Chapter 3
709 Words
Julian snatched the old photo from my fingers and tucked it back into the portfolio.
"She attended a jewelry exchange camp that year, and I sponsored her for a bit. It's just a young girl's hero worship. You don't need to read into it," he said.
"One week before we got our marriage license, you were with her appreciating the center stone?" I asked.
"I was negotiating a project," he explained and handed the portfolio to Hannah. "Chloe, twisting pure kindness into some cheap affair is pathetic."
His phone buzzed with a call from his mother, Marlee Stone.
30 minutes later, I was summoned to the private holding room.
Marlee sat at the head of the table while Lexi refilled her cup. Hannah stood to one side clutching her laptop, the draft of the statement already formatted and ready.
Marlee pushed a cup toward me. "Julian has been paying the rent and hiring cleaners for your mother's old studio all these years. That's a fact, isn't it? A woman's real dignity comes from keeping her family intact, not fighting over a name on a page."
Hannah spun her laptop to face me. "Mrs. Stone, if you just post this, last night's screenshot can be brushed off as a private misunderstanding. Lexi is still an intern, and she can't afford to be labeled a homewrecker."
Lexi's eyes welled with tears. "I can resign, as long as Mrs. Stone doesn't misunderstand Mr. Stone. It's just that we've prepared the Aurora Collection for so long. If I leave now, everyone's hard work will be for nothing."
Julian stood by the window, his cufflinks impeccably fastened. "No one is resigning. Chloe will handle it."
I stared at the draft. It claimed the necklaces were mere promotional samples belonging to Lumina Group, making it entirely reasonable for Lexi, as lead designer, to wear them.
It went on to assert that my marriage with Julian remained rock solid, urging the public not to read too much into it.
"I'm not posting it," I said.
Marlee's face darkened. "Are you hell-bent on making the Stone family a laughingstock?"
Julian walked over, resting his palm on the back of my chair. "Starting tomorrow, your mother's studio will be locked down. HR will keep the keys. We'll talk about reopening it when you've cooled off."
I looked up at him. "You're using my mom's legacy to blackmail me?"
"You're the one threatening my company's project," he warned.
He bent down, lowering his voice. "Chloe, don't push me. I don't want to make this ugly."
No one in the room spoke up for me.
Hannah avoided my gaze. Marlee slowly turned the rosary between her fingertips, and Lexi offered me a tissue, as if handing me a graceful way to step down.
I ignored the tissue, turned on my heel, and headed straight to my mother's old studio.
The door had already been fitted with a smart lock.
A security guard blocked my path. "Mr. Stone ordered an inventory check today. No one is allowed inside."
"I'm Chloe Stone," I said.
He checked his clipboard. "You're not on the list."
I sneaked around to the back window. The vintage cabinet by the sill was still there. Before my mother passed away, she had built a hidden compartment under the third drawer. The thin wooden panel popped open with a slight push.
The original manuscript was gone. In its place was a kraft-paper envelope.
A label from Lumina Group's Legal Department was slapped on it, listing the contents: Copy of the Copyright Transfer Agreement for the Aurora Orbit Cut.
The transferor was me. And the transferee was Julian.
The date was 3 years ago, the exact day we got our marriage license.
The signature at the bottom looked uncannily like mine, but the last letter had a rightward tail at the end. I never finished my signature like that.
The second page of the addendum stated that the transferee had the right to appoint a project representative for public credit. The name filled in the blank was Lexi.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Julian sent a message.
Julian: The Aurora Collection viewing party is tomorrow at 7 PM. Wear white. No jewelry. Lexi will be wearing the center stone.
- Writer
