The Kleptomaniac Son In Law Is Back

Designs He'd Never Forget

The security guards approached Merrick from either side, one reaching for his arm while the other motioned for him to turn around.

Merrick stepped back before either could touch him, his expression hardening as the employees gathered along the corridor watched with undisguised interest.

"Nobody is taking me anywhere until you explain exactly what you think I've done," he said, holding up a hand to stop the guard approaching him.

Clara scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "The missing USB contains confidential designs for the Springfield Showcase, and you happen to be here when it disappears. What other explanation do you need?"

"Evidence," Merrick answered, looking directly at her. "You need evidence."

Avery emerged from her office, her expression betraying more irritation than concern. "Merrick, don't make this more difficult than it needs to be. If you have nothing to hide, cooperate with security and let them finish their work."

He turned toward her, momentarily struck by how easily she had accepted the accusation. After four years of marriage, she knew how much designing meant to him. She also knew he would never steal another person's work.

Yet she stood there looking at him as though he were a criminal.

Merrick looked away before the disappointment on his face could become another source of amusement for her employees.

"Fine," he replied, extending his arms. "Search me."

One of the guards checked his pockets while the other examined his jacket. They found his phone, his wallet, and a set of keys, but nothing resembling the missing USB drive.

Clara's expression tightened when the guards stepped away.

"Check his bag, too," she ordered, pointing toward the small bag Merrick had brought with him.

"I don't have a bag," Merrick replied, glancing at her empty-handedly.

Clara hesitated, her gaze dropping briefly before she recovered. "Then check his belongings again."

The employees began whispering louder, and Merrick felt his remaining patience slipping away. He had come to sign divorce papers, not spend his morning entertaining people who had already decided he was guilty.

Before he could respond, a familiar voice rang out from the elevator.

"What exactly is going on here?"

Nadia hurried toward the group, her face flushed with anger as she pushed past two employees. She had grown tired of waiting in the car and had come inside to find out what was keeping her brother.

When she saw Merrick surrounded by security, her expression changed.

"Merrick, what happened?" she asked, moving to stand beside him.

"They're accusing me of stealing a USB drive," he answered, keeping his voice controlled.

Nadia stared at Clara in disbelief before turning toward Avery. "You cannot be serious. He came here to sign divorce papers, and now you're accusing him of theft?"

Clara lifted her chin. "This is a company matter, Nadia. You should stay out of it."

"Then stop dragging my brother into something you can't prove," Nadia snapped, stepping closer to her.

Avery's eyes narrowed. "Your brother is suspected of taking confidential company property. We have every right to investigate."

"Then investigate properly!" Nadia retorted, her hands trembling with anger. "You know what he's capable of designing, but somehow you think he'd steal a USB instead?"

Merrick touched her arm, gently drawing her attention back to him.

"Nadia, leave it," he murmured, shaking his head. "There's no point arguing with people who have already made up their minds."

She looked at him, clearly unwilling to abandon the argument, but the exhaustion in his face stopped her from speaking again.

Clara seized the opportunity, turning toward the guards. "You've searched him and found nothing, but that doesn't mean he didn't hide the drive somewhere else. Call the police and let them deal with him."

One guard reached for his phone.

Something inside Merrick finally snapped.

"Enough."

His voice cut through the corridor, silencing the whispers and drawing every eye toward him.

He stepped away from Nadia, his gaze fixed on Clara. "You've searched me, found nothing, and still want to call the police. What exactly do you expect them to find?"

Clara's lips parted, but he continued before she could answer.

"You claim I stole designs that haven't even been presented to the public. Tell me, Clara, do you know who created them?"

She frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Merrick replied, his voice growing colder. "Because the designs you're so worried about are mine."

A few employees exchanged incredulous looks, while Avery stared at him as though he had just made an outrageous claim.

"Your designs?" Avery repeated, stepping forward. "Merrick, don't embarrass yourself further. Those collections belong to Sterling Fashion."

Merrick looked at her, remembering the countless nights he had spent hunched over a drawing table while she slept, the sketches he had revised until dawn, and the ideas she had presented to investors under her own name.

He had kept quiet for years because he believed protecting her was worth the sacrifice.

That mistake ended today.

"Get me paper and a pen," he demanded, turning toward Clara.

She stared at him. "What?"

"Paper and a pen," he repeated, holding her gaze. "Unless you're afraid I'll prove you wrong."

Clara glanced at Avery, who gave a small, irritated nod.

"Fine," Clara replied, gesturing to an assistant standing nearby. "Bring him whatever he wants."

Within moments, the assistant returned with a sketchpad and several pens. Merrick took them without a word, then moved to a nearby table where everyone could see what he was doing.

He closed his eyes briefly, recalling the collection he had designed months earlier: the structure of each garment, the unusual cuts, the balance between traditional tailoring and modern silhouettes.

Then his hand began moving.

The first sketch emerged quickly, followed by another and another. His pen swept across the page with the confidence of someone who had spent years bringing ideas to life. He added precise measurements, intricate stitching patterns, and the distinctive details that separated the Springfield Showcase collection from anything Sterling Fashion had produced before.

The corridor grew quiet.

An assistant from the design department edged closer, staring at the drawings with growing disbelief.

"Those are the showcase designs," she whispered, pointing at the page with a trembling finger. "That's the asymmetrical evening gown and the structured ivory suit. I've seen the preliminary samples."

Another designer stepped forward, examining the sketches more closely. "The embroidery placement is identical to the production notes," he confirmed, his eyebrows rising. "Even the hidden fastening on the second dress is there."

Avery's face had gone pale.

Merrick finished the final sketch and placed the pen on the table, then turned toward her.

"You wanted proof," he said, pushing the sketchpad across the surface. "There it is."

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then the distant rumble of engines interrupted the silence. Through the glass walls overlooking the driveway, employees watched a convoy of black luxury cars pull up outside the building.

The lead car stopped at the entrance, and a suited man stepped out, carrying a leather briefcase as security personnel hurried to open the doors.

Clara turned toward the windows, confusion replacing her certainty. "Who are those people?" she asked, looking at Avery for an explanation.

Avery didn't answer. Her attention remained fixed on Merrick's sketches.

The elevator doors opened behind the approaching employees, and the suited man strode into the corridor with several attendants following him. His eyes swept across the gathering crowd before settling on Merrick.

Attorney Zach stopped beside the table, his expression turning icy as he noticed the security guards surrounding the young man.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice carrying through the suddenly silent corridor.

Clara straightened, attempting to recover her composure. "This man is suspected of stealing confidential company property," she explained, gesturing toward Merrick. "We're conducting an investigation."

Zach's gaze moved to the sketchpad, then to the guards standing on either side of Merrick. His expression darkened.

"You dare accuse him of theft and attempt to have him arrested in front of an entire company?" he asked, his voice sharp with disbelief.

Avery stepped forward, her brows drawing together. "And who exactly are you to interfere in Sterling Fashion's affairs?"

Zach closed his briefcase with a decisive snap before fixing his eyes on her.

"Attorney Zach, representing the Vermillion family," he announced, his voice cold enough to silence the remaining whispers. "And I'd like to know how any of you thought you could arrest the newest member of the Vermillions."