Chapter 4 - The Signature That Wasn't Hers

Nora did not call Victoria. She sent the entire attachment to Amara and waited, resisting the urge to write an angry reply that could later be treated as an admission or a threat. On the screen, the signature resembled her handwriting. That resemblance upset her more than an obviously fake mark would have. Whoever had prepared the document had used enough care to make it seem plausible at a glance.

Amara called just after Nora finished checking the date. “Tell me exactly why you're certain you didn't sign it.”

“Because I didn't agree to an assignment. I didn't receive a copy. I didn't receive the payment it describes. And that evening I worked from afternoon service until closing.”

“Good. Those are facts we can investigate. Don't assume the shift record proves you couldn't have signed electronically. We need to learn how the document was created and authenticated.”

The distinction was frustrating but necessary. Nora had expected the false date to settle everything. Amara explained that a digital signature could technically be placed during a work shift. The real questions were which account had authorized it, which email address received the signing invitation, and whether any legitimate consent existed. An image of a signature was not a full audit trail.

Nora opened her banking records and searched for the assignment payment. The document specified a sum that would have made an enormous difference to her finances. There was no corresponding deposit. More important, she found the email she'd written after the sampling period, asking when the production discussions would resume. The label had answered that it wasn't using her work. That message had been sent after the alleged assignment date. If the company truly believed it owned her artwork, its explanation of the project had been misleading at the very least.

She forwarded both records to Amara. Then she tried to sleep. The city sounds beyond her window continued as usual while her mind circled the same problem: a signed-looking document existed, and someone might believe it before hearing her account.

In the morning, June called with another update. The late-evening presentation had gone ahead without the blue-and-silver pieces, which remained on a separate rack after the legal notice. The production supervisor had directed the finishing team to package other garments for publicity while the ownership question was reviewed. There had been arguments behind the scenes. June’s contract was due to end once the remaining work was completed, and she feared that asking another question would cost the last of her payment.

“Then don't ask,” Nora said. “You've already helped. Submit your invoice and keep a copy.”

By late morning, Amara had obtained a response to her request for the signature audit. The company's outside counsel said the rights assignment had been signed through an electronic platform and promised to supply the transaction record after consulting the business. It was a delay, not proof. Amara insisted that the disputed looks remain out of any further showings, advertisements, and orders while the review continued.

The event organizer had been more receptive than Nora expected the previous night. The organizer had rented the venue and sold sponsorship packages based on representations that Victoria’s company controlled the designs. An unresolved ownership claim presented a financial risk. Following Amara’s notice, the organizer had excluded the disputed garments from the late-evening presentation. Victoria showed the rest of her collection. The unresolved question now concerned the retailer orders, publicity photographs, and any later use of Nora’s art.

Nora returned to the restaurant in the afternoon, not to ask for her job back but to collect her personal belongings. She brought a written request for her final wages and the relevant camera footage. A woman from the general office met her at the side entrance and introduced herself as Helen, the operations director. Helen listened while Nora described Victoria's conduct and the manager's decision.

“The manager says you insulted a guest,” Helen said.

“I returned money she'd thrown at me,” Nora replied. “He didn't ask what happened. Then he grabbed my arm.”

Helen looked at the dated photograph Nora had taken outside. “We'll review the recording if it's still available.”

Nora felt her stomach tighten. “I emailed last night asking for it to be preserved.”

“Yes. I saw that request this morning. I'm checking the retention system.”

The uncertainty was immediate and real. Nora had assumed the camera would be there when she needed it. Helen explained that recordings were overwritten on a schedule unless someone flagged them. Whether Nora's message had reached the right person in time remained unclear.

Inside the staff area, Nora retrieved her coat and the sketchbook she'd kept in her locker. The restaurant had never been glamorous from that side of the walls. There were scuffed floors, schedules covered with corrections, and tired employees who relied on their shifts. Nora had worked beside them for almost a year. Losing the job meant losing rent money and familiar people, not merely leaving an unpleasant encounter behind.

One of the servers, Lena, approached while Nora was closing her bag. Lena had served the neighboring table during the confrontation. She said quietly that she had seen Victoria throw the money and the manager grab Nora's arm. She was willing to give a statement, provided Nora did not promise her anonymity that couldn't be guaranteed.

“I don't want you to lose your job too,” Nora said.

“Then let me decide what I can say,” Lena answered.

The words stayed with Nora. She had spent the previous night being careful not to endanger June. She had almost overlooked that other people could choose to speak for themselves.

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Outside, Amara sent a message. The label's lawyers had produced the first page of an electronic-signature record. It listed a signing email address Nora had never used, constructed from her name with an extra word at the end. The company had not yet explained who created the account or why its legal office hadn't contacted the address Nora had used throughout the sampling project.

Nora enlarged the screenshot, recognizing the shape of the deception at last. Someone had not merely placed a copied signature on an assignment. Someone had created a second way for the company to claim she had received and accepted it. And that meant there should be a record of who had sent the document to the false address.