NovelAppThe place went nuts in an instant.
Marian's face turned ashen in a flash, and she grabbed the mic, ready to defend herself, "No, that's not it, I..."
But before she could finish, Brandon cut in, all high and mighty, "Ms. Barlow's been caught red-handed plagiarizing others’ work,
and to weasel her way out, she's gone and faked a paternity test report, trying to strong-arm the Frost family into vouching for her.
The Frost family is well-known in the West district for their integrity. Are they really gonna cover for a plagiarist?"
As he spoke, Brandon's gaze was locked on Martin, sharp as a knife.
Martin gave him a complex look and reluctantly picked up the mic, turning to the audience, "I'm truly sorry for the
miscommunication between Ms. Barlow and myself, which led her to believe that the Frost family estate was going to use her
design drawing. It was my failure to communicate properly, and | apologize for the misunderstanding it caused for both parties. But
from the start to the end, it was Ms. Yearwood's design that the Frost family admired. It's just that Ms. Barlow failed to clarify, and
we didn't catch the mix-up in time, leading to Ms. Yearwood's work being mistaken for Ms. Barlow's. This has caused significant
damage to Ms. Yearwood's reputation, and for that, I, on behalf of the entire Frost family, offer my sincere apologies to Ms.
Yearwood."
With that, Martin bowed deeply to Sophia, his eyes and attitude filled with sincerity.
Sophia looked back at Martin, her eyes also filled with mixed emotions, and she kept silent.
"We will also make sure the compensation is properly paid out."
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With that, Martin fired up the projector again, and on the displayed image of the estate, the words "Chief Designer: Sophia" were
emblazoned in large, clear letters. The reporters below were furiously snapping photos.
Sophia waited until the flashes finally stopped before signaling Martin for the mic.
One of the reporters quickly passed it over to her.
Sophia turned on the mic, gave it a tap to check the sound, then lifted it to her lips and spoke softly, "Thank you, Mr. Frost, for
setting the record straight about the work. But everything started with Ms. Barlow, and | hope she can give a clear explanation to
With that said, Sophia's gaze shifted to Marian.
Marian was pale as a ghost, and the topic had circled back to whether she had plagiarized, something not even Yolanda could fix.
Sophia's point was clear: she wanted Marian to spell out whether she had harbored any intention of plagiarism, rather than letting
Martin smooth things over with excuses of miscommunication.
Brandon, too, turned to Marian, his eyes cold as he looked at her.
Martin glanced at Brandon with a complex expression and also turned to Marian, choosing not to speak on her behalf.
Louis was still standing below, looking at Marian with disappointment in his eyes.
Marian caught the disappointment in Louis' gaze, which startled her to the core, and she didn't dare to keep upping the ante.
Her throat tightening, she picked up the mic, choking back tears, and bowed deeply to Sophia, "Sophia, I'm sorry. The moment my
grandfather was dazzled by your work, | was scared of admitting it wasn't mine for fear of disappointing my grandparents, and | did
entertain the thought of just going along with the mistake. Because | really wanted the recognition from my grandfather and the
Frost family. So, | wavered and chose not to clarify. When | found out it was your work, | thought about quickly designing a new
proposal to replace yours, but | didn't expect that Martin had already submitted it. | panicked but didn't have the guts to admit it
wasn't my work, and | let it slide until today."
After finishing her speech, Marian bowed deeply to Sophia again, "I'm truly sorry. Out of fear of being scolded and a foolish hope, |
failed to clarify in time, causing your hard work to go down the drain. I'm really sorry."
Marian was crying as she spoke and bowed once more to Sophia, whether out of genuine remorse or something else. But she had
made her explanation clear, and her apology seemed heartfelt.
Sophia didn't say anything more, just thanked the reporters and handed back the mic.
Martin apologized to Sophia once again, reasserting that Sophia was indeed the chief designer for the Frost family estate, and the
tumultuous press conference ended with the sincere apologies from Martin and Marian.
As soon as the press conference was over, Brandon turned around, grabbed Marian's arm, and demanded in a cold voice, "Where
did you get that paternity test report?"
Marian was startled by Brandon's reaction.
Martin saw this and hurried over to pull Brandon away, "What are you doing? Let's talk this out."
Sophia stood still, staring at Brandon's stern face, and for sreason, her heart suddenly felt heavy.
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Don, standing nearby, saw the shock on Sophia's face and didn't know how to comfort her, so he just offered her a reassuring
smile.
Sophia smiled back at him before looking away.
"Thanks for your help today, Mr. Dempsey." Sophia said softly, "I'll be heading back now."
She didn't approach Brandon; her business was finished, and Yolanda's issues had nothing to do with her. She didn't want to stick
around to gawk.
Don nodded, "Letwalk you out."
"No need, thank you, Mr. Dempsey."
After softly expressing her gratitude, Sophia walked past the chairs and headed out.
Brandon caught a glimpse of Sophia leaving out of the corner of his eye, and he paused for a moment.
Martin was clueless and didn't catch on. Seeing Brandon still gripping Marian's arm, he blurted out, "It's a fake! Can't you see it?"
Don looked at Martin in astonishment. Marian turned to him, equally shocked.
Brandon shot Martin a chilly glance, didn't say another word, ditched Marian, and hightailed it off the stage, making a beeline for
Sophia.
Don booked it out of there right after him.
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