Chapter 5 - Morrow
The $18.6 million changed the atmosphere.
A disputed share certificate could be explained as legal complexity.
Eighteen million dollars could be followed.
Vale House’s forensic counsel hired accountants from Beckett Rowe.
By the following afternoon, the accountants had mapped the Morrow contracts.
The first was signed eight years earlier, when Bianca became co-creative director.
It granted Morrow Design IP royalties on certain textiles and pattern systems Bianca independently developed.
That agreement appeared legitimate.
Then the scope expanded.
After Celeste became ill, Morrow began charging Vale House for archive reproduction rights.
Vintage corsetry structures.
Hand-beaded vine motifs.
A signature crescent closure Celeste had used in 1998.
Even the Vale Silver Weave—the technique used in Sophie’s ruined gown.
Elena sat in the conference room as the accountants displayed contracts.
“That weave was Celeste’s.”
Bianca’s attorney replied, “Ms. Moretti improved it.”
“Improving something is not creating it.”
Sophie looked at the royalty totals.
“How much did Mom know?”
The accountant answered.
“We cannot tell yet.”
Nora Kline produced a personal email from Celeste.
Morrow is billing us for my own archive. Find out who approved this.
The approval trail ended with Gideon Shaw.
Lucas stared at the screen.
“Gideon approved licensing?”
“As general counsel,” the accountant replied, “he certified that Morrow’s intellectual-property claims had been reviewed.”
“By whom?”
“No technical expert is identified.”
The money did not remain inside Morrow.
Approximately $6.2 million had been distributed to Bianca personally.
Another $4.4 million went to a holding company.
Two million went to a consulting entity tied to Gideon’s brother-in-law.
Sophie looked at Lucas.
“There.”
“Related party,” he said.
The accountant nodded.
“It requires more analysis, but yes.”
Bianca attacked before the investigation could mature.
Her lawyers filed suit in New York Supreme Court seeking a declaration that her 51 percent ownership was valid and that the shareholder consents removing three directors were effective.
She also sought an injunction preventing Lucas from restricting her access as controlling shareholder.
Vale House counterclaimed.
The ownership war moved from backstage into court.
Sophie became a witness.
So did Elena.
So did Nora.
Maya became one unexpectedly.
Because Maya had more than the video.
She had the full audio file containing Bianca’s order to sabotage the gown.
Sophie asked how she got it.
Maya looked embarrassed.
“I was recording production notes.”
“Why?”
“Because Bianca changes instructions and then says she never said them.”
Elena laughed.
“Smart girl.”
Maya continued.
“The recording started forty minutes before the show.”
Lucas leaned forward.
“What else is on it?”
Maya opened the file.
Bianca’s voice.
Assistants moving racks.
Fabric rustling.
Then a male voice.
Gideon.
He had been backstage before anyone realized.
Bianca said:
“If Sophie wears Argent, Elena will inspect the old construction.”
Gideon answered:
“So?”
“She may find the inner work.”
“What inner work?”
A pause.
Then Bianca:
“Celeste was sentimental and paranoid. That dress was sealed before she died.”
Gideon said, “You think she hid something.”
“I know she did.”
Sophie’s skin prickled.
Bianca had sabotaged the gown partly because she feared Elena would repair or inspect the lining.
Gideon asked, “Why not remove it from the show?”
“Lucas would ask why.”
“So weaken it.”
“Yes.”
“If it fails onstage—”
“It won’t. I’ll stop Sophie before she walks.”
Sophie closed her eyes.
The defective-gown explanation had not been invented after the fact.
It was the plan.
Create danger.
Then appear to prevent it.
Lucas listened with his jaw clenched.
Gideon said one more thing.
“If that termination is in there, we have bigger problems.”
The room went completely quiet.
Sophie opened her eyes.
“He knew exactly what was hidden.”
Nora nodded.
“That is powerful.”
Lucas turned toward Maya.
“You saved the original metadata?”
“I’ve backed up the file in three places.”
Sophie almost smiled.
Bianca had underestimated Maya for the same reason she underestimated Elena.
They were staff.
People who worked behind the people photographed by cameras.
People powerful executives forgot were listening.
That evening Elena asked Sophie to meet in the archive.
The old room smelled of cedar, paper, and fabric.
Hundreds of historic garments rested in climate-controlled storage.
Elena opened a drawer.
Inside was Celeste’s original handwritten technical card for the silver gown.
At the bottom, in tiny handwriting:
Argent interior closed by E.R. only. Do not reopen unless damaged.
Sophie touched the card.
“Mom planned this.”
“Yes.”
“Why involve you without telling you?”
“Because if I knew, someone could make me tell.”
Sophie looked at her.
“You think like her.”
“I learned from her.”
Elena turned the card over.
On the reverse was a storage notation.
ARGENT / B-17 / Secondary proof.
Sophie frowned.
“B-17?”
Elena looked toward the archive shelves.
“There is no B-17 in this room.”
Lucas joined them with a facility map.
“There used to be.”
Before Vale House renovated the building, basement cage B-17 had been part of a bonded archive used for imported samples.
That area was now leased to a high-security art-storage company.
Lucas called.
The facility still had one Vale House container registered under Celeste’s name.
It had not been opened in three years.
Bianca’s lawyers immediately objected to access.
That was when Sophie knew they had found something important.
The container inventory listed only one item.
Black document chest — ARGENT.
May you like
And the last person recorded requesting access, six months after Celeste’s death, was Bianca Moretti.
Her request had been denied because she was not an authorized custodian.
