Chapter 9: The Girl Who Destroyed My Gown Begged Me to Save Her
The old Carter mansion looked exactly as I remembered.
The enormous iron gates.
The white stone staircase.
The tall windows that Vanessa always kept perfectly clean.
But when we arrived, the front doors were open.
There were no lights in the main hall.
Only a single chandelier illuminated the staircase.
My father parked several streets away.
Eleanor had contacted a police investigator she trusted, but the officers were waiting outside the property.
We couldn't risk Richard seeing them before we found Brianna.
My mother turned toward me.
“Stay between us.””
I nodded.
My father carried the silver key.
I carried the photograph of Brianna.
We entered through the side door.
The house smelled of expensive perfume and polished wood.
Everything was familiar.
The marble staircase.
The crystal lamps.
The large portrait of my father hanging above the fireplace.
Except someone had scratched a deep line across the glass.
My father stopped.
He stared at the portrait.
Then he continued walking.
We heard a noise upstairs.
A muffled cry.
“Brianna!”” I called.
My mother grabbed my wrist.
“Quiet.””
We moved toward the staircase.
At the top, a bedroom door stood slightly open.
I recognized it immediately.
Brianna's room.
The walls were pale pink.
Designer handbags lined the shelves.
A large dressing table stood beneath the window.
But the room was empty.
A chair had been overturned.
A broken glass lay near the bed.
And on the floor was a strip of white satin.
I picked it up.
It was from my competition gown.
The fabric had been cut into a narrow ribbon.
My father examined it.
“Richard was here.””
A noise came from the adjoining hallway.
Then a man's voice.
“Looking for someone?””
Richard stepped out of the shadows.
He was wearing a dark suit and holding a glass of water.
He looked older than in the photograph.
But his smile was exactly the same.
My father stepped forward.
“Where is Brianna?””
Richard took a slow sip.
“Good evening, David.””
“Where is she?””
“Always so impatient.””
My mother moved beside my father.
“You have no right to bring her into this.””
Richard smiled.
“Amelia. You look wonderful for a dead woman.””
My mother didn't flinch.
“You look exactly like the man who murdered his own brother.””
His smile disappeared.
Then he looked at me.
“And this must be the little princess.””
I stared at him.
“Where is Brianna?””
He raised an eyebrow.
“You're worried about her?””
“Yes.””
“Interesting. She destroyed your dress tonight.””
“I know.””
“She broke your trophy.””
“I know.””
“She spent years making your life miserable.””
I stepped forward.
“Where is she?””
Richard laughed.
“Your father really did raise a sentimental girl.””
My father moved closer.
“Enough games.””
Richard placed his glass on a table.
“Then let's talk business.””
He pointed toward the living room.
A large folder sat on the coffee table.
Beside it was a contract.
“Sign the transfer agreement,” he said.
My father didn't move.
“I'm not signing anything.””
Richard looked at me.
“Then perhaps Nia should.””
I stared at the contract.
It contained the ownership rights to the Carter archives and the Phoenix Collection.
My name appeared at the bottom.
There was a blank space for my signature.
“You want me to give you my designs?””
“I want you to give me what belongs to the company.””
“They don't belong to you.””
Richard smiled.
“Your mother has filled your head with nonsense.””
My mother stepped forward.
“Those designs are mine and Nia's.””
Richard turned.
“You should have stayed in that hospital.””
My father grabbed his jacket.
“Don't speak to her like that.””
Richard pulled away.
“You still think you're in control, David?””
He laughed.
“You have been dead for ten years. Your company has survived without you.””
“My company?””
“Your employees work for me. Your board answers to me. Your wife spent years hiding from me. And your daughter?””
He looked directly at me.
“She has nothing.””
I felt my father's hand tighten around mine.
Richard leaned closer.
“Sign the contract, and I'll let everyone leave.””
I looked at him.
“Where is Brianna?””
He sighed.
“Still asking?””
Then he nodded toward the staircase.
“Bring her down.””
A door opened upstairs.
Two men appeared, holding Brianna between them.
Her wrists were tied.
Her hair was disheveled.
There was a dark mark on her cheek.
The moment she saw me, her eyes widened.
“Nia!””
I rushed forward.
One of the men raised his hand.
“Stay where you are.””
Brianna struggled.
“Please!””
Richard smiled.
“Now we can negotiate.””
My father looked furious.
“Release her.””
“After the contract is signed.””
My mother shook her head.
“You're using a child to force a legal transfer?””
Richard laughed.
“She's seventeen. Old enough to understand consequences.””
I looked at Brianna.
For the first time, she wasn't wearing expensive makeup or a perfect smile.
She looked terrified.
“Nia,” she whispered.
I took a step forward.
“I'm here.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I'm sorry.””
I stopped.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“I said I'm sorry.””
Richard rolled his eyes.
“Save the family reunion.””
But Brianna continued.
“I didn't know he was going to do this.””
I stared at her.
“Did you know about the contract?””
She nodded weakly.
“Mom told me I would inherit the company.””
“And you believed her?””
“I thought it was legal.””
“You knew about the Phoenix Collection?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
I looked at Richard.
“Then why did you make her sign?””
He shrugged.
“Because Vanessa was useful.””
The words seemed to strike Brianna harder than the slap.
“What?””
Richard turned toward her.
“Your mother has always been useful.””
Brianna began shaking.
“You said I would own everything.””
“You would have.””
“Then why are you doing this?””
“Because plans change.””
He looked at me.
“Now sign.””
I glanced at the contract.
Then at Brianna.
Then at my father.
I knew what Richard wanted.
He wanted the key.
He wanted the original ownership records.
And he wanted to make sure nobody could challenge him again.
I slowly approached the coffee table.
My father caught my wrist.
“Nia, don't.””
I looked at him.
“Trust me.””
He hesitated.
Then released my hand.
I picked up the pen.
Richard smiled.
“Smart girl.””
I examined the contract.
The first page contained the transfer agreement.
The second contained a list of assets.
The third had a clause stating that the signer acknowledged receiving the original Phoenix Collection.
I looked up.
“You said you wanted the collection.””
“I do.””
“Then you should know something.””
Richard frowned.
“What?””
I placed the pen down.
“The original designs aren't in the vault anymore.””
His expression changed.
“What did you say?””
“My mother moved them.””
He stared at her.
Amelia smiled faintly.
“Did you really think I would leave everything in one place?””
Richard took a step toward her.
“Where are they?””
My mother didn't answer.
I continued.
“And the ownership certificate isn't just a piece of paper. It's registered with the original trust.””
Richard looked toward Eleanor.
“Who?””
Eleanor stepped out from behind the doorway.
She was holding her phone.
“Me.””
Richard's expression changed.
“What are you doing here?””
“Recording everything.””
He lunged toward her.
But before he could reach her, the front doors burst open.
“POLICE! DON'T MOVE!””
Several officers entered the living room.
The two men holding Brianna immediately released her.
My father pulled her toward us.
An officer grabbed Richard's arm.
He struggled.
“You can't arrest me!””
The officer forced his hands behind his back.
“We have a warrant for your arrest, Mr. Carter.””
Richard looked toward Vanessa's empty chair.
Then toward the staircase.
“Where is my sister?””
Nobody answered.
He turned toward me.
“This isn't over, Nia.””
I stared at him.
“Yes, it is.””
He laughed as the officers led him away.
“You have no idea what your mother did!””
My mother suddenly stepped forward.
“Richard!””
He stopped.
She looked directly into his eyes.
“Tell her what happened to Vanessa.””
His smile vanished.
For the first time, he looked genuinely frightened.
Then he leaned toward the arresting officer.
“Before you take me anywhere, you should know something.””
The officer frowned.
“What?””
Richard looked at my mother.
“Vanessa isn't missing.””
My mother went still.
Richard smiled again.
“She has been waiting for you.””
The police secured the mansion.
Brianna sat on the staircase, wrapped in a blanket.
I approached her slowly.
She looked up.
Her mascara had run down her cheeks.
“I don't expect you to forgive me,” she whispered.
I sat on the step below her.
“You shouldn't.””
She nodded.
“I know.””
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at my hands.
“Did I really destroy your dress?””
I looked down.
“Yes.””
She covered her face.
“I hated you.””
I waited.
“Because everyone kept talking about you,” she continued.
“The judges loved your design. The audience loved you. Mom said I had to win because the company needed a new face.””
I looked at her.
“So you decided to destroy what I made?””
She nodded.
“I thought if I ruined your gown, everyone would forget about you.””
I swallowed.
“You could have asked me for help.””
She laughed bitterly.
“Why would you help me?””
I looked toward the broken portrait above the fireplace.
“Because I know what it feels like to be treated like you don't matter.””
Brianna began crying.
I didn't hug her.
Not yet.
Forgiveness wasn't something she could demand because she had finally become frightened.
But I didn't hate her either.
And that surprised me.
An officer approached us.
“Miss Carter?””
I stood.
“Yes?””
“We need to ask you something.””
He glanced toward my parents.
“Your stepmother has been located.””
My mother stepped forward.
“Where?””
The officer hesitated.
“At a private property registered to Richard Carter.””
My father frowned.
“Is she alive?””
“Yes.””
“Then why hasn't she been brought here?””
The officer looked at his notes.
“Because she has refused to speak to anyone except one person.””
I felt a chill.
“Who?””
He looked directly at me.
“Nia Carter.””
My mother immediately shook her head.
“No.””
The officer continued.
“She says she has something important to tell you about your father.””
My father stepped forward.
“Whatever she has to say, she can say to me.””
The officer lowered his voice.
“She specifically requested Nia.””
I looked at my parents.
Then at Brianna.
I knew Vanessa had spent years controlling everything around me.
But I also knew that whatever she had hidden could be the final piece of the puzzle.
“Where is she?”” I asked.
The officer gave me an address.
It was a small private medical facility outside the city.
I looked at my mother.
“I'm going.””
She held my hand.
“Then we go together.””
My father nodded.
And as we walked toward the exit, Brianna called my name.
“Nia?””
I turned.
She looked at me through swollen eyes.
“There's something I need to tell you.””
I waited.
She swallowed.
“Before Richard took me, I heard him talking to Mom on the phone.””
“What did he say?””
Brianna looked at my father.
Then back at me.
“He said the woman in the hospital wasn't your mother.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Brianna began trembling.
“He said the woman who came back wasn't Amelia.””
I looked at my mother.
She stood completely still.
Then Brianna whispered the words that shattered everything again.
“He said your real mother died ten years ago.””
And my father slowly turned toward the woman standing beside me.
May you like
Because suddenly, he wasn't looking at her like a husband looking at his wife.
He was looking at her like a man who had just realized he might have welcomed a stranger back into his family.
