Chapter 10
Chloe's face turned deathly pale. Her hands trembling, she picked up the paper and pen, staring at the blank sheet in front of her, unable to put pen to paper.
The judges and other contestants all noticed something was wrong with Chloe.
Whispers spread around the room.
"What's going on? Can she actually do this or not?"
"Exactly. Everyone says she plagiarizes. Now's the time to show what she's really got, right?"
"Looking at it now, who knows who she copied these designs from."
Chloe's face flushed red. She had no idea what to do.
Just then, the exam room door suddenly swung open. It was Charlotte.
Dressed in a black hoodie with one hand in her pocket, she walked in with an indifferent air.
Chloe turned her head and stared daggers at her.
Charlotte walked closer, finally gracing Chloe with a glance, her tone contemptuous.
"Move. You're in my way."
Chloe clenched her fists in anger but had no choice but to step aside.
Charlotte walked up to the judges' table and picked up paper and pen.
Everyone crowded around.
"This is Queen! I can't believe I'm getting to watch her sketch in person!"
"Look, look! She's starting!"
Under everyone's gaze, no one paid any attention to Chloe anymore. All eyes were on Charlotte.
Charlotte smoothed out the paper and looked up at the judges.
"Impromptu creation. Give me a theme."
The crowd erupted.
An impromptu creation!
One of the judges immediately said, "Phoenix rebirth."
Without a second's hesitation, Charlotte began to draw.
As her wrist moved continuously, soon a preliminary jewelry design appeared on the paper.
Whether it was the necklace, bracelet, or ring, each was filled with meaning and clever ideas about rebirth.
The necklace featured a phoenix missing three feathers, looking back to examine its own body, conveying a sense of sadness and loneliness—beautiful and pitiful.
The bracelet was three feathers intertwined together, perfectly echoing the necklace.
On the ring was a cluster of flames, within which a phoenix's tear could faintly be seen, symbolizing rebirth from the ashes.
Seeing this incredibly creative concept and design, everyone at the scene fell silent, eyes wide, watching quietly, afraid to disturb this master's creative flow.
Every designer was admiring it while feeling somewhat dejected.
Some hung their heads low. "Even if you gave me a whole day to think, I couldn't come up with her creativity."
"Yeah, she's simply a genius born to design jewelry. Her talent is terrifying. Is this the gap between people?"
"This impromptu design could be entered in the finals, yet it's just a stepping stone to get into the preliminaries. I'm truly impressed..."
All around were nothing but generous praises for Charlotte.
Chloe stood outside the crowd, completely ignored, her expression extremely unpleasant.
When Charlotte finished her work, the judges gathered around, amazed.
Amid enthusiastic applause, the judges directly gave Charlotte a pass straight to the finals.
"Master Queen's credentials are enough to be a head judge. With this level of skill, no need to say more—straight to the finals!"
"Yes, no need to participate in any of the three preliminary rounds!"
No one had any objection. Everyone agreed and applauded.
Charlotte thanked them politely and said coolly, "Now that the creation is complete, shouldn't your competition directly blacklist certain people who never learn and keep making mistakes?"
Her words were clearly pointed. Everyone looked at each other, unsure who she meant.
Chloe seemed to sense something and looked up with an ugly expression.
The next second, several security guards surrounded her.
One of the judges threw the design drafts in front of her.
"Even at this point, you're still trying to fake your way through! These designs are clearly Queen's previous works, yet you modified them and used them to enter the design competition! How shameful!"
"We absolutely won't allow someone without ability or integrity like you to compete. Leave now, or we'll have security throw you out!"
Chloe swayed unsteadily, watched by everyone with contemptuous eyes—even more humiliating than at the engagement party.
She stared at Charlotte with bitter resentment but couldn't say a word. She could only flee in panic under the security guards' pressure.
Behind her, people spoke up for Charlotte.
"Someone like that must be blacklisted from the design world!"
"She was already given one chance and still did this. She must be blacklisted!"
Others swarmed forward, competing for Charlotte's autograph.
It was lively on one side, while on the other, Chloe, blacklisted by the industry, fled back to the Johnson Mansion.
Evening.
Charlotte finally left the competition venue.
Jason came to pick her up. The car had barely driven away when he received a phone call.
"What? Okay, I understand. I'll head back right away."
His expression turned serious. He hung up and looked at Charlotte. "Your foster mother is causing trouble at the studio. It's probably about Chloe being blacklisted."
Charlotte let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Back to the studio. I'll handle it myself."
Jason hit the gas and rushed to Queen Studio.
At the entrance to Queen Studio, a group of bodyguards were waiting. Jason had told them in advance not to act, letting Susan make a scene inside the studio.
As soon as Charlotte got out of the car, she saw Susan holding up her phone, recording.
"Queen deliberately framed my daughter and got her blacklisted in the design world. Look, everyone, this is her studio!"
"We raised her for years, yet she can even harm her own sister. Ungrateful wretch! Unfit to be human!"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. To go this far for Chloe, a habitual plagiarist of a foster daughter—what great maternal love.
"Boss." The bodyguards all bowed their heads in greeting when they saw Charlotte arrive.
Charlotte walked into the studio and snatched the phone from behind Susan.
The moment Susan saw her, her expression changed dramatically. She moved to strike.
"You ungrateful thing, how dare you..."
Before she could finish, Charlotte threw the phone on the ground and, under Susan's shocked gaze, stepped on it.
"I not only have evidence of Chloe's plagiarism, but also chat records of her bribing designers to alter my drafts, plus information about the dirty dealings the Johnson family has done over the years." Two sentences pinned Susan in place.
Charlotte's red lips parted slightly, as if looking at a toy she could manipulate at will.
"If you come to cause trouble again, it won't just be Chloe. I'll make the entire Johnson family disappear from high society."
"Understand?"
Two minutes later, Susan left Queen Studio dejectedly, clutching her cracked-screen phone.
After dealing with her, Jason came over and gave a thumbs up.
"You really know how to hit her weak spots! But... didn't you forget something important today?"
He gestured with his chin, indicating Charlotte should look at the clock on the wall.
Charlotte paused, suddenly remembering what day it was.
Every Sunday was her fixed livestream day as the esports legend "Crown," when she gave back to fans by showcasing her skills.
There were only ten minutes left.
Charlotte turned and sat down at the computer, opening the equipment to adjust it.
Just then, she received a text message.
"You rejected my pursuit and disrupted my engagement party. Charlotte, if you see this message but don't call me back, don't blame me for being ruthless this time."
A flash of disgust crossed Charlotte's eyes. She immediately blocked Benjamin's number.