Chapter 8: The Truth About the Emerald Dress
The meeting with Richard happened three hours later.
Not because we wanted it.
Because he wanted it.
His lawyer contacted my father and requested a private discussion.
A discussion.
That was the word they used.
Not confrontation.
Not accusation.
Discussion.
But I knew better.
People who secretly attacked a company rarely asked for conversations unless they needed something.
The meeting took place in an old private club downtown.
Richard arrived exactly on time.
He looked nothing like the villain I had imagined.
That was the unsettling part.
He looked calm.
Professional.
Almost kind.
He smiled when he saw me.
“Evelyn.””
I didn’t smile back.
“Uncle Richard.””
His eyes softened.
“You’ve grown.””
“I was a child the last time you saw me.””
“Yes.””
He looked at my father.
“You never told her.””
My father’s voice was cold.
“Don’t.””
Richard sighed.
“There it is. Still protecting her from reality.””
I stepped forward.
“No. I want reality.””
Richard looked at me.
“Good.””
He sat down.
“Your father has always believed he was the only one who could save this company.””
“That’s not true.””
“Isn’t it?””
My father said nothing.
Richard continued.
“He pushed me away. He destroyed my reputation.””
I stared at him.
“Did he?””
Richard smiled slightly.
“You believe everything he tells you?””
“No.””
That surprised him.
“I believe evidence.””
His smile faded.
Good.
I continued.
“Three million dollars in missing inventory.””
“I didn’t take it.””
“Your partner did.””
“Michael?””
“Yes.””
Richard leaned back.
“Michael made his own decisions.””
“After working with you.””
He didn’t answer.
That was an answer.
I placed the security footage on the table.
“The emerald dress.””
Richard glanced at the image.
“Your employee blamed you.””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“She was instructed to.””
His expression barely changed.
“You think I planned that?””
“I think someone did.””
Richard looked at my father.
“You taught her well.””
My father’s face hardened.
“She is nothing like us.””
Richard laughed quietly.
“No. She’s better.””
That sentence surprised everyone.
Richard looked at me.
“Do you know why the dress mattered?””
“Tell me.””
“Because that dress was supposed to be presented at the anniversary event.””
“Yes.””
“But it wasn’t just a dress.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Richard looked at my father.
“Tell her.””
My father didn’t speak.
“Dad?””
He closed his eyes.
Then finally said:
“The emerald stones came from your mother’s private collection.””
I froze.
“My mother?””
“Yes.””
Richard continued.
“Before she died, she created a final design. She wanted the emerald collection to represent the family legacy.””
I looked at the image.
The dress suddenly felt different.
It wasn’t just luxury.
It was memory.
Richard leaned forward.
“And that is why I knew your father would react.””
My eyes narrowed.
“You damaged it to hurt him.””
“No.””
“Then why?””
Richard looked at me.
“Because I wanted to know something.””
“What?””
“Whether your father still cared about the company.””
I stared at him.
“That makes no sense.””
“It does.””
He glanced at my father.
“He stopped trusting everyone after your mother died.””
My father’s expression changed.
Richard continued.
“He became obsessed with protecting the company. He forgot the people inside it.””
“That doesn’t excuse what happened.””
“No.””
For the first time, Richard looked serious.
“It doesn’t.””
The room became quiet.
Then his lawyer placed a document on the table.
My father looked at it.
“What is that?””
Richard answered.
“The proof.””
I looked at the paper.
A transfer record.
A payment.
A name.
Michael Reed.
But the date shocked me.
The transaction happened ten years before the recent theft.
Before the company problems started.
Before Richard disappeared.
I looked up.
“What is this?””
Richard’s expression turned dark.
“The reason I came back.””
My father grabbed the document.
His face changed.
“What did you do?””
Richard looked at him.
“I didn’t do this.””
“Then who did?””
Richard slowly turned toward me.
And whispered:
“Your mother’s death was not an accident.””
The room went silent.
I felt the air disappear.
My mother.
The woman I lost as a child.
The woman everyone told me was gone because of fate.
Richard pushed the document toward me.
“The person who destroyed that dress…”
May you like
He paused.
“…is the same person who destroyed your family twenty years ago.””
