
A bitter laugh came through the phone.
“I worked for her father for twenty-three years.””
I looked toward Detective Harris.
“Why are you calling me?””
“Because I know what happened to your grandmother.””
My grip tightened.
“Then tell me.””
“Not over the phone.””
“Where can we meet?””
“Tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. The old Magnolia Hotel.””
I hesitated.
“Why should I trust you?””
“You shouldn't.””
Her answer surprised me.
“But I can give you something that might help.””
“What?””
“The original production ledger.””
I stopped breathing.
“What ledger?””
“The one Richard Cole kept hidden after he took Evelyn's collection.””
My mind raced.
“Why would you have it?””
“Because I was the person who helped him organize the original files.””
“Did you know he stole them?””
Silence.
Then Claire spoke.
“I knew something was wrong. I was twenty-four years old, and I needed the job. I told myself it wasn't my business.””
Her voice cracked.
“I have spent thirty-seven years regretting that decision.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why now?””
“Because Vanessa is making the same mistake her father made.””
I looked at the broken window.
“Someone broke into my studio.””
Claire went silent.
Then she whispered:
“Then you need to be careful. Richard never tolerated people who threatened his business.””
“Richard is retired.””
“His lawyers aren't.””
She ended the call.
I stood motionless.
Detective Harris approached.
“Everything okay?””
“No.””
I told him about Claire.
He immediately wrote down her name and the meeting location.
“You're not going alone.””
“I wasn't planning to.””
That afternoon, Theodore called.
He had arranged an emergency meeting with the awards committee.
The committee wanted to hear from both sides.
I agreed.
At six, I arrived at the headquarters of the American Crown Fashion Awards.
Vanessa was already there.
She wore a white designer suit, diamond earrings, and an expression of complete confidence.
Her attorney sat beside her.
Across the table, Olivia arranged the documents.
Theodore stood near the window.
Vanessa looked at me.
“Nice of you to join us.””
I took my seat.
“I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you would be too busy designing your next stolen collection.””
Her attorney immediately interrupted.
“Miss Brooks, I advise you to refrain from making defamatory statements.””
I smiled.
“Then perhaps your client should refrain from wearing my work.””
Theodore raised a hand.
“Let's proceed.””
The committee chair, Margaret Ellis, opened the meeting.
“Miss Cole, your company submitted a formal request to uphold the plagiarism ruling against Miss Brooks. Would you like to explain your position?””
Vanessa folded her hands.
“Certainly. Cole Atelier acquired the design rights through a private arrangement. Simone was given access to certain reference materials during an informal consultation.””
I stared at her.
“That's not true.””
She continued.
“Unfortunately, she has confused access to professional resources with ownership.””
I leaned forward.
“Show the contract.””
Her attorney smiled.
“We have documentation supporting the transfer.””
He handed a folder to Margaret.
I watched the chair examine it.
Then I noticed something.
The document was dated March 10.
Six days before Vanessa visited my studio.
I looked at the signature.
It was supposed to be mine.
But the letter S was wrong.
I signed my name with a small loop beneath the first letter.
This signature had none.
I pointed.
“That's a forgery.””
Vanessa sighed dramatically.
“Here we go again.””
Margaret looked at me.
“Miss Brooks, please allow us to examine the document.””
I sat back.
Olivia leaned toward me.
“Don't worry,” she whispered.
“We have the original registration records.””
Margaret turned toward Vanessa.
“Can you provide the original agreement?””
Her attorney nodded.
“Of course.””
“Who witnessed the signing?””
“An authorized company representative.””
“Who?””
“That's confidential.””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Not in a formal ownership investigation.””
The attorney paused.
Then he said:
“Richard Cole.””
The room went quiet.
Theodore turned around.
“Richard himself witnessed the transfer?””
“Yes.””
“Then we will need his testimony.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
“My father is not well enough to attend.””
“Then he can provide a sworn statement.””
“He has already provided one.””
Margaret looked through the folder.
“Where?””
The attorney turned to another page.
I watched him hesitate.
It was brief.
But enough.
Margaret lifted the document.
“Mr. Cole's statement says he never met Simone Brooks.””
I frowned.
Vanessa looked at her attorney.
“What?””
Margaret continued.
“He states that he has never had any personal dealings with Miss Brooks and has never discussed the pink gown with her.””
I slowly turned toward Vanessa.
“Your father has never met me?””
She didn't answer.
I smiled.
“That's interesting.””
I opened my handbag.
Then I removed a photograph.
It was the picture I had found in my grandmother's trunk.
Richard Cole stood beside Evelyn Brooks at the 1987 exhibition.
On the back was his handwritten message.
I placed it on the table.
“Because I have a photograph of your father standing beside my grandmother.””
Vanessa stared at it.
Her attorney picked it up.
I continued.
“And I have a second photograph of him visiting my grandmother's house. The date is written on the back.””
Vanessa's lips parted.
“Where did you get that?””
“My grandmother kept it.””
“That's impossible.””
I leaned forward.
“Why?””
She stared at the photograph.
For the first time since I had met her, she looked genuinely afraid.
Theodore stepped closer.
“Miss Cole, is there something about this photograph we should know?””
Vanessa looked at her attorney.
Then she stood.
“This meeting is over.””
Margaret frowned.
“You cannot simply leave.””
“I have nothing further to discuss.””
She grabbed her handbag.
But as she turned toward the door, Olivia spoke.
“Miss Cole, there's one more document we haven't shown the committee.””
Vanessa stopped.
Olivia placed a printed email on the table.
It was dated three months earlier.
The sender was Vanessa Cole.
The recipient was a company executive.
The subject line read:
*THE EVELYN BROOKS ARCHIVE.*
I looked at the message.
My stomach tightened.
The email contained only four lines.
I found the old collection.
Grandfather was right about the ownership issue.
We need to secure the remaining files before Simone discovers what they contain.
Do not let her see the original ledger.
I looked up.
“Grandfather?””
Vanessa's face had gone completely pale.
Theodore leaned forward.
“Miss Cole, who is your grandfather?””
Vanessa's attorney reached for the document.
But Olivia pulled it away.
Vanessa finally spoke.
“My grandfather is Richard Cole.””
I frowned.
“That doesn't make sense. Richard is your father.””
The room became silent.
Vanessa stared at me.
Then she slowly smiled.
It was not the confident smile she wore on stage.
It was something colder.
“My father is Richard Cole Junior,” she said.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
She pointed at the photograph.
“The man standing beside your grandmother is my grandfather. Richard Cole Senior.””
Then she leaned closer.
“And if you think your grandmother was the only person he betrayed, Simone, you have no idea what you're about to uncover.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from Claire Donovan.
*Don't come to the Magnolia Hotel tomorrow. Richard knows we're meeting.*
A second message appeared immediately afterward.
*I found the original ledger. But there's a name in it you need to see.*
Then a photograph arrived.
It showed an old production ledger opened to a handwritten page.
At the top was the name:
*EVELYN BROOKS.*
Beneath it were the names of six original designers.
And beside the final name was a note written in red ink.
*PAYMENT RECEIVED — SILENCE GUARANTEED.*
The final name was my mother's.
I stared at the screen.
My mother.
The woman who had helped me open my grandmother's trunk.
The woman who had stood beside me while I uncovered the truth.
The woman who had told me she knew nothing about Richard Cole.
I slowly raised my eyes toward the conference room door.
Because suddenly, I understood something terrifying.
Vanessa hadn't just stolen my dress.
May you like
And my grandmother's story wasn't the only family secret buried inside the Cole empire.
*Someone in my own family had known the truth all along.*
