Chapter 266

Chapter 266

Soon, the crowd surged back into the venue.

In front of everyone, Nicholas made a solemn announcement.

Charlotte was the undisputed champion.

As for Sabrina, not only was she suspected of false accusations, but also of plagiarism. Her runner-up title was revoked on the spot, and she was banned from participating in any design competitions for five years.

The outcome was deeply satisfying.

Lauren, Tina, Debra, and the others who had been outside worrying about Charlotte all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Lauren even led a few fellow Charlotte admirers in spontaneous cheers and celebration.

Watching this scene, the shame in Sabrina's heart vanished completely—replaced by something darker.

She stared daggers at Charlotte, who stood there smiling with confidence, and swallowed hard. 'Charlotte, don't celebrate too soon,' she thought.

Beside her, Alexander—who always carried himself with such superiority—finally lost his composure.

His face darkened as he grabbed Sabrina's arm. "Let's go."

Without another word, he turned and left without so much as a glance back at her.

Sabrina looked at Alexander's retreating figure, then at Charlotte who was hoisting the championship trophy high above the stage. She bit down hard, then spun around to chase after Alexander.

'Charlotte, you think you can destroy me? It won't be that easy,' she thought.

The ride home was silent.

But the moment they stepped into Forbes Estate, Alexander couldn't hold back any longer.

He stopped abruptly, turned, and fixed his gaze on Sabrina. "Talk."

Sabrina wasn't surprised by his reaction.

She recalled the strategy she'd rehearsed in the car, then slowly let her eyes well up with tears as she approached him. "Alexander, I truly didn't know those sketches were Charlotte's."

"Besides, didn't you also refuse to believe she could produce work of that caliber?"

Alexander pulled his arm away from her grasp. "That's not an excuse for plagiarism."

Watching his cold expression, Sabrina's heart sank.

This was the first time Alexander had shown her such impatience—even rejecting her touch.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Sabrina quickly reined in her emotions and put on a wounded expression. "Actually, I wasn't doing it for myself. I was doing it for the Forbes Group."

Alexander looked slightly taken aback. "What are you talking about? For the Forbes Group?"

Sabrina stole a glance at his expression. "Yes. Because I knew Ms. Talbot left Charlotte a lot of design work. I was worried that if she used those pieces to win competitions, it would affect the Forbes Group's future development."

"So when I found those sketches, I kept them secretly—just in case we needed to counter her."

Alexander's brow furrowed. "Are you saying Charlotte's designs were actually left behind by Lynn?"

"But she clearly discussed them with Declan on her phone."

Sabrina's eyes widened innocently. "Charlotte does have some artistic talent, doesn't she?"

A shadow passed through her eyes. "I'm guessing she simply copied the sketches Ms. Talbot left behind."

"And because she was worried they'd seem outdated, after copying them, she consulted with Declan to refine them."

A hint of hesitation crossed Alexander's face. "What you're saying… actually makes some sense."

Satisfaction flickered in Sabrina's eyes. "Alexander, you know as well as I do—copying only requires a bit of talent. But original design? Without formal training, how could someone suddenly skyrocket like that?"

As she spoke, Sabrina carefully watched Alexander's expression shift.

Sure enough, once she finished, all traces of doubt vanished from his face. "Looks like I gave Charlotte too much credit."

"Unfortunately, we can't prove any of this."

Sabrina quickly adopted a guilty expression. "Charlotte's too cunning. And with Mr. Landon Forbes protecting her, we can't guard against everything."

Alexander slowly clenched his fists. "Charlotte has gone too far."

Meanwhile, at a hotel in River City.

Surrounded by well-wishers, Charlotte suddenly sneezed.

Landon immediately handed her a glass of water. "Is the AC too high? Drink some water—I'll go turn up the temperature right now."

Seeing this, everyone exchanged knowing looks.

Debra felt happy for Charlotte, but also a twinge of bitterness.

First Alexander, now Landon. Jordan's luck was seriously terrible.

Under everyone's stares, Charlotte shifted uncomfortably and quickly grabbed Landon's arm. "It's just a tiny sneeze. You don't need to worry so much—I'm not cold at all."

Landon completely ignored the surrounding gazes, his eyes fixed solely on Charlotte. "Are you sure?"

Charlotte nodded emphatically, a bit helplessly. "I'm absolutely sure."

'Landon, please tone it down. Can't you see everyone's staring at us? I'm dying of embarrassment here,' she thought.

As if reading her mind, Landon finally withdrew that gaze that could melt anyone. "Good."

Just then, Jenna—who'd been munching on a chicken leg while watching the drama unfold—suddenly bent over and dry-heaved.

Charlotte panicked.

"Jenna, what's wrong?"

She started to rush forward to check on her friend, but someone beat her to it.

Lucas hurried over and gently patted Jenna's back. "What happened? Did you eat something bad?"

Charlotte froze in place, stunned.

What was happening? Lucas, the troublemaker, actually cared about someone? And that someone was Jenna?

Charlotte wasn't the only one shocked—everyone in the private room looked equally amazed.

Lucas was someone so wild that even his own parents couldn't control him.

And now he was showing concern for someone?

Jenna also sensed something was off. She straightened up quickly and shoved Lucas away. "I'm fine. Stop making such a fuss."

Seeing Lucas pushed aside, the crowd collectively held their breath.

Jenna was seriously clueless—she actually dared to provoke Lucas?

Even Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She quickly approached to change the subject. "Jenna, just to be safe, let me take you to the hospital."

Jenna waved her off repeatedly. "I'm fine. Today's your championship celebration—I can't ruin it."

"Come on, let's keep eating and drinking!"

Jenna reached for her glass, but Lucas suddenly grabbed her wrist firmly. "Let's go. I'm taking you to the hospital."

Before Jenna could react, he was already half-supporting, half-dragging her toward the door.

Jenna struggled. "Lucas, do I even know you that well? Let go."

Lucas remained silent, simply continuing to lead her out.

Charlotte couldn't hold back anymore. She was about to follow them when Landon stopped her. "Don't worry. Can't you tell? Lucas isn't the same person he used to be."

Though she had her doubts, Charlotte decided not to chase after them.

After all, everyone here was celebrating her victory. It would be rude to just leave.

Besides, Landon was an excellent judge of character. If he said Lucas was trustworthy, he absolutely was.

Charlotte suddenly realized that, without even noticing, she'd come to trust Landon completely.

Meanwhile, Lucas had already half-carried, half-pushed Jenna into his car.