Unexpected Fiancée

Chapter 101: The Alleged Evidence

Chapter 101: The Alleged Evidence

The room fell silent as a sudden voice drew everyone's attention to the entrance.novelbin

A woman, impeccably dressed in a well-ironed suit and heels, made her entrance. Her bouncy, curlyblond hair added a touch of flamboyance to her stride.

Jane squinted at her; this must be Madeline, the newly appointed chief designer at Love Jewelryand the so-called creator of the Let Yourself Go series.

Madeline strode up to the stage with an air of authority. Snatching a microphone from one of thereporters, she declared, "It's ridiculous that Jane North here has accused Love Jewelry ofplagiarism. We have never stolen or copied anyone's work, including that of the Pansy Group."

Her proclamation stirred up a commotion among the room's attendees. Reporters began buzzingwith excitement. Press conferences were usually dull, so this unexpected drama was a welcomechange.

Madeline wore a smug smile as she observed the growing chaos. To add fuel to the fire, she raisedher voice even more, "Miss North, you claimed that the Ice and Fire series was completed a monthago and even brought two witnesses to attest to it, didn't you?"

Jane replied, folding her arms and maintaining a keen watch on the unfolding drama, "Yes, I did."

Madeline wore a smug grin as she continued, "In that case, it's clear you stole my design for LetYourself Go!"

A bold young reporter chimed in, "Do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

Madeline sneered and replied, "I completed the design for Let Yourself Go two months ago. SincePansy Group introduced the Ice and Fire series just a month ago, isn't it evident who the realplagiarist is?"

"But Let Yourself Go was only officially announced in the media two days ago. How can you provethat Pansy Group copied your work?" the reporter inquired further.

Madeline waved a magazine in her hand and asserted, "As I mentioned earlier, my design waspublished in a fashion magazine shortly after its completion. I recently signed a contract with LoveJewelry, and Let Yourself Go was materialized only two days ago."

Jane watched as Madeline and the reporter reinforced each other's claims. Her suspicions wereconfirmed: Love Jewelry had sent their minions to create chaos and undermine the success of thePansy Group's new series. Madeline had come forward with so-called evidence to prove that PansyGroup had committed plagiarism.

Jane decided to let her bask in the attention for now. As all of this unfolded, Florence watched witha gleeful smile. Her original plan was meant to be set in motion during the evening's celebratorydinner. However, witnessing Jane's downfall during the press conference was an unexpected thrill.

Her most significant adversary was being humiliated at such a pivotal moment, and this was sure tobring significant trouble to the Pansy Group. Florence believed that Patrick wouldn't tolerate such asignificant error. After all, he valued the business above all else. At the very least, he would fireJane.

But Florence had an even more significant surprise for Jane up her sleeve. She was confident thatshe could eliminate her tonight. Florence chuckled as she watched the live drama unfold.

A reporter asked Madeline respectfully, "Could you show us this fashion magazine?"

"Of course!" Madeline replied with a smile. She opened the fashion magazine for everyone to see,which was titled "Storm."

Jane had never heard of it before. There was indeed a publication featuring a design similar to LetYourself Go, and it claimed to change colors in response to the environment's lighting.

Madeline triumphantly stated, "There you have it! Ice and Fire is a copy of my design!"

Madeline's eyes turned cold as she provocatively looked at Jane. "Stealing someone else's idea is acriminal offense. I demand that Pansy Group issues an apology, destroys all Ice and Fire products,and pays me fifty million dollars in compensation!"

The room erupted with surprised exclamations. While fifty million dollars wasn't a considerable sumfor a company like Pansy Group, its reputation was at stake. For decades, the company hadmaintained an untarnished image and had never faced any allegations of impropriety, let aloneserious charges of plagiarism.

However, the evidence seemed compelling to the guests and reporters present.

The magazine Madeline presented appeared to leave no reasonable doubt that her design hadpreceded the creation of Ice and Fire.

Jane couldn't help but glance at the stage where Patrick was seated, calmly crossing his legs andseemingly unfazed by the unfolding drama. Suddenly, he beamed a bright smile, and his eyesexuded trust and confidence.

He believed that Jane could handle the situation effectively. Observing this, Jane returned the smileand turned her attention back to Madeline.

"Where was this magazine published? I've never heard of Storm or seen it before today," Janeinquired, feigning surprise.

Madeline pursed her lips and replied in a disdainful tone, "It just shows how uninformed you are. Foryour information, this magazine is published in France. Since you've never been there, it's nowonder you're unaware of it."

"Oh, I see. So the magazine was published in France," Jane acknowledged, pretending to beimpressed. "As far as I know, France is a Francophone country. Why is Storm in English?"

Madeline was taken aback but managed to respond, "English is widely spoken in France, and thisparticular edition was intended for English-speaking audiences."

Jane took the magazine, raised it high, and questioned, "Has anyone here ever heard of or seenthis magazine before today?"

Many of the guests in the room were prominent figures in the fashion and jewelry industry, and theyexchanged awkward glances. None of them had encountered or heard of Storm before.

Madeline, a respected designer like you, should have been able to secure a feature in a well-knowninternational magazine. Why choose an obscure publication when you had better options?" Janepointed out with a hint of irony in her voice.

The reporters nodded in agreement with Jane. Major fashion magazines typically featured worksfrom renowned designers and brands. It seemed odd that Madeline had selected an unfamiliarmagazine when she could have had her pick of renowned publications.

Madeline's expression shifted, and she retorted, "The design is mine, and I have every right tochoose where it's published. Stop trying to deceive the public. Admit your wrongdoing andapologize for stealing my design right now!"

Jane's eyes darkened as she responded, "I'm afraid it's you who should apologize. You are thethief! Let Yourself Go is a carbon copy of Ice and Fire. Don't play the victim when you are anything

but!"