Chapter 38

In the morning, Winnie, Olivia, and her assistant walked into the competition exhibition hall carrying their computers. They saw Triton's car stopping at the entrance and Ava stepped out with her twelve-inch-high heels. Behind her was Triton's design team who was creating a loud commotion. In comparison, Winnie's side seemed much shabbier. Their eyes met across the hall.

Ava walked past Winnie, raising an eyebrow and smiling lazily. "Winnie, you came too. I wish you good luck."

Olivia angrily said, "What does she mean? How can she still smile like that? She should be the one who knows your abilities the best. You're here, so all she can do is lose."

Winnie contemplated with a furrowed brow. Olivia articulated precisely what was on her mind. Ava shouldn't be so composed in this situation. Despite using Winnie's previous sketches for the competition, Winnie's current vintage design had a remarkable strength, surpassing anything she had created before. Yet, Ava appeared remarkably at ease. Winnie sensed that something was amiss.

At that moment, Olivia's phone suddenly rang. She awkwardly argued with the person on the other end. Winnie knew it was her fiance, "You should answer go inside, they insist on having lunch with me. Fortunately, Asaka is nearby discussing advertisements so you can confidently go inside, Winnie."

Winnie and her assistant, Jannie, entered the venue. As her gaze swept toward the judges' seats, she felt surprised. Lawrence Rodriguez, her arch enemy who was the main judge, was unexpectedly not there. For some unknown reason, Winnie's heart inexplicably sank and questioned his absence. That day in his office, he had said he was going to harass her, and now he was not interested in her. She had wanted to show her strength too, but she brushed off her concerns and thought that perhaps it was better this way.

At that moment, the judges announced that all contestants should submit their artwork together. Winnie went up to the stage to submit her work, and as she came down, she happened to see Ava smiling at her. Her breathing inexplicably became unsteady. She suppressed a feeling of unease as she wondered what Ava's smile could possibly mean and proceeded to sit down next to Jannie.

After organizing the submissions, they were all displayed on the large screen, but the judges in the chairman's seat fell silent. The entire audience was stunned. Winnie suddenly looked up and saw her artwork and Ava's artwork displayed side by side. Her eyes narrowed sharply and froze.

Beside her, Jannie was dumbfounded and tightly grabbed Winnie's hand. "Winnie. Winnie, what's going on? How could your work..."

At this moment, Ava stood up in disbelief and looked at Winnie. "Winnie, how is your artwork the same as mine?" As she said this, the whole audience looked at the two identical vintage-style artworks in astonishment.

"How can there be the same artwork? Who copied whom?

"There must be a plagiarist!

"But Ava is a famous genius designer."

Winnie's gaze turned instantly cold as she observed her own work being stolen by Ava, replicated exactly the same. She sneered and finally understood why Ava wasn't anxious but she had been anticipating this. With a resounding bang, she stood up and stated coldly, "Judges, this artwork is my original creation. Ava stole my design concept."

Ava's face immediately displayed anguish. "Winnie, what are you talking about? This is clearly my drawing."

The audience and media reporters below observed with bewilderment. The judges' panel descended into chaos. The head judge, Mr. Lee, promptly stated, "In a situation with identical works, there must be a plagiarist. Both of you assert it to be your original creation. Please present the timestamps from your computer files as evidence."

Winnie looked at Jannie.

Jannie immediately opened Winnie's computer and accessed the file's history timestamp. But the next moment, she became stiff all over and looked up at Winnie. "Winnie, Winnie..."

She gestured towards the computer, and Winnie glanced down, her face suddenly draining of color. The computer folder was empty, completely blank. Winnie clenched her fists, a cold realization washing over her. Instinctively, she looked up, and in that moment, she witnessed Ava approaching the stage with a computer, flashing her a sly smile. Winnie's eyes widened, and everything fell into place. She had fallen into a trap.

Ava raised her voice to the judges. "Esteemed judges, this is the evidence of my original work. Please have a look."

Mr. Lee nodded and connected the computer to the large screen. The staff immediately pulled up Ava's file history including the date when Ava's preliminary sketches were made, which was the 2nd of October.

Mr. Lee nodded and looked toward Winnie. "Where is your evidence?"

Winnie clenched her fists, a coldness on her face, and sharp words, "My computer had a malfunction. But Mr. Lee, retro-style jewelry is my original concept. I can fully explain the series of processes I went through from conception, writing, reference, and research to prove that it is my work."

Mr Lee frowned, and after a discussion with several judges, they thought it could also serve as evidence.

Winnie immediately began to explain, "This piece should be the pioneer of retro-style jewelry in the jewelry industry. I combined retro-style classics with the romance of jewelry. I referenced the history of silk wall paintings and intricately embedded silk patterns on a 33-carat diamond ring." As the judges listened, they nodded slowly, showing a hint of amazement.

But in this moment, Ava abruptly rose, interjecting with a grievance, "Winnie, this is entirely my design concept. Are you going to claim next that you also delved into the entire field of Amazon River's archaeology, the purity of diamonds enveloped in the beauty of silk, the flawless fusion of diverse cultural collisions?"

Upon finishing her statement, she also glanced at the stunned judges, signaling her readiness to provide a detailed explanation. Winnie's gaze turned completely cold. It appeared that Ava had not only pilfered her manuscript but had also gradually appropriated her ideas. This went beyond mere plagiarism and that there was an accomplice.

She didn't miss the malicious smile in Ava's eyes. At this point, Ava revealed a bitter smile. "Winnie, don't play innocent anymore. When you called me for advice, I told you everything, but I didn't expect you to turn around and steal my concept manuscript."

"Ava, stop pretending. I started conceptualizing the manuscript on the 28th of last month, earlier than you." Winnie said coldly.

Ava weakly took two steps back, her face full of grievances. "Winnie, in the past, I let it go when you used my manuscript. I also know that you are eager to return to the company, but you continue plagiarizing my work. After you had trouble, how many times did my dad and I call you? You didn't answer. And now, you are making a scene publicly, stealing my designs and accusing me, the injustice toward the Anderson family, you've gone too far!"

Uttering these words, Ava broke into tears, outlining all of Winnie's alleged responsibilities. The judges' seats were filled with astonishment. The recent scandal involving the Anderson family's eldest daughter was widely known, yet she hadn't been expelled. Now, it appeared that Winnie was stirring up trouble, seizing the competition as an opportunity to steal manuscripts and frame Ava.

The media and audience erupted below. Winnie had earlier faced accusations of plagiarizing her sister's manuscript to secure the role of Triton CEO. At this point, Winnie was accused as a habitual offender by the crowd.

"This woman is too despicable and conniving!"