Chapter 137: Falling into Plagiarism, Only Then Knowing Who Composed the Music
Most people, deep down, admire strength.
Aurora was no exception. She paused for a moment before speaking the truth. “Yeah, I only met her two days ago. She said she was this amazing doctor. I didn’t buy it at first, but she insisted she’d prove it and asked for the address where I was getting treated. So, I gave it to her.
Are you mad at me? I’m sorry, but I don’t regret it. Honestly, I’m glad I gave her the address. I might not be here today if I hadn’t.”
When Chase heard she had given Emily the address, disappointment hit him. But when Aurora mentioned she almost died, guilt washed over him.
“Aurora, I’m sorry. I messed up. I trusted Bianca too much and didn’t think she’d screw up. You’re right; it’s good you told Emily. She’s my sister, after all, and she helped out this time.”
Chase’s apology was genuine.
Aurora appreciated his sincerity and couldn’t really blame him.
She realized Chase still didn’t get his feelings towards Emily. Emily had helped her, after all. So Aurora brought it up, “Chase, I think Emily’s a good person. Maybe you’ve got the wrong impression of her. You’re family. Why don’t you appreciate her instead of always misunderstanding her?”
Chase felt a bit scolded.
Thinking about how he treated Emily, his face darkened.
Maybe there had been misunderstandings.
But he was the older brother, and Emily was the younger sister. Why did she have to make things so hard?
“Alright, you just got better. Don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it.”
Aurora saw Chase’s stubbornness and knew he hadn’t really taken her words to heart. Maybe they weren’t meant to be together.
Thinking this, Aurora’s expression cooled. “As long as you handle it. I’m tired and want to rest.”
“Okay, get some rest. I won’t bother you. Call me when you wake up.”
Chase quickly left.
In the living room, James and Bianca were still there, looking exhausted and dazed, likely from the recent humiliation.
Bianca had overheard Aurora’s conversation with Chase.
She was fuming inside. She was in this mess because of Aurora, and yet Aurora wasn’t grateful and instead spoke up for Emily.
Couldn’t Aurora see they were at odds with Emily?
Aurora, even if she knew, wouldn’t care about Bianca’s thoughts at the moment.
She was indeed weak and soon fell asleep.
James, embarrassed, recovered and left with Bianca.
But not long after, Chase’s assistant suddenly screamed, “Ms. Johnson, something’s wrong! Look online. News is out about your song plagiarism, and your competitor Noah has released a chain of evidence. The internet is calling you a plagiarist!”
Chase quickly checked the trending topics.
Noah’s evidence was thorough. Chase knew the songs that launched his career were given to him by Bianca.
Could Bianca have plagiarized?
Chase called Bianca immediately.
Bianca saw the call and thought he was finally realizing he’d neglected her and was calling to apologize.
She deliberately waited until the last moment to answer, her tone indifferent. “Chase, what’s up?”
“Bianca, be straight with me. The songs you gave me that made my career—did you write them, or were they plagiarized?”
Bianca hesitated. “What songs?”
Her evasive question made Chase’s heart sink. Could they really be plagiarized?
Suppressing his suspicions, Chase named the songs and pressed on, “Bianca, this is serious. I’m trending for plagiarism, and there’s solid evidence against me. Those songs were from you. Do you not remember, or were they really plagiarized?”
Bianca finally understood.
But the songs weren’t hers; they were Emily’s work she had taken credit for.
Now that the credit had become a weapon, she had to confess. “Chase, I’m sorry. I never told you, and over time I forgot. Those songs were actually written by Emily. If you want to confirm if they’re plagiarized, ask Emily.”
Since the benefits were gone, there was no point in holding onto the credit.
“How could you keep this from me!”
He remembered praising Bianca for the great songs, never imagining they were Emily’s work.
And now, when he and Emily were at odds.
“Chase, are you blaming me? I think I mentioned it, but you didn’t believe me, saying Emily couldn’t possibly do it.”
Bianca’s ambiguous words hid the truth.
Chase, already annoyed with Emily, wouldn’t have believed it was her work.
Bianca’s retort made Chase even more frustrated. “You should have told me seriously. Maybe I would have believed you. Fine, I get it.”
Bianca sneered inwardly.
Now he was blaming her.
Serves him right!
“Sorry, Chase!”
Chase had no time to argue with Bianca. He hung up.
But he couldn’t reach Emily because she had blocked him.
His manager was pressing, “Could the person who gave you the songs have leaked them? Are they reliable? Could they have conspired with Noah against you? Have you contacted the composer?”
Chase was stressed and overwhelmed. “No, I can’t reach her. I’ll keep trying!” he said irritably.
The manager frowned, “If they gave you the songs, you must be close. How can you not reach them? You didn’t plagiarize, did you?”
“I swear, I didn’t plagiarize. I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Chase’s face stiffened, but he couldn’t admit the truth and had to deflect.
The manager promised to investigate Noah’s side.
Chase hung up and called his family.
“Aiden, I’m in trouble. I’m caught in a plagiarism scandal. If it’s not resolved soon, I’ll face breach of contract penalties for endorsements and new shows. I don’t have the money for that.
This involves Emily, but she’s blocked me. I need you to find her. If you see her, stop her. I need to talk to her.”
Aiden was also overwhelmed.
He had thought they were past a rough patch, even praised Ronnie, but then data issues arose.
After investigating, he found mistakes from the start.
But he couldn’t ignore Chase’s plea.
“Alright, I’ll have someone look into it. But what does this plagiarism scandal have to do with Emily?”