Chapter 297

Chapter 297

Alfonso, who had been pretending to be a bodyguard, finally reacted.

"Mr. Brown, you're joking." A deliberately suppressed laugh came from his throat. "I'm just Ms. Ember's bodyguard, someone of low status. I really don't deserve such attention from Mr. Brown."

"Is that so?" Benjamin sneered coldly, his patience running out at that moment.

His hand, suspended in mid-air, suddenly changed from an open palm to a fist. He was actually preparing to take action directly and tear off Alfonso's disguise first.

"Benjamin!"

Sophie grabbed his wrist.

With a glance, she stopped him from acting on impulse, then turned to Vivienne, wearing a polite but distant smile. "Ms. Ember's designs are truly stunning. We have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave."

With that, she didn't give anyone a chance to react. She pulled Benjamin and forcefully turned to leave the gallery.

Walking out through those magnificent doors, the sea breeze outside cleared both Benjamin and Sophie's heads somewhat.

Before Benjamin could speak, Sophie beat him to it, her voice carrying an urgency she herself hadn't noticed. "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten your injuries haven’t fully healed yet? Running up to fight him like that—what if something had happened?"

Hearing her scolding, Benjamin wasn't angry at all. Instead, he stared at her intently.

"Are you... worried about me?"

Sophie was left speechless by his gaze, her face feeling somewhat hot, but her mouth remained sharp. "I just don't want my 'ATM' and 'personal servant' to break down so quickly!"

She gave him an eye roll, then turned her head away.

Just then, Benjamin's phone vibrated. It was a message back from Micah.

Micah's attitude was extremely humble. He first sent a long string of flattering words, then attached an encrypted spreadsheet, swearing, ""Mr. Brown, everything you asked for is here! I’m just trying to make a living, running a small business. Please don’t take it out on me. If there’s ever anything you need from me in the future, just say the word—I’ll go through fire and water for you without a second thought."

Benjamin skipped all that nonsense and opened the spreadsheet.

It was a detailed transaction record, documenting all the design drafts that had flowed out through unofficial channels during that graduation season.

Benjamin and Sophie leaned in together and quickly found Sophie's name among the dense list.

Her "Silent Fireworks" draft was right there. And in the buyer column, instead of a real name, there was an email account.

Seeing that account, Benjamin's pupils suddenly contracted.

"It's Olivia."

Sophie was startled. "How do you know? As far as I remember, she didn't use this account."

"It's definitely her." Benjamin's tone was unusually certain, a buried memory surfacing in his mind. "Many years ago, Amelia got hooked on an online game and kept pestering me to play with her. I was too busy at the time, so I asked Olivia to keep her company more. So Olivia opened a new email account—this one! I remember it clearly."

In an instant, all the clues connected.

Why would Vivienne get mixed up with Alfonso? Why would that draft, which should have been forgotten, resurface?

The answer was obvious.

It was Olivia who had bought Sophie's draft years ago. Later, this draft fell into the hands of her controller and lover, Alfonso. And now, Alfonso used the draft to gain leverage, striking a deal with Vivienne. Driven by her desire to make a name for herself on the international stage, she agreed to protect him and work with him.

Link by link, the chain of conspiracy was clearly displayed before them.

A flash of doubt crossed Sophie's mind. Why did Olivia buy her draft back then? After all these years, she had never seen Olivia use this design in any context.

But this thought passed quickly, and she soon let it go.

After all, Olivia was already dead.

There was no point in trying to understand the motives or thoughts of someone who died years ago.

The urgent matter was something else.

"Even if we know now that it was Olivia who did it, it's useless." Sophie's expression was serious. "I need evidence, proof that this design originally belonged to me."

"That draft was your graduation project, so surely an advisor saw it?" Benjamin immediately grasped the key point.

"Yes." Sophie nodded. "My graduation project advisor was Professor Meza. He's a leading figure in the domestic jewelry design world, and the only person who can testify for me."

"Good, I'll have Colt look up Professor Meza's contact information right away." Benjamin immediately pulled out his phone, ready to give the order.

"Wait." Sophie pressed down on his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"It won’t work." Sophie shook her head, smiling bitterly. "Professor Meza is brilliant, but his temper is a problem. What he hates most are the wealthy and businesspeople. After I graduated, he retired immediately and changed all his contact information—no one can find him. If Colt shows up in a suit to find him, he’ll take one look and assume he’s a scammer or an unwanted guest, and throw him out."

Benjamin's brow furrowed tightly.

This was indeed a tricky problem.

Sophie was silent for a moment, as if making a difficult decision, and finally let out a soft sigh.

"However... there's one person who might be able to."

A sudden sense of unease made Benjamin’s heart jump.

He stared at her, his voice tensed as he asked... "Who?"

"Frank."

Sophie spoke slowly.

The moment the words fell, the temperature of the surrounding air dropped sharply.

Benjamin's face instantly became ugly—a mixture of anger, unwillingness, and strong possessiveness.

"Sophie." He almost gritted out her name through his teeth. "Do you have to mention him?"

"This is currently the fastest and most effective method." Sophie didn't avoid his gaze, explaining calmly. "Frank's uncle is the vice principal and has been a close friend of Professor Meza for decades. Only if he steps forward is there a possibility of meeting Professor Meza."

"For this little thing, you want to owe him a favor?" Benjamin's voice grew colder. "I can do it too! Worst case, I'll fly back myself. I don't believe I wouldn't be able to find Professor Meza!"

Seeing him so angry, Sophie suddenly found it a bit funny and decided to tease him deliberately.

"You go?"

"Mr. Brown personally showing up, cold as ever, with eight bodyguards behind him—are you sure you’re not going to scare Professor Meza into a heart attack?"

"Besides, what's your status now? Just my 'servant.' When did it become a servant's place to make decisions about the master's affairs?"

"You!" Benjamin was left speechless by her retort, his chest heaving violently, his handsome face turning dark with frustration.

Sophie watched him, looking so defeated and depressed, and finally couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Could it be that someone is jealous?"

Her voice carried teasing amusement.

Benjamin's face grew even darker. He had no way to deal with her and could only stand there sulking.

Seeing how truly dejected he looked, Sophie felt she might have taken the joke too far, and her heart inexplicably softened.

She put away her smile, let out a soft sigh, and took the initiative to step forward, reaching out to tug at his sleeve.

"Okay, I'm done teasing you."

"Benjamin, this is important. I have to find Professor Meza and take back what’s mine."

She laughed softly, looking up at him with serious eyes.

"And besides, in my heart, you and Frank are not the same."

This sentence gave Benjamin great comfort.

The jealousy and anger churning in his heart were instantly soothed by more than half, and his expression softened.

Although he was still unhappy, he ultimately didn't object anymore.

Seeing this, Sophie hesitated no longer and, right in front of him, dialed Frank's number.

The call was quickly answered, and Frank's gentle, steady voice came through.

"Sophie? Why the sudden call?"

"Frank, I need your help with something." Sophie got straight to the point.

"Go ahead."

"Do you remember 'Silent Fireworks'?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Frank's voice carried a hint of surprise. "Of course I remember. Why bring this up suddenly?"

Sophie took a deep breath and briefly explained Vivienne's plagiarism and the current predicament.

After listening, Frank didn't hesitate at all.

"I understand."

"Leave Professor Meza to me. As soon as I have news, I'll notify you immediately."