CHAPTER 11
1237 Words
Chapter 11: “Whispers in the Dark”
The first chill of late autumn crept through the glass walls of Blackwell Tower the next morning, though the studio buzzed with the same quiet urgency as always. The Starfire gown shimmered on its mannequin like a captive galaxy — beautiful, but carrying a weight that made everyone tread carefully around it.
Ava arrived before sunrise, the city’s streets still wet with dew, hoping that an early start would help her escape the silent stares and whispered theories swirling around the team. She didn’t like the way people’s conversations seemed to hush when she passed by, or how their eyes darted toward her whenever Liam’s name came up.
She was halfway through double-checking the seams of the gown when the studio doors slid open with a soft hiss. Samantha entered, her usual sharp heels muted on the carpet. Behind her followed two members of the internal security team.
Ava straightened instinctively. “Is something wrong?”
Samantha’s reply was brisk, her tone clipped. “Liam asked for an immediate inspection of all electronic devices in the studio. We’ve narrowed the list of possible suspects.”
Ava blinked. “Already?”
Samantha crossed her arms. “A freelance pattern technician — name’s Carla Moreno — logged in after hours the night of the leak. She claimed she’d left a personal tablet here, but we found out her keycard was used again at 2:14 a.m. Liam wants to question her today.”
The words sent a ripple of unease through Ava. Carla was a quiet, soft-spoken woman in her late twenties, known for her delicate hand-sewing and her tendency to keep to herself. It was hard to picture her sneaking a photo of the prototype, yet the facts were unsettling.
---
By nine o’clock, Liam convened a closed-door meeting in his office with Samantha, Ava, and Carla. The atmosphere was taut, the hum of the air conditioner loud in the silence.
Carla sat rigidly in the chair across from Liam’s desk, her fingers clasped tightly together.
“I didn’t leak anything,” she said, her voice tremulous but firm. “I really did forget my tablet that night. I came back to get it. That’s all.”
“Why didn’t you log that in the maintenance sheet?” Liam’s tone was calm but edged with steel.
“I… I didn’t think I needed to,” Carla stammered. “It was late. I just wanted to grab it and leave.”
Liam’s gaze never wavered. “The cameras were down during that time. That makes your story hard to verify.”
Ava sat quietly beside Samantha, observing. She noticed the way Carla’s eyes darted not to Liam but to Samantha, as if seeking an ally. It made Ava’s chest tighten with unease.
“We’ll hold your access privileges until we finish our investigation,” Liam concluded at last. “In the meantime, you’re temporarily reassigned to the secondary line.”
Carla’s eyes widened. “But the showcase—”
“This isn’t negotiable,” Liam interrupted. “You may leave for now.”
Carla left the room without another word, but the tension she carried lingered like a shadow.
---
As the day wore on, Ava tried to immerse herself in her work, but her mind kept circling back to Carla’s pale, strained face. Something about her story didn’t sit right — not because it sounded like a lie, but because it seemed incomplete.
That evening, when most of the team had left, Ava stayed behind to recalibrate the skirt’s sensors. The studio was hushed except for the soft hum of the machinery and the distant city noise filtering through the windows.
She was adjusting the threads on the mannequin when she heard the faintest click of the studio door. Her heart jumped, but it was only Liam, stepping in with his usual quiet authority.
“You’re still here,” he said, noticing the glow of her desk lamp.
“I needed to fix the transition delays before tomorrow’s rehearsal,” she replied without looking up. “If we don’t get it right under the moving spotlights, the gown will glitch.”
He walked over, his footsteps silent on the polished floor. “You’ve been carrying too much of this alone.”
She gave a faint laugh. “Feels like it.”
Liam stopped beside her, close enough that she could feel his presence more than see it. “About Carla,” he said after a pause. “Do you believe her?”
Ava hesitated, then looked up at him. “I don’t think she’s lying. But I think she’s hiding something.”
His gaze sharpened, intrigued. “Go on.”
“She looked… scared,” Ava said slowly. “Not guilty. Like she’s afraid of being blamed for something she didn’t do. I just can’t figure out why.”
Liam studied her for a moment, the corners of his mouth tightening slightly. “Fear and guilt often look the same. But you’re right — there’s something off.”
---
Later that night, Ava packed her things and headed for the elevator. The corridors were mostly dark, lit only by emergency strips that cast long shadows across the walls. As she passed one of the smaller conference rooms, she thought she heard hushed voices inside.
Curious, she paused near the slightly ajar door.
“…you can’t keep this up,” a female voice whispered urgently.
“I don’t have a choice,” came a reply — Carla’s voice, trembling.
Ava froze, her breath caught. She strained to hear the rest, but the conversation shifted into hushed tones too low to make out. When the door creaked as she shifted her weight, the voices abruptly fell silent.
Ava moved on quickly, her pulse racing, pretending she hadn’t lingered.
---
When she reached the ground floor lobby, her phone buzzed — a message from Ethan.
> “Saw the headline about Carla. You okay? Need backup?”
She hesitated before typing back: “Fine. Just tired. It’s getting complicated.”
> “Then don’t let them drag you down. I’ll be at the gala rehearsal tomorrow. You’re not alone in this.”
His words brought a brief, fleeting warmth, though it was tangled with the unease of everything else weighing on her.
---
Meanwhile, back in his office, Liam stood by the window overlooking the city. His phone lit up with an update from security:
> “Unusual transfer detected on Carla Moreno’s account last week — amount unverified. Investigating source.”
His eyes narrowed at the message, the pieces of the puzzle slowly aligning in his mind. Whoever orchestrated the leak hadn’t done it for art or rivalry alone — there was money involved.
He closed the message and turned his gaze back to the city below, its glittering lights reflecting in his eyes like distant stars.
The game was deeper than he had thought.
---
That night, Ava couldn’t shake the memory of Carla’s whispered words. She lay awake, staring at the faint city glow filtering through her curtains. The Starfire gown might be the crown jewel of the showcase, but it was also becoming a lure — for ambition, betrayal, and secrets buried in the dark.
She wondered how many more whispers would surface before the truth finally came to light — and how much of herself she’d lose before then.
- Writer
