Chapter 8 - Four Stolen Names
The four displaced artists met Jada at a public library, away from reporters and manor employees.
Imani brought her jury email. Luis Vega had a time-stamped acceptance voicemail. Salma Haddad had declined a different residency after receiving her offer. Nia Flores had already paid a deposit on temporary housing.
"You didn't just swap names," Salma said. "You rearranged our lives."
Jada listened. She did not ask them to appear in a video or become symbols of her innocence.
"You can choose what you share," she said. "Priya is organizing independent legal advice for anyone harmed by the foundation's mistake."
Luis pushed back his chair. "Was it a mistake?"
"I don't think so anymore. But I won't call an allegation proof until it is."
Theo arrived with program layout files. The sponsor names had been inserted at 5:42 p.m. three days before the gala. His printer account had processed them, but he had received them as a locked PDF from Claire.
"I can swear I didn't alter the list," he said.
"You shouldn't have to swear to be believed," Nia answered. "But someone needs to look at the metadata."
They agreed to let Priya's forensic consultant inspect copies while preserving the source files.
As they left, a young woman approached from between the stacks. Bella Whitcomb, one of the replacement artists, looked pale.
"I didn't know I took anybody's place," she said. "My father paid a sponsorship fee. Claire told me it came with a studio."
"How much?" Jada asked.
"Thirty thousand dollars."
There were four substituted artists.
Jada felt the number multiply in her head. And she suddenly understood why Claire had called them content partners: somebody was selling admissions to a program that promised merit-based selection.
May you like
Bella lowered her voice. "I have the invoice. But it says not to tell the jury."
