Chapter 6: The Person Behind the Door
Jada almost laughed when she read the note.
Not because it was funny.
Because after everything Claire had done, after the altered names, the fake agreement, the stolen control, someone still believed a secret meeting was the answer.
The handwriting was printed.
Careful.
Anonymous.
The kind of writing someone used when they wanted to hide, but still wanted to be found.
Theo stared at the photograph.
“Don’t go.””
Jada looked at him.
“You don’t even know where it is.””
“That’s exactly my point.””
Eleanor stepped closer and took the phone.
“No one goes alone.””
Jada looked at both of them.
“I know what happens if we make the wrong move.””
Theo crossed his arms.
“What happens?””
“We become the story again.””
Nobody answered.
Because they all knew.
The cake.
The shove.
The argument.
Those were easy.
People understood those things.
A woman losing control.
A public fight.
A dramatic moment caught on camera.
But stolen documents and manipulated contracts were harder.
They required patience.
And patience rarely went viral.
The meeting location was sent twenty minutes later.
An abandoned gallery space three blocks from the manor.
Jada recognized the address.
It had once been part of Hudson Colors.
Before Claire arrived.
Before donors demanded renovations.
Before everything became about appearances.
“That’s where we started,” Eleanor said quietly.
Jada looked at her.
“You knew?””
Eleanor nodded.
“I knew Claire liked places with history.””
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.””
“It isn’t.””
The three of them drove there together.
Not inside.
Not yet.
Jada parked across the street.
The old gallery windows were dark.
Broken posters covered the walls.
A place once filled with voices now looked forgotten.
Theo checked his phone.
“No movement.””
Eleanor looked at Jada.
“What are you thinking?””
Jada watched the building.
“That someone wants me to believe they have control.””
“And?””
“And they might.””
A shadow moved behind the window.
Theo noticed it too.
Then the front door opened.
A woman stepped outside.
Rebecca Hall.
She looked tired.
Not afraid.
Tired.
“I told you to come alone.””
Jada stayed where she was.
“You also sent a message that could have been a trap.””
Rebecca looked at Theo and Eleanor.
Then back at Jada.
“You brought people.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because the last person who told me to trust them was Claire.””
Rebecca accepted that.
Almost immediately.
She opened her bag.
Inside was a thick envelope.
“I have copies of everything.””
Jada did not move.
“What everything?””
“The original funding agreements. The board emails. The internal discussions.””
Rebecca swallowed.
“And proof Claire planned to replace the jury system.””
Theo stepped forward.
“Why didn’t you release this before?””
Rebecca looked away.
“Because I signed a confidentiality agreement.””
Jada stared.
“With Claire?””
“With the board.””
“That’s convenient.””
Rebecca’s eyes hardened.
“You think I enjoyed watching her do this?””
“No.””
“Then don’t mistake fear for agreement.””
The words landed.
Because Jada understood fear.
She had felt it herself.
The fear of losing everything she built.
Rebecca handed over the envelope.
Inside were emails.
Documents.
Meeting notes.
Then Jada saw a name.
Not Claire.
Not a sponsor.
Someone else.
Someone unexpected.
A board member.
Someone who had supported Jada from the beginning.
Eleanor noticed her expression.
“What?””
Jada looked up.
“This isn’t just Claire.””
The next morning, they called an emergency board meeting.
Everyone arrived tense.
Claire arrived last.
She walked in wearing a calm expression.
“You found something?””
Jada placed the documents on the table.
“Yes.””
Claire glanced down.
Then smiled.
“That’s disappointing.””
Jada frowned.
“What?””
Claire leaned back.
“Because I thought you were smarter.””
The room went quiet.
Claire looked around.
“You really believe I did this alone?””
Nobody spoke.
Jada felt the truth before she heard it.
Claire continued.
“I was invited into a system that already wanted change.””
Eleanor gripped her cane.
“Don’t pretend you were protecting anyone.””
Claire looked at her.
“I wasn’t.””
That honesty shocked everyone.
“I was making Hudson Colors valuable.””
Jada stared.
“You destroyed the thing that made it valuable.””
“No.””
Claire tapped the table.
“I removed the weakness.””
“What weakness?””
Claire looked directly at Jada.
“You.””
The room froze.
Jada felt every eye move toward her.
Claire continued.
“You built a beautiful program. But beautiful things don’t survive without money.””
“And you think artists are the weakness?””
“I think your refusal to compromise is.””
Jada looked at the documents.
Then at Claire.
“Who helped you?””
Claire smiled.
“I think you already know.””
The door opened.
Everyone turned.
The person standing there made Jada forget how to breathe.
Because it was someone she trusted.
Someone who had been beside her since the beginning.
Someone who had always said Hudson Colors belonged to the artists.
The person held a folder.
May you like
And said:
“Jada, we need to talk.””
