Chapter 2 - THE FATHER WHO SOLD HIS DAUGHTER'S FUTURE
Richard Whitmore had always told Ava that her mother died leaving nothing but unpaid bills.
Now Niko Moretti was standing in front of three hundred witnesses claiming Eleanor Monroe had owned a fashion empire.
“That photograph is fake,” Richard snapped.
Niko glanced at him.
“Then you won't mind if I show everyone the incorporation records.”
Richard’s face turned gray.
Bianca stepped between them.
“My father built Whitmore Couture from nothing.”
“Did he?” Niko asked.
He turned toward the enormous screen behind the runway.
A security technician appeared beside the control panel.
“Mr. Moretti, we recovered the ballroom footage.”
“Play it.”
The screen flickered.
Guests watched as Bianca entered the backstage dressing area twenty minutes before the ceremony.
She picked up Ava’s clutch.
Then she opened a jewelry case, removed the missing diamond necklace, and slipped it inside the bag.
A wave of gasps swept through the room.
Bianca staggered backward.
“That’s edited!”
The technician shook his head.
“Original encrypted security recording. Three camera angles.”
Richard grabbed his daughter's arm.
“Bianca, say nothing.”
Ava felt something break inside her.
Not because Bianca had betrayed her.
She had expected cruelty from Bianca for years.
But her father had watched his daughter falsely accused of theft without lifting a finger.
Niko faced the audience.
“The theft allegation against Ava Monroe is false. Every guest here has just witnessed evidence of an attempted frame-up.”
Bianca’s eyes filled with furious tears.
“She doesn't deserve anything! She was supposed to be grateful we let her stay!”
Ava stepped forward.
“Let me stay?”
Her voice shook.
“I worked for your foundation for six months without pay. I designed your collection. I repaired your gowns. I gave up interviews because Dad said the family needed me.”
Richard lowered his voice.
“Ava, please. We can discuss this at home.”
“No.”
One word.
But it was the first time Ava had ever said it to him without apologizing afterward.
Niko offered her his arm.
“You can leave with me. Or I can have my driver take you wherever you choose.”
Ava looked at her father.
“Did you know about the necklace?”
Richard said nothing.
That silence answered everything.
Ava took Niko’s arm.
As they reached the hallway, Niko’s phone vibrated.
He read the message, and his expression hardened.
“What is it?” Ava asked.
“The company registry confirms your mother owned sixty percent of Monroe Design House before her death.”
Ava swallowed.
“Then what happened to her shares?”
Niko turned the screen toward her.
A transfer document appeared, dated three days after Eleanor's funeral.
At the bottom was Ava’s signature.
Ava stared at it.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
May you like
She looked up at him.
“Because I was six years old.”
