Chapter 7: The Inheritance Nobody Told Me About
“Your mother left you something worth millions.””
My father's words echoed through the phone.
I looked at Vanessa.
She was standing beside the sewing table, clutching the photograph of his signature.
“What did you sign, Dad?”” I asked.
“I'll explain everything when I get home. Just don't let anyone take that USB drive. Do you understand?””
“Dad, what is worth millions?””
He went quiet.
Then he said, “The original Crimson Garden collection. And something even more important.””
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Vanessa shifted nervously.
“Lily, give me the USB.””
“No.””
“I'm trying to help you.””
“You just admitted you helped Vivian steal my mother's work.””
“I didn't know what she was really doing!””
“You knew enough to destroy my dress.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“I didn't think you'd actually make something good out of it.””
That was the closest thing to an apology I had ever heard from her.
I picked up the blue envelope and slipped it into my bag.
“Get out.””
She didn't move.
“Lily, please. Vivian said my mother could lose everything if those files got out.””
“Then maybe she should have thought about that before stealing from mine.””
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
For a moment, she looked less like the confident girl who had poured paint over my dress and more like someone who had finally realized the consequences of her actions.
But I wasn't ready to feel sorry for her.
She had choices.
So had I.
And I had spent years choosing not to hurt people, even when they hurt me.
That night, Dad came home carrying a thick leather folder.
He found me waiting in the kitchen.
“Where's Vanessa?”” he asked.
“Upstairs.””
“Good. I need to talk to you alone.””
He sat opposite me and opened the folder.
Inside were legal documents, property records, and an old photograph of Mom standing outside a small brick building.
I recognized it immediately.
It was the building where she had dreamed of opening her own fashion studio.
“Before your mother got sick, she created a company,” Dad explained.
“It was called Eleanor Carter Designs.””
I frowned.
“I thought she only worked from home.””
“She started with custom dresses, but The Crimson Garden changed everything. Several investors were interested in funding her collection. She had plans to open a studio and launch a line of formalwear.””
He showed me a document.
The company had been registered in 2014.
Its assets included the original designs, production patterns, trademarks, and licensing rights.
“Your mother owned seventy percent of the company,” Dad continued.
“I owned the remaining thirty percent because I helped finance the original studio.””
“What happened to it?””
“After she died, I was approached by Vivian. She claimed Eleanor had signed an agreement transferring the collection to her company.””
“And you believed her?””
He looked ashamed.
“She showed me documents with your mother's signature. I was grieving. I was trying to keep the family financially stable. She told me the agreement was already legally binding.””
“So you signed something?””
Dad nodded.
“I signed a document agreeing not to challenge the transfer while the estate was being settled.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
“Vivian threatened to sue me for interfering with her business. She said Eleanor had already sold the designs and that I would lose everything if I fought her.””
I looked down at the papers.
“And what did Mom leave me?””
Dad turned to the final page.
A trust agreement.
“Your mother had a lawyer prepare this before she died. Her seventy-percent ownership was placed in a trust for you. You became the beneficiary on your eighteenth birthday.””
My birthday was only a few months away.
I stared at him.
“So Vivian has been trying to steal something that belongs to me?””
“She's been trying to get control of the company before you become old enough to exercise your rights.””
I couldn't speak.
Dad placed another document on the table.
It was a letter from an attorney named Samuel Bennett.
The letter explained that the trust had never been dissolved, and the original ownership transfer had never been completed.
Vivian's company had been using the designs without valid authorization.
If the documents were authentic, the rights could be restored to the estate.
And I would inherit controlling ownership.
I looked at the photograph of Mom outside her studio.
“She wanted me to have this?””
Dad nodded.
“She wanted you to have the choice. You could continue her work, sell the company, or do something completely different. She didn't want her dreams to become a burden.””
I touched the photograph.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I thought I was protecting you. And because I was ashamed of what I signed.””
I looked at him.
“You didn't steal from Mom, Dad. But you let someone convince you that fighting for her was too dangerous.””
He lowered his head.
“I know.””
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then Dad handed me another envelope.
“This came from Samuel Bennett yesterday. He has been trying to reach me for weeks.””
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Dear Lily,
Your mother's estate contains evidence of unauthorized design transfers. I have reason to believe that the original signed ownership agreement was never executed. I also possess correspondence that may establish who was responsible.
Please contact me before making any public statements.
There was a phone number beneath the signature.
I immediately called.
A man answered after three rings.
“Samuel Bennett speaking.””
“Mr. Bennett? My name is Lily Carter.””
There was a pause.
“Eleanor's daughter?””
“Yes.””
His voice softened.
“I've been waiting a long time for this call.””
He asked us to visit his office the next morning.
Before hanging up, he said something that made my heart race.
“Lily, your mother didn't just leave you the company. She left you the original proof of ownership. Vivian has spent eleven years searching for it.””
I looked at Dad.
“Where is it?””
Samuel hesitated.
“Your mother gave it to someone she trusted. Someone who was present when the original agreement was signed.””
“Who?””
He lowered his voice.
“Margaret Hayes.””
The following morning, we arrived at Samuel's office.
He was a tall man with gray hair and a careful way of speaking. His office walls were covered with framed photographs of legal awards and old architectural drawings.
He examined the USB drive and the documents from Mom's envelope.
Then he leaned back.
“This is substantial evidence.””
“Can you stop Vivian?”” I asked.
“Potentially. But we need to authenticate the files and recover the original ownership documents.””
Dad looked worried.
“Margaret has them?””
Samuel nodded.
“She contacted me years ago. She said she had witnessed irregularities during the Eastbrook competition but was afraid to speak publicly.””
“Why would she keep quiet?”” I asked.
“Vivian had influence in the industry. Margaret was afraid of losing her position.””
I thought about the meeting.
The way Margaret had looked away when I asked why she hadn't helped Mom.
She had been carrying the truth all those years.
Samuel continued.
“There is another complication. Vivian has submitted a formal complaint alleging that Lily's prom dress infringes on her company's intellectual property.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Can she do that?””
“She can file a complaint. Whether it has merit is another matter.””
“Then what do we do?””
Samuel closed the folder.
“We obtain the original records, authenticate the evidence, and make sure the academy understands that the ownership dispute is not a reason to punish you.””
He looked directly at me.
“And Lily, don't stop creating.””
For the first time in days, I felt something resembling hope.
But it didn't last long.
When we returned home, Vanessa was waiting in the driveway.
Her eyes were red.
“Lily, we need to talk.””
Dad stepped forward.
“Not now, Vanessa.””
“Please, Dad. Just five minutes.””
She looked at me.
“Vivian called. She's threatening to sue Mom. She's also threatening to report me to the academy for participating in the original theft.””
I stared at her.
“Then tell the truth.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“You don't understand. If I cooperate, she'll destroy us.””
I looked at her carefully.
“You were willing to destroy me.””
She flinched.
Then she reached into her bag and handed me a small envelope.
“I found this in Mom's office.””
Inside was a printed email.
The sender was Vivian Cole.
The subject line read:
*PROM NIGHT — FINAL ARRANGEMENTS.*
The message contained only three sentences.
Make sure Lily's dress is removed before the scholarship presentation.
If necessary, have someone report it as stolen intellectual property.
We cannot allow Eleanor's daughter to become the face of a collection that belongs to us.
I looked up.
Vanessa swallowed.
“There's more.””
She handed me another page.
It was a photograph of Vivian standing beside someone at the academy.
The man was holding a sealed envelope.
And beneath the photograph was a handwritten note.
Scholarship decision — already arranged.
I recognized the man's face.
He was the chairman of the Eastbrook scholarship committee.
May you like
Which meant Vivian hadn't just been trying to steal my mother's legacy.
She had already arranged for someone inside the academy to make sure I never won.
