Female Novel
Chapter 1551
Chapter 1551
The fact of Barbara's plagiarism was undeniable. However, she remained tight-lipped about how she obtained the design drafts.In other words, she refused to confess.
The person in charge of Grandeur Gallery had also arrived at the scene. They claimed to have no knowledge of Chad's actionsand declared that it was his personal endeavor.
Nevertheless, they stated that they would appropriately compensate for any losses caused to The Velvet due to Chad's behaviorsince he was their employee.
Barbara's file had not even been registered yet. She had not signed any contract with Grandeur Gallery, which meant that shewas not officially their employee and, therefore, not under their jurisdiction.
Barbara was ready to argue with the head upon hearing this. She accused them of colluding to deceive her. If it were not for thepolice's intervention, she might have gotten into a brawl with the person in charge.
Grandeur Gallery distanced itself completely from the situation. Consequently, the main target of the police investigation wasBarbara, who was suspected of stealing the artwork.
Barbara refused to speak, no matter how the police questioned her. She merely repeated, "I did it alone. No one else wasinvolved. I'll do anything to make up for it, be it compensation or an apology. | didn't use the stolen items
for commercial purposes, nor did | gain any profits. You have no right to arrest me."The two police officers exchanged puzzled glances, wondering why she would commit such an act if she knew the law so well.
They did not have the authority to detain her unless she gained ill-gotten profits from her plagiarism. She would be subjected tocivil compensation and an apology at most.
Barbara knew this all too well. She acted fearlessly and was prepared to pay a fine. She knew they could not actually harm her.
Stella glanced at Barbara, who seemed indifferent, then turned to the police officers. "Gentlemen, would you mind coming to ourcompany? | suspect there might be a conspiracy between some of our employees and outsiders that resulted in the theft of ourcompany's trade secrets."
Infringing on trade secrets and plagiarism was not in the same league. If proven guilty, the consequences could be severe.
Upon hearing this, Barbara immediately changed her expression. "Cut the crap! It was just a sketch. What does that have to dowith trade secrets?"
Stella looked at her coldly. "I initially intended to sell over a thousand of those pendants. But now, because of your actions, I'mforced to give them away for free. The loss of over a million dollars is entirely due to the theft of our company's design. Whywouldn't that count as trade secrets?
Barbara's face turned pale. "It's clearly just one of your marketing tactics! What does it have to do with me?"
"Tell it to the police," said Stella.
Naturally, the police did not show bias toward either side. However, with evidence provided by the public, they had to conduct aninvestigation.
Seeing a group of people heading to the company, Chris quickly called Stella aside and whispered, "Ms. Hall, can't we handlethis privately? Let's not get the police involved. No matter who did it, they're long-time employees of the company. Don't you thinkwe should give them a chance?"novelbin
"You sure have a point, Chris," Stella said indifferently
The remark sounded rather sarcastic, but Chris forced a smile. "We've been colleagues for so many years. It's just a smallmistake. It won't bode well for us either if we act ruthlessly."
“What a great manager you are." Stella's voice turned ominously dark. "The company's money and reputation are on the linehere! If that dirty scheme had succeeded today, we'd be labeled as plagiarists. All our efforts would be in vain. The upfrontinvestment would be a total loss, and we'd bear the shame of being accused by everyone. The person who betrayed us didn'tthink twice about leaving us a way out when they did those dirty deeds. Why should | spare them?"
Chris’ expression changed upon hearing that.
After Stella finished speaking, she regained her composure and casually added, "We haven't been working together for long. So,maybe you don't know how I roll. Respect me, and I'll do the same; harm me, and I'll make you regret for even trying. However,my temper has improved quite a lot. So, I'm willing to opt for the legal route instead of taking matters into my own hands."