The papers lay scattered across Evelyn’s wooden studio table, mingling with the fading aroma of cold coffee left untouched since late afternoon. Beneath the dim glow of the hanging lamp, Evelyn remained awake. Her eyes scanned through each document William had given her—email transcripts, media archives, excerpts of contracts, and even legal complaint records from previous years.

Her hand trembled as she read the details of the first case—a project titled Reflections in Silence, a collaborative art exhibition between Haruki and a female artist named Mizuno Rika. It stated that the project had been unilaterally canceled by Haruki, and most of the copyright was filed under his name alone.

“He...