Chapter 44

Chapter 44
Jason feigned composure, putting on his best wounded puppy expression.

"I get that you're jealous of my talent, but fabricating accusations? That's a bit much, don't you think?"

Last night, after stealing Avery's design files, Jason had methodically deleted all her backups. Even if Avery had the same initial draft as him, she wouldn't have enough evidence to prove she was the original creator.

Tom, who never missed an opportunity to brown-nose Jason, jumped to his defense.

"Exactly! Ms. Vaughn, if you're going to accuse Jason of plagiarism, where's your proof?" He puffed out his round belly, his voice dripping with condescension. "Cloud backups, perhaps? Got any of those?"

Tom shot her a dismissive look. Just another pretty face without the credentials to back it up, he thought. Jason was a graduate from a prestigious design school—how could anyone believe he'd steal from someone like her?

Emboldened by his own reasoning, Tom raised his voice. "If you can't produce evidence, you're just disrupting this meeting!"

He'd planned to list Jason's impressive credentials next, but when he instinctively glanced toward Matteo, he found himself impaled by an icy stare that seemed to cut straight through his intentions. A shiver ran down his spine, and whatever words he'd prepared died in his throat.

"Sorry, I was just expressing some... concerns," he mumbled instead.

Avery rose from her seat and responded with unsettling calm. "You're right. I don't have cloud backups."

Jason's smirk widened at her admission. He approached her with mock sympathy, his voice laced with barely concealed mockery.

"Look, Avery, I understand. You're new and desperate to make your mark." He leaned in slightly. "But kid, success comes from hard work, not cutting corners."

"I graduated from a top design program. I lead the project team. And you're accusing me of stealing your work?" He gave a theatrical pause. "Who do you think people will believe?"

Jason was a master at twisting narratives. As he finished speaking, murmurs erupted throughout the conference room.

"Their designs are similar, but she's got no proof Jason stole anything!"

"I don't think Avery would lie—I've watched her work. She's too skilled to be just a newbie."

"But Jason has the education and experience—why would he need to steal from her?"

"Come on, it's not like Avery's some design prodigy!"

Jason surveyed the room, noticing most colleagues were siding with him. He couldn't suppress the smug smile tugging at his lips.

He turned to Matteo with a self-satisfied air. "Mr. Ferrari, you've witnessed it yourself. Avery is openly slandering me with plagiarism accusations."

"She's just a new hire, yet she's causing this much drama. Keeping her on will damage our company's reputation in the industry." He paused dramatically.

"I've always treated her as a promising junior colleague, and this is how she repays me—with jealousy and false accusations." He shook his head with a performative sigh. "It's truly disappointing."

Jason thought he had Matteo figured out. The man always put business first—company interests above all else. Jason was already anticipating the satisfaction of watching Avery get fired on the spot.

What he didn't expect was Matteo's ice-cold glare.

"Shut. Up."

Matteo's lips pressed into a thin line, his presence radiating a suffocating tension.

"Avery has no reason to falsely accuse you."

Jason flinched under that piercing gaze, instinctively stepping back as his smile froze on his face.

"But she has no proof," he insisted weakly.

Matteo's voice remained glacial. "How would you know she has no proof? Besides, I don't believe Avery is that type of person."

Avery blinked in surprise. She'd expected Matteo to mock her, not defend her.

"Mr. Ferrari, thank you for your trust," she said, taking a deep breath. "And Jason, you don't need to be so eager to get rid of me."

With deliberate calm, she pulled her design portfolio from her folder and held it up.

Her eyes swept the room with unwavering confidence, her voice clear and firm. "I can prove this design is my original work."

"While someone maliciously destroyed my design data, and yes, I don't have cloud backups..." She paused meaningfully, locking eyes with Jason. "I do have email correspondence as evidence."

"These emails document the entire design process from concept to completion."

Avery opened her laptop and forwarded her communications with White to the company's shared inbox. The evidence was comprehensive—from initial design concepts to detailed revisions, even including scanned sketches as attachments.

The final email attachment matched exactly the version Jason had presented as his own.

"Jason, is this really the product of your countless sleepless nights?" Avery's tone dripped with sarcasm. "A thief is still a thief."

Her words landed like a bombshell. The room buzzed with shocked reactions.

"I knew Avery couldn't be plagiarizing—these email records don't lie."

"Look how she adjusted the design based on the feedback in these exchanges."

"I can't believe I doubted her."

Wake, a senior manager from Marketing, stood up and challenged Jason.

"You claim Avery is framing you, but she has email evidence." Wake's brow furrowed. "What about you? If you're the original creator, surely you have cloud backups or other proof?"

"I... well..." Jason's face contorted as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

He'd thought deleting Avery's cloud files would be enough. He never imagined she'd have this ace up her sleeve.

That bitch!

Panicking, Jason abandoned his usually polished demeanor.

"Email records aren't valid evidence!" he snapped. "She could have prepared them in advance to frame me."

"And my design backups are coincidentally missing too." Then, as if struck by inspiration: "Wait—Avery was always asking me for advice!"

"She must have stolen my core concept during those conversations, then developed it following my creative direction."

"She planned all this just to frame me!"

Jason struggled to appear composed.

Tom, still unable to believe Jason could be guilty, jumped to his defense again.

"Jason's right," he insisted. "I saw Avery chatting with Jason many times."

"Always with her notebook, asking questions, acting all eager to learn."

"Think about it—Jason graduated from a top university, while Avery has zero credentials. How could she possibly come up with something this good?"

Their words reignited tension in the conference room. Some colleagues who had started to believe Avery now exchanged uncertain glances.

Avery responded with a sardonic smile.

"I may be new to your company, but that doesn't mean my abilities should be questioned." She lifted her chin, addressing everyone. "The person I was communicating with in these emails is White, a legendary figure in design circles. You all know he doesn't lie."

Her statement made Jason laugh.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

He shook his head condescendingly. "Everyone knows White is an industry icon who announced his retirement years ago."

Jason couldn't hide his smugness. "Our company has invited White multiple times, and he's always declined. Why would he possibly help review your designs?"