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Chapter 136
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The blindfold was removed in front of everyone. Except for Julianna and the four judges on stage, everyone was stunned, with their jaws and eyes wide open. For a brief time, the exhibition hall was filled with the sound of astonishment.
Looking at Alicia, Stephanie curved up her lips and remarked, “I heard that I’m your idol.”
Alicia shook her head in disbelief, denying. “No, it’s not true. It shouldn’t be like this.”
Flora unconsciously clenched her fists and wondered, “How could Stephanie be Star?‘
Lisa was stunned at first, then enraged, and her body shuddered uncontrollably. She pondered, “If Stephanie is Star, how could she have plagiarized Flora’s work? That’s impossible. She could only hope Stephanie wasn’t Star now, but Julianna and the four judges on stage bore no unusual expressions, implying that they had long known Stephanie was Star,
Panicked, Alicia quickly found an image on her phone and asked the staff to display it on the big screen. The staff then did as she requested after obtaining the organizer’s consent. Alicia contended, “Stephanie isn’t Star, I have proof, Look, she visited Westport Golf Club today. She met secretly with the judges and bribed them. She knew that she would be exposed to plagiarism, so she went to the judges in advance. So they weren’t surprised to learn Stephanie is Star. Have any of you seen Star? None, right? So Stephanie used this point to deceive people.”
Jessica pounded the table in a rage and shot back, “Nonsense! We’ve known Star for years. Stephanie is unquestionably Star. She refused to appear as Star because she wanted to bring fresh fame to Starlight Design Studio under her own name. You horrible people, not only plagiarizing her sketches but also fabricating lies about her here and disparaging us. What a shameless woman!”
Dawson’s face darkened, too. He responded, “How dare you claim that Stephanie bribed us? You’re spreading unfounded rumors. Stephanie is Star, and Star also serves as a judge. Isn’t it normal for us to meet before the competition?”
Brody nodded in agreement and said, “We swear on our lives that Stephanie is Star.”
Furious, Vivian pointed at Alicia and retorted, “You and your team plagiarized Stephanie’s design, and now you’re unfairly accusing Stephanie. You’re absolutely shameless!”
Alicia denied, “You and Stephanie have teamed up. It’s evident Stephanie bribed you.”
Stephanie’s eyes were full of coldness, and she argued, “Jessica, Vivian, Brody, and Dawson are veterans in the design industry and internationally renowned designers. What you’re saying now is insulting to them. I’ll sue you after the competition, even if they don’t pursue you for defamation.”
Alicia laughed and declared, “Everyone, don’t be fooled by these capitalists. Money makes the world go round, so she bribed four judges with it.”
“How ridiculous! Did Stephanie bribe me, too?” Lola’s voice came from the VIP private room on the second floor. Lifting her dress down the stairs, she glared at Alicia and added, “May I ask how much Stephanie paid to bribe me? Or are you trying to say that I’m a hired substitute for Stephanie?”
Alicia hadn’t anticipated Lela to back up Stephanie. She twitched the corners of her mouth and was too stunned to say anything.
Lela then went on stage and hugged Julianna. She looked down at the audience and greeted, “Hello, I’m Lela. I bet everyone here recognizes me, right?”
Everyone knew the Princess of Chueles. She was the future Queen.
Lela explained, “I’ve known Stephanie for years and admire her designs. She’s Stephanie and Star. I testify for her. She turned to face Alicia coldly before asking “Tell me, how much did Stephanie spend to hire me?”
Alicia gritted her teeth and shot back, “So what if she’s Star? You can’t prove that she didn’t plagiarize me.
Jessica stood up and shouted, “I can!” She called the staff and asked him to launch her WhatsApp, retrieving the chat records between her and Stephanie, including the time Stephanie messaged her the first draft. “If you look at the time of production, it’s a lot earlier than when you filed for
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Chapter 136
design protection with Fashion Designer Association,” she stated..
Alicia responded, “This doesn’t count. I applied for protection only after finishing my final draft.”
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Stephanie knew Alicia was disputing and said, “You bought the rough sketches from Sabrina.” She was delivering a statement instead of a question.
Alicia’s heart skipped a beat from anxiety. She thought, ‘Sabrina has died. The truth has never been exposed before. No way it’ll be revealed now.‘ She snorted, shouting. “You’re talking nonsensel”
The door to the exhibition hall was pushed open again, Zane then pushed Vincent in, with two bodyguards leading Ivy behind them. Vincent’s eyes were frigid, and he remarked coldly, “Nonsense? We’ll let the witness prove IL”
Stephanie was surprised to see Vincent show up. When their eyes met, Stephanie jumped out of her seat and dashed over to Vincent.
As soon as Vincent moved and attempted to get up, Zane firmly grabbed his shoulders. Zane stopped him. “Mr. Fletcher, you must keep your composure.”
Vincent was rendered speechless. At the moment, he had a strong desire to run to Stephanie.
Stephanie approached him and inquired, “Why are you here?” As she spoke, Vincent extended his hand, and she quickly reached out to grab it. His large, warm palm made her feel warm and happy.
“I planned to come after attending the social gathering, but I didn’t expect to see someone on the way. It should be an absolute surprise to you,” Vincent replied.
Stephanie looked over and discovered that it was Ivy who had been dismissed by the former. Stephanie asked, “So, you have something to do with plagiarizing my rough sketches?”
Ivy sobbed and admitted, “Yes”
Stephanie turned to the two bodyguards, requesting, “Please escort her onto the stage.”
The bodyguards answered, “Yes, Mrs. Fletcher.”
Stephanie held Vincent’s hand and said, “Wait
“Wait for me. Let me finish this.”
Vincent looked at her affectionately and nodded, his eyes gentle.
Stephanie let go of his hand and walked on stage. She stood next to Julianna and clasped hands with her.
Watching that scene, Vincent pursed his lips with jealousy. Julianna was his greatest foe in his relationship with Stephanie.
After sensing Vincent’s intense gaze, Stephanie smiled softly at him. Vincent was suddenly in a better mood and no longer felt offended by her holding hands with Julianna. He then took out his phone and texted: [After the competition, take your woman away.
On stage, Alicia trembled all over and had cold sweat on her forehead. She mused, ‘How is this possible? What exactly went wrong? How did Ivy get exposed?‘
Flora had shortness of breath and couldn’t feel any pain, even with the fingertips sunk in her palm.
Lisa’s heart sank when she noticed the two’s anomaly. She realized that they had plagiarized Stephanie’s rough sketches. She mused, ‘It’s over. All my efforts went down the drain. It’s the end for Dream Design Studio”
Stephanie looked at Ivy and pressed, “Tell me all the details of what happened.”
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Chapter 136
Ivy looked at Vincent fearfully, then lowered her eyes and began to say, “I got a call from Sabrina some time ago. She stated she had Stephanie’s rough sketch and planned to sell it for 400 thousand dollars. Lasked her to send me one first, but when I received it, I was astounded by the sketch. First of all, I have no money, and second, I dare not offend Stephanie. So I thought about my cousin, Alicia. I called her, told her about it, and sold it to her for 600 thousand dollars. Alicia agreed right away after reviewing one of Stephanie’s rough sketches.”
Alicia growled, “Nonsensel There was no such thing at all!”
Ivy said, “I have the recording of our conversation.”