Chapter171 Miranda, You're a Thief
Outside the convention center.
A black car was hidden in the shade of the trees. Clifton sat in the driver's seat, the window half down, revealing his ice-cold profile.
He held his phone in his hand, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the edge of the screen.
Ding.
A new message popped up.
The sender was an unsaved number made of random characters.
Boss, we got him. In the basement of that abandoned clinic, we found two modified gas tank bombs. The detonator was on Zron.
He confessed. The plan was to kidnap your wife, get the money and the share transfer documents from her, then blow up the clinic and make it look like an accident.
Bombs.
Blow it all up.
Those words slammed into Clifton's chest.
If he had arrived even one step later.
Even just one minute later, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Clifton closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the violent rage churning in his chest.
He opened his eyes again, and they were filled with cold cruelty.
His slender fingers tapped quickly on the screen.
Take him back. To 'that place.'
After sending that, he switched to another chat window and sent a location.
Bring people here. Lock down the scene. Don't let any information leak until this is over.
When he finished, he tossed the phone onto the leather seat and leaned back wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The car door wasn't fully closed.
The rousing music and the host's voice from inside the venue drifted out faintly.
"After unanimous decision by the judges, the Gold Award winner of this year's Global New Energy Technology Innovation Competition is..."
"Miranda's team!"
The announcement was clear even through the thick walls.
The tight line of Clifton's lips slowly curved into the faintest smile.
Inside the venue, thunderous applause erupted.
Lisa and the team members hugged each other, tears of excitement in their eyes.
Miranda stood on stage, listening to the cheers below. Her ears were ringing, and her legs felt like they were standing on cotton.
It was finally over.
She bowed slightly in thanks and was about to turn and leave the stage.
"I object!"
A shrill scream tore through the celebratory atmosphere.
In the audience, Ariana shouted in fury.
Every camera instantly turned toward her.
She had completely lost any concern for her image.
Zron was unreachable. Miranda wasn't dead. And now even the championship had been stolen from her.
Why?
Why did Miranda get everything good?
The panic of losing everything shattered what was left of her sanity.
"Judges! You've all been fooled!"
Ariana rushed to the front of the stage, pointing at Miranda. "Miranda doesn't deserve this award! This project isn't even hers!"
"This project was developed internally at Lancaster!"
"She took her employees and jumped ship, stealing our company's core secrets to enter this competition. This is corporate theft. It's a crime!"
Ariana grew more convinced of her own argument as she spoke.
"Miranda, you're a thief!"
The accusation was serious.
If it was true, it wasn't just about disqualification. It meant legal consequences.
The judges at the table all frowned, their expressions grave as they looked at Miranda on stage.
"Oh my god, she stole it from her old company?"
"If that's true, that's shameless."
"I knew it. How could a small team produce such perfect data? Turns out it was plagiarized."
Hearing the whispers around her, Ariana lifted her chin triumphantly and looked up at Miranda with a challenging stare.
Miranda, even if I can't kill you, I'll destroy your reputation and make sure you can never work in this industry again!
Miranda stood on stage, her back straight. "Ariana, you're calling me a thief. Where's your proof?"
"Proof?" Ariana sneered, her carefully made-up face twisted with vicious satisfaction.
She pulled out her phone from her bag and quickly connected it to the venue's projection system.
The next second, the image on the big screen changed.
It showed the official Lancaster Group website.
"Judges, members of the media, take a good look!" Ariana pointed at an announcement on the screen, her voice shrill.
"This is a project proposal previously published by Lancaster Group. It clearly states 'New Energy Core Algorithm Upgrade.' The person in charge was listed as Miranda, but at that time, she was still Lancaster's general manager!"
She paused, her gaze sweeping maliciously toward Miranda. "A few months ago, she left the company, but she secretly copied the company's core data and repackaged it as her own work. If that's not theft, what is?"
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"If it's work made during employment, the copyright belongs to the company. Entering it in a competition would definitely be a violation."
On the judges' panel, the same judges who had praised Miranda moments ago now looked grim.
Academic fraud and corporate espionage were capital offenses in this industry.
If they gave an award to a plagiarist today, this prestigious global competition would become a laughingstock tomorrow.
Sofia, seated in the center, removed her glasses and set them down on the table with a sharp clack.
"Miranda."
Sofia's voice was cold. "What is your explanation for the evidence Ariana has presented? If you cannot provide a reasonable rebuttal, we will not only disqualify you, but we will also report this to the relevant authorities. You will be banned for life."
Miranda looked at Sofia, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
She hadn't expected her to be one of the judges.
Sofia at work was much more composed than when they had met before.
"I have proof."
Miranda looked away, her voice unnaturally calm.
She turned to Lisa at the side of the stage and beckoned her. "Lisa, bring me that black briefcase."
Lisa blinked in surprise, then dug through a pile of materials to find the unassuming black briefcase and jogged it up to the stage.
Miranda took the bag without hesitation. Her slender fingers unzipped it and pulled out a thin document from the innermost pocket.
"Ariana, you keep saying I was kicked out of the company."
Miranda held up the document. "This is an agreement I personally signed with Dominic, the chairman of Lancaster Group, when I left the company. It's titled 'Project Ownership Agreement.'"
She opened the document and placed it directly under the projector.
On the big screen, the website page was replaced by the agreement.
All ownership, data, and future development rights of the 'New Energy Core Algorithm' project led by Miranda during her tenure shall belong solely to Miranda and shall have no further affiliation with Lancaster Group.
At the bottom was the official seal of Lancaster Group.
Miranda took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions churning inside her, and her gaze turned cold again.
Back then, her father had wanted to push her out of the company for Ariana's sake, but she wasn't one to give in easily.
This project required a large investment, but the returns would grow proportionally over time.
And at that point, the project hadn't started generating profit yet. Her father, eager to get rid of her, had signed the agreement without hesitation.
Miranda closed the document and turned to face the judges, neither arrogant nor humble. "Ms. Sofia, every line of code in this project is the result of my team's hard work. I submitted all the legal documents when I registered for the competition. If there are still questions, lawyers are welcome to get involved."
Sofia looked at this seemingly fragile yet incredibly resilient young woman, and the sternness in her eyes gradually faded.
To fight back from such a desperate situation with such thorough preparation.
Impressive.
Sofia picked up her microphone again and announced:
"On behalf of the judges, I reaffirm that the Gold Award winner of this competition is Miranda's team!"
"Wow..."
This time, the applause was louder than ever before.
Lisa and the team members couldn't hold back any longer and surrounded Miranda.
"Miranda! We won! We really won!"
Miranda let them embrace her, and the tension in her body finally released. A genuine smile spread across her face.
Meanwhile, Ariana, hearing the announcement, felt like she had been slapped across the face. Her cheeks burned.
"Miranda, just you wait!"
Ariana cursed silently, grabbed her bag, and turned to leave. She couldn't stand being there another second. She had to go find her uncle and complain.
"Stop." A cool voice cut through the noise. "Ariana, you can't leave yet."
Ariana whipped around. "You already took the award. What more do you want?"
Miranda walked toward her step by step, her eyes devoid of any warmth, filled only with chilling intensity.
"I have a kidnapping case I'd like to discuss with you."