Chapter 100 Settled

Chapter 100 Settled

The flattering words hit Selene's sweet spot, and she lifted her chin proudly.

"My mentor always says that design has soul."

"My proposal captures the play of light and shadow in architecture, the curves of flowing water—things you couldn't possibly copy in just two months back home."

Olivia finally looked up, her gaze sweeping across everyone present before settling on Selene's face.

"Architectural light and shadow?"

"Ms. Peterson seems to have forgotten that the Rainbow District project calls for a simple style. Those flashy design elements you crammed into your proposal—are you planning to make ancient buildings sprout cathedral spires?"

"If that's the case, it's completely unnecessary. Aren't you just creating problems where none exist?"

Olivia's pointed questions left Selene momentarily speechless.

But fortunately, she had strong psychological resilience. The smile on her face became even more pronounced as she deliberately raised her voice.

"Ms. Smith, you can say whatever you want. After all, you must have some special talents to win Mr. Green's favor, like being able to call white black, and black white.""Like being able to call white black, and black white!"

The sarcasm in her words stung like needles, but Olivia acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, only letting the corner of her mouth curve slightly.

Charles stood not far behind her, his brow furrowed, about to step forward when Olivia stopped him with a look.

The review began, and Selene took the stage first.

The design proposal she presented was seventy to eighty percent identical to the initial draft Olivia had leaked earlier.

She had only made some flashy modifications to the details.

For instance, changing the original ecological walkway to a gilded decorative corridor, calling it "internationalization."

"As you can see," Selene pointed at the screen, her tone arrogant.

"Our proposal preserves local culture while incorporating foreign aesthetics—incomparable to certain designs that just pile on traditional elements."

She paused, looking meaningfully at Olivia.

"After all, true masters never stoop to such underhanded tactics."

Scattered applause rippled through the audience as several family friends of the Petersons clapped politely.

When it was Olivia's turn to take the stage, she didn't rush to present her proposal. Instead, she first played an audio recording.

"...Noah, are you sure Olivia will use that initial draft?"

It was Selene's voice, cold with calculation.

"Don't worry, I've got Anna watching. I've even bought off the cleaning staff at her studio!"

"We'll definitely get the inside scoop..."

This was Noah's voice, rough and smug.

"Perfect. Once I use her framework and add some innovation, the judges won't be able to find any flaws."

"We'll make her lose big time!"

The entire venue fell dead silent.

Selene's face turned ashen, and the laser pointer slipped from her hand to the floor.

"Is this what Ms. Peterson means by underhanded tactics?"

Olivia's voice was clear and calm.

She raised her hand to switch pages, and the screen suddenly displayed the modification records of Selene's team forging design drafts.

From the initial copying to the later clumsy alterations, the timeline was crystal clear.

"You're lying! This is slander!"

Selene shrieked.

"You made all of this up!"

"Whether it's made up or not, everyone can see for themselves."

"Unlike you, I don't forge or plagiarize."

Olivia opened another file.

"This is my original design log, from sketches three months ago to the final proposal. Every day's modification records have timestamps, including signed confirmations from my team members."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Noah's ashen face.

"What's more interesting is that the so-called foreign aesthetics in Ms. Peterson's proposal are actually from a rejected draft I submitted five years ago during a job interview in Valeria."

"The review report at the time clearly pointed out the excessive piling of luxurious elements, which went against ecological principles—it seems Ms. Peterson didn't even understand what she was copying."

The audience erupted in shocked murmurs, and those who had previously supported Selene hung their heads in embarrassment.

Selene completely panicked, pointing at Olivia and shouting.

"Stop changing the subject!"

"Your design isn't as good as mine!"

"Is that so?"

Olivia smiled slightly and pressed the play button.

Mia's figure suddenly appeared on the screen, sitting in a police station, holding up that crucial USB drive.

"I can testify that Noah has been smuggling contraband for a long time, and Selene repeatedly forced me to steal Ms. Smith's work. I have their chat records and audio recordings here..."

Before she finished speaking, the conference room door was pushed open.

Several police officers walked in, followed by Mia.

Though Mia's face was still somewhat pale, her eyes were determined as she walked straight to the front of the stage.

"I personally witnessed Selene instructing Anna to modify Ms. Smith's blueprints, and I heard her discussing with Noah how to frame the Green Group with fake contracts."

Selene completely collapsed on stage, still mumbling.

"Impossible... how could you have evidence..."

At this moment, Olivia finally revealed the last slide—the Peterson Group's violation records from the past ten years, from tax evasion to using substandard construction materials. Each violation was backed up by audit reports and witness statements.

"The Rainbow District project needs honest construction, not castles in the air built on conspiracy and lies."

Her voice rang with conviction.

"The Peterson Group's actions have violated industry standards for years!"

"A company like this has no business participating in any urban development."

The conference hall, which had been silent throughout, suddenly erupted in heated discussion following Olivia's statement.

Charles walked to Olivia's side, the pride in his eyes practically radiating.

This reminded him of four years ago, when Olivia had similarly crushed rumors and public opinion with such confidence.

Meanwhile, Noah's face was deathly pale.

As the police led him away, he was still glaring viciously at Selene, who had collapsed on the ground.

The business partners who had previously mocked Olivia now wished they could disappear into thin air.

"How could this happen? The Peterson family is such an embarrassment!"

"I always said something was fishy about her. Last time I saw those handbags she bought, claiming they were limited editions, but they were all marked-down items from duty-free shops. Who knows where she really got all that stuff!"

"I knew it! Noah's been a total loser—where would he get all that money? And my husband took so much from him... what an idiot!"

Some people even quietly pulled out their phones, silently deleting the social media posts they had just made.

Those posts featuring Selene and mocking Olivia for being too ambitious now felt like slaps in the face.

"Olivia! I never thought you could be this ruthless!"

"Yeah, everyone's on your side, everyone protects you—you really know how to play people, you bitch!"

As Selene was being led away, she suddenly lunged toward Olivia like a woman possessed, only to be stopped by the police.

She looked at Olivia, then at Charles beside her with his gentle gaze.

Finally, she understood just how completely she had lost.