Chapter 3: The Design They Stole From Me
Maya couldn't stop staring at the sketch.
The paper was old, its edges yellowed and slightly curled. Her father's handwriting ran along the bottom, accompanied by the precise measurements he always included in his professional designs.
She recognized the small crescent he drew beside his signature.
Daniel had made that mark on every design he considered special.
“Where did you get this?”” Maya asked.
Adrian Cole closed the portfolio halfway.
“Your father brought it to my studio shortly before he died. He wanted me to preserve it until you were ready to use it.””
“Why didn't you contact me?””
“I tried.””
Maya's eyes snapped toward him.
“What?””
Adrian sighed.
“I sent letters to your home. I called the number Daniel gave me. Eventually, I was told that you had no interest in pursuing design professionally.””
“Who told you that?””
He didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
“Vanessa,” Maya whispered.
Adrian nodded.
“She said you had abandoned the field and wanted nothing to do with your father's business.””
Maya felt as though the floor had shifted beneath her.
For two years, she had submitted applications to costume studios, fashion houses, and independent designers. She had received polite rejections, automated responses, and occasionally no response at all.
All the while, Vanessa had been telling people she was lazy.
“Why didn't you try harder?”” Maya asked.
“I should have,” Adrian admitted.
“I regret that I didn't. But I was dealing with my own company's expansion, and I believed your stepmother was acting in your best interests.””
Maya laughed once, without humor.
“She has never acted in my best interests.””
Adrian studied her.
“Then I owe you an apology.””
He extended the sketch.
Maya accepted it with trembling hands.
“Is this the original?””
“No. Your father kept the original. This is a reproduction I made from the drawings he entrusted to me.””
“Where's the original now?””
“I don't know. Daniel told me he had placed it somewhere safe, but he never explained where.””
Maya looked down at the design.
The Fallen Star was unlike anything she had ever seen. The wing structure was more complicated than her own costume, with dozens of overlapping sections designed to move independently. The entire piece had been conceived to shift from black to silver under changing light.
It wasn't merely a costume.
It was a story told through fabric, metal, and movement.
“Why did he give it to you?”” she asked.
“Because he wanted you to have the opportunity to build it without interference. Daniel believed you had the same instinct for design that he did.””
Maya swallowed.
“Then why did you bring it tonight?””
Adrian glanced toward the ballroom.
“Because I recognized your technique in the photographs submitted for this competition. The way you shaped the feather edges. The way you reinforced the joints. It reminded me of Daniel's work.””
He paused.
“Then I saw you walk into this room wearing a design that could only have come from someone who understood his philosophy.””
Maya looked at her wings.
“I made these because someone destroyed my first frame. I didn't know anything about this design until a few minutes ago.””
“Perhaps you were closer to your father than you realized.””
Before Maya could respond, the stage assistant announced that contestant number seven would be called in five minutes.
Adrian slipped the reproduction back into his portfolio.
“After your presentation, I want to discuss something with you.””
“What?””
“A possibility that could change your career.””
Maya's heart began to race.
“Are you offering me a job?””
“Not yet. First, I need to understand what happened to the original design.””
He leaned closer.
“And I need you to be careful. If Vanessa sold Daniel's work without authorization, she may have done much more than steal a drawing.””
A voice interrupted them.
“Mr. Cole!””
Vanessa appeared at the entrance to the backstage area, her smile perfectly arranged.
“There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you.””
Adrian turned.
“Mrs. Sterling.””
Vanessa's gaze moved to the portfolio in his hand, then to Maya.
For a fraction of a second, fear flashed across her face.
Then it vanished.
“I hope Maya hasn't been bothering you with her little stories.””
Maya stiffened.
Adrian remained calm.
“We were discussing her father's designs.””
Vanessa's smile froze.
“Daniel's designs?””
“Yes.””
“What a strange subject for a competition evening.””
“Not really,” Adrian replied.
“His work has influenced my career for years.””
Vanessa took a small step forward.
“I'm sure you know he was very ill toward the end. He wasn't always thinking clearly.””
Maya felt her hands curl into fists.
“My father was perfectly capable of making his own decisions.””
Vanessa turned toward her.
“I'm speaking to Mr. Cole, Maya.””
“And I'm speaking about my father.””
Several people nearby fell silent.
Vanessa's cheeks colored.
“Must you always make a scene?””
“No,” Maya said.
“But I'm beginning to understand why you don't like anyone asking questions.””
Adrian closed the portfolio.
“Perhaps we should continue this conversation after the competition.””
“Absolutely,” Vanessa replied too quickly.
“There's no need to disturb the evening with family matters.””
She touched Adrian's arm, steering him toward the ballroom.
Before he followed, he looked back at Maya.
“Keep the reproduction safe. I'll speak with you after your presentation.””
Maya tucked the sketch into her notebook.
Vanessa watched the movement.
Then her smile disappeared.
“You have no idea what you're playing with,” she whispered.
Maya met her gaze.
“Then explain it to me.””
Vanessa leaned closer.
“You should be grateful I allowed you to remain in this family after your father died.””
“Allowed me?””
“You have a roof over your head. Clothes on your back. Everything you have comes from the Sterling name.””
Maya looked at the wings she had repaired with her own hands.
“Not everything.””
Vanessa's expression sharpened.
“Be careful. You don't know what I can take away from you.””
Maya's voice was quiet.
“Neither do you.””
For a moment, Vanessa looked as though she might strike her.
Instead, she turned and walked away.
Maya remained still until her breathing returned to normal.
Then she followed the other contestants toward the stage entrance.
The first six presentations had already ended. Applause echoed through the ballroom as the judges discussed their scores.
Chloe stood near the side of the runway, her white wings sparkling under the lights.
When she saw Maya, she smiled.
It was the same smile she had worn at family dinners when Vanessa praised her achievements and criticized Maya's.
But this time, Maya noticed something different.
Chloe's right hand was shaking.
As Maya approached, Chloe caught her wrist.
“Don't go out there.””
Maya stared at her.
“What?””
“Please. Just leave.””
“Why?””
Chloe glanced toward their mother, who stood near the judges' table.
“Because Mom said something is going to happen, and I don't think she intends to stop it.””
Maya pulled her hand free.
“You agreed to trip me.””
Chloe flinched.
“I know.””
“Then why should I believe anything you say?””
“Because I'm telling you now.””
Maya studied her stepsister's face.
For the first time that night, Chloe looked genuinely afraid.
“What is she planning?”” Maya asked.
Chloe opened her mouth.
Then a stage assistant called out, “Contestant number seven, please take your position!””
Chloe's fingers tightened around Maya's arm.
“There's something wrong with the stage,” she whispered.
“I heard one of the crew members talking to Mom. They changed something near the entrance ramp.””
Maya looked toward the runway.
The black carpet stretched from the stage to the center of the ballroom. Golden lights illuminated every step.
It looked perfectly safe.
“Did you see what they changed?””
“No.””
“Then how do you know?””
Chloe's eyes filled with tears.
“Because I heard Mom say you wouldn't make it to the judges' table.””
A cold feeling spread through Maya's chest.
She wanted to believe Chloe was trying to help.
But the girl had spent years watching Vanessa humiliate her. She had laughed when Maya was excluded from family photographs and worn dresses bought with money Vanessa claimed Maya had wasted.
Fear didn't make Chloe innocent.
Still, Maya couldn't ignore the warning.
She looked toward the security staff stationed near the stage.
Then she remembered Evelyn's card.
She stepped aside and called the number.
A woman answered immediately.
“Security desk.””
“This is Maya Sterling. I was told to contact you if I felt unsafe.””
“Where are you?””
“Backstage, near the runway entrance.””
“Stay there. I'm coming to you.””
Maya ended the call.
Chloe looked at her with wide eyes.
“You called security?””
“Yes.””
“Mom will know.””
“Then she should have thought about that before planning to hurt me.””
Chloe's face crumpled.
“You don't understand. If she loses control tonight, she'll destroy everything.””
Maya looked at her.
“Maybe it's time someone stopped protecting her.””
The stage assistant approached.
“Miss Sterling, you're up next.””
Maya stepped toward the curtain.
Just before she entered the light, she felt something brush against the back of her gown.
She turned.
A man in a black event uniform stood behind her, holding a small tool bag.
“Sorry, miss,” he said.
“Just checking your wing supports.””
“Who told you to check them?””
He glanced toward Vanessa.
“Production team.””
Maya stepped away.
“Don't touch my costume.””
The man's expression hardened.
“You don't want a malfunction in front of the judges.””
“And you don't want security asking why you're touching a contestant's equipment.””
For a second, neither moved.
Then the man lowered his hands and disappeared into the crowd.
Maya watched him go.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Evelyn appeared.
We reviewed the west corridor footage. You were right to be concerned.
A second message followed.
But we found something else. Someone entered your workshop the night your wings were damaged.
Maya's stomach dropped.
May you like
Then came the final message.
The person used a key registered to Daniel Sterling.
