"Put down those twelve sketchbooks, or I'll make sure Theo sees you ruin his future right now," Adrien whispered.
His breath smelled of expensive scotch and mint. I did not step back. I pressed the stack of leather against my chest. The automated voice overhead announced forty-five seconds to showtime.
"Move," I told him.
Adrien planted his hand firmly against the steel locker, caging me in. "You are acting like a hysterical amateur, Camille. Give me the folios. The investors are waiting to see the technical sheets after the show."
I turned my head toward the security guard standing awkwardly near the loading dock. A small green light blinked on the center of his uniform.
"Officer," I said, projecting my voice so the microphone would pick up every syllable. "Step closer."
The guard shifted his weight but took a half-step forward, his heavy boots scuffing the concrete.
I held up the folded legal document, angling it directly at the body camera lens. "This is a court-stamped marital asset inventory. It clearly lists these twelve folios as my personal intellectual property. Vallois Fashion House holds only the manufacturing license for the ready-to-wear line. You do not own the designs."
Adrien scoffed. He glared at the guard. "Turn off the camera. This is a private dispute."
"Leave it on," I countered. "If my husband continues to block my exit, I will press charges for attempted theft of personal assets. We can resolve this in front of the press pool outside, or we can resolve it at the police station. Which will look better on the front page of Le Monde tomorrow morning?"
"Thirty seconds to showtime," the speakers blared. "Music cue standing by."
"You are insane," Adrien hissed, his face inches from mine. "You would burn down your own legacy just to spite me?"
"You already gave my legacy to a twenty-eight-year-old," I replied. "I am leaving."
"Choose, Adrien. Block my property, or go start your show."
He dropped his arm and stepped aside.
"This changes nothing," he said, aggressively smoothing the lapels of his suit. "You are just making a fool of yourself. The board will crush you for this."
I knelt on the cold concrete floor. A heavy plastic transport box sat near the loading dock doors, stamped with the number forty-two in white paint. I snapped the metal latches open and began placing the folios inside.
One by one, the heavy leather books filled the container. Nine months of my life sat in that plastic crate. The pages held every graphite sketch, every pinned silk swatch, every mathematical calculation of labor hours required for the factory line. They also held the index for the twelve-stitch comet motif. The signature embroidery pattern I invented. The very same pattern Theo currently wore on his midnight velvet blazer.
I picked up the final folio. The black leather was worn at the corners from months of use. I traced the embossed initials on the cover. Eighteen years ago, I sat on the warped wooden floor of a drafty Lyon apartment and drew the very first comet motif on page one of a similar book. I handed the bank a check for three hundred eighty thousand euros, the entire mortgage of my mother's home, to fund Adrien's ambition. My money. My talent. His name on the door.
I placed the twelfth book into the box.
Footsteps slapped rapidly against the concrete hallway.
"Mom!"
Theo sprinted around the corner of the locker bank. His velvet blazer flapped open, revealing the crisp white shirt underneath. He slammed both hands down on the plastic lid of the transport box, trapping my fingers against the rim.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice cracking with panic.
I pulled my hand back, rubbing my knuckles. "I am taking my property, Theo."
"You are stealing the collection notes." He stared at the black leather spines visible through the gap in the lid. "Dad said you were trying to sabotage the runway. I didn't believe him. I defended you."
"Your father lied to you," I said, keeping my voice low and steady.
"They are calling places!" Theo shouted, pointing toward the stage. "My first collection is about to walk out there, and you are packing up the technical sheets? Would you really rather destroy Vallois than see me succeed?"
"This is not your collection," I stated, refusing to break eye contact. "And it is not Sabine's. It is mine."
"Sabine helped me finalize the vision!" Theo argued, his face flushing red. "She understands the modern market. You are stuck in the past."
"Sabine does not know a bias cut from a French seam," I fired back. "I drafted those patterns. I stayed awake for three nights tailoring that jacket on your shoulders. I built this brand from nothing while she was still in grade school."
"You are just bitter because Dad is restructuring," Theo sneered. "You can't handle sharing the spotlight."
I refused to flinch. I pointed a steady finger at the side of the transport box.
"Read the label," I commanded.
Theo blinked, caught off guard by my tone. "What?"
"Read the shipping manifest pasted to the side of the box."
He hesitated, then leaned over. His eyes scanned the printed text on the white sticker.
"Personal Original Drafts," he read aloud, his voice losing some of its bravado. "Property of Camille Laurent."
"Look at the signature line," I said.
Theo traced the blue ink with his thumb. "The guard signed it."
"Because he verified the contents against a court order," I explained. "I am not stealing, Theo. I am reclaiming what legally belongs to me. You and your father have the garments for tonight. But you do not have the rights to reproduce them. You do not have the patterns. Vallois only has the manufacturing license for ready-to-wear. Without these books, your debut collection ends the second the show is over."
"Theo!"
A sharp voice echoed down the hall. Sabine stepped into the harsh overhead lighting, her blonde hair perfectly styled, wearing a silk slip dress I designed last spring. The gold thimble gleamed on her index finger.
"The opening model is on the runway," Sabine urged, grabbing Theo's arm and tugging him backward. "You need to be at the monitor for the press photos."
Theo did not move. He kept his hand on the box lid, staring at the signature line and the twelve black folios inside.
Sabine noticed the open crate. She looked at the leather books. A strange, calculating expression crossed her face. She reached past Theo and shoved her hand straight to the bottom of the plastic container.
"Don't touch those," I warned, stepping forward to block her.
Sabine pulled her hand out before I could reach her. Her fingers gripped a loose, single sheet of paper. It was a photocopied sketch of the finale gown, complete with my handwritten margin notes.
She held the paper up, a sharp smile spreading across her lips.
"Missing one original page, they will believe this is my collection."
