Chapter 75 Who Is Plagiarizing
Sabrina looked utterly shocked, as if she hadn't expected Liam to interfere again.
I was somewhat surprised myself. Liam was being a bit too enthusiastic on my behalf. I didn't believe in free lunches. So the only possibility was that I had something Liam wanted to get his hands on.
What could it be? I pushed aside the excess thoughts, refocusing on the situation at hand.
Facing Sabrina's interrogation, Liam's tone was casual. "Sir, I happened to notice Sabrina sneaking glances at Catherine's work multiple times. I have reasonable suspicion that she's the actual plagiarist."
As he spoke, Liam looked around. "Words mean nothing. Why don't we all check the surveillance footage?"
Sabrina instinctively bit her lip. She looked toward Michael beside her.
Michael gave her a reassuring look. Just as a staff member headed backstage, all the lights and decorations in the venue suddenly went out.
"Power outage!"
Someone exclaimed.
Sabrina visibly relaxed. I frowned, my gaze fixed unwaveringly on Michael and Sabrina.
Was this really a coincidence? Or had they prepared for this?
The answer gradually became clear in my mind. If Michael could get Sabrina into the finals, he must've also prepared several backup designs for her. Yet Sabrina chose to blatantly frame me.
The answer was obvious—Michael's predicted topics deviated too much from the actual ones. Sabrina couldn't guarantee victory, so she had to take the crooked path and drag me down with her.
For them, my failure was more satisfying than their success. At least that's definitely what Sabrina thought.
With the power out, identifying the original creator became a major challenge.
I stepped forward calmly and said to the head proctor, "Sir, I can prove I'm not the plagiarist."
Almost the instant I finished speaking, I became the center of attention. Quite a few spectators' gazes landed on me. A very small portion contained worry.
I strode up to Sabrina. Michael looked defensive, protectively positioning Sabrina behind himself.
I curved my lips mockingly, turning to look at the whiteboard behind me.
"Earlier I asked Sabrina about the design thinking behind these sections, and she didn't dare answer..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Like someone had stepped on her tail, Sabrina immediately retorted.
I looked at her with interest. "Then why don't you explain?"
"I..."
Sabrina choked, stammering and flushing red, but couldn't get a single word out.
Everyone around us—except Michael—changed their expressions. To reach this point and still not dare share her design thinking—was she being cautious, or could she not explain because it was stolen?
Sabrina seemed to realize the current situation wasn't in her favor. She tried to interject, but I cut her off directly.
My voice rang out clearly. "My thinking is as follows. First, based on this assessment's topic..."
I spoke eloquently, providing thoughtful annotations for every detail. Sabrina's complexion grew paler with each sentence I uttered.
Michael's face was full of disbelief. Behind his glasses, his eyes widened to their limit, his lips pressed tight.
I saw it all. A cold laugh rose within me.
Never paid attention, so you don't believe it? How ironic.
After I finished explaining, I pulled down the design sheet and flipped the paper in front of everyone. A completely new design appeared before the crowd.
"Additionally, this is the design I actually planned to submit."
My tone remained composed as I openly displayed my work.
Sabrina stumbled, needing to lean on Michael to barely stay upright. The two designs' quality difference was immediately apparent.
Compared to the original, many parts of that design were jarring and out of place. But looking at the flipped version, everything complemented each other perfectly, just right.
The watching crowd erupted in praise.
"When she shared her design thinking earlier, I only half-understood. Now looking at this, it's like everything suddenly clicks."
"You think she knew all along that person next to her would cause trouble?"
After all, what normal contestant would be this creative? If she'd guessed wrong, that would've had major consequences!
When Sabrina provoked me before the competition, I'd already planned my counterstrategy. I just hadn't expected Liam to step forward and help.
Actually, I was gambling too. If Sabrina hadn't been this extreme, what would I have done? But the current situation told me I'd bet right.
The truth was about to emerge. Everything else was pointless to discuss.
The proctor's face darkened as he confiscated Sabrina's admission ticket.
"Ms. Kingley, due to your extremely deplorable conduct, you've created significant negative impact on this event. Therefore, by unanimous decision, we're giving you a zero score and permanently blacklisting you from this brand. We will never collaborate with you."
Sabrina's lips moved. She seemed to want to fight for herself still.
I spoke up at the right moment. "Sabrina is one of the Rosewood Group's representatives. The promotional video we collaborated on includes her footage."
The proctor's expression grew even colder.
"We will report this matter truthfully. Please have the Rosewood Group prepare for subsequent compensation."
Both parties had signed a contract. Who knew if today's incident had already spread online. As the collaborating party, Sabrina had blatantly damaged the other party's interests. The Rosewood Group needed to compensate for losses, both morally and legally.
After DI staff collected my design for final scoring backstage, only then did Michael block my path with a dark expression.
"Catherine, when did you secretly learn to draw?"
I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't expected this to be his first question.
But just because Michael asked, did that mean I had to tell him?
My tone turned cold. "Michael, what gives you the right to ask about my private affairs? You've been a painting prodigy since childhood, always thinking so highly of yourself. Did it ever occur to you that as your biological sister, I might also have decent talent?"
Michael's body shook, his pupils contracting.
I didn't want to waste more words on him. I turned to leave.
Michael grabbed my arm. "Catherine, about the compensation..."
"Sorry." I shook off Michael's hand. "I'm a DI employee. Naturally I have to think of my company's interests. If you and Sabrina hadn't tried to frame me, how would you have ended up shooting yourselves in the foot?"
"Michael, you spoil Sabrina way too much."
This wasn't the first time I'd warned Michael, but it was the most peaceful my tone had been since cutting ties with the Rosewood family. In the past, didn't we always clash whenever we met?
Michael being protective wasn't wrong, but he shouldn't be completely without boundaries. And Sabrina had only gotten progressively worse through his repeated indulgence.
Michael tried to say something more. In the distance, Liam jogged over with security. He pointed at the crazed-looking Sabrina, then at the utterly lost Michael. "These two are disturbing the venue. Please throw them out."
Sabrina's arms were seized, yet she still shouted desperately.
"Impossible! I didn't lose! Catherine copied my design!"