Chapter 192: Betrayal "Miss Angelica, donât say that. How could you be considered an outsider? That so-called true heiress of the Clark Family is nowhere near your level,"
someone in the crowd flattered.
Everyone knew Angelica was merely Jamesâ stepdaughter, but so what? Her achievements were undeniable, whereas the real heiress...
Angelica quickly shook her head. "I never expected to inherit Clark Group. Selina is the only rightful successor. Please donât say such things."
Selina narrowed her eyes.
"Miss Angelica, are you really willing to let that ignorant country bumpkin walk all over you? She doesnât evenâ"
Before the woman could finish, she suddenly froze. "Selina?!"
The entire room instinctively turned, spotting Selina standing at the entrance. Angelica bit her lip and stepped forward. "Selina, what brings you here?"
Selinaâs gaze swept across the crowd, a faint smirk on her lips. "You all look surprised. This is my familyâs companyâam I not allowed to visit?"
Angelica put on a tolerant, gentle expression. "Thatâs not what I meantâ"
"You still have the audacity to show up?"
A woman, appearing to be a department manager, sneered. "Miss Angelica is here for business. What about you? What else do you know besides causing trouble? If you werenât Mr. Clarkâs biological daughter, I wouldâve kicked you out long ago!"
Selina recognized herâit was Manager Bryant, the head of the PR department and one of Katieâs relatives.
She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Even if I were to ruin something, it would still be my motherâs company Iâm ruining. The shares are in my hands, so why are you so worked up, Manager Bryant?"
The room fell silent.
She had a point... Clark Group was founded by Victoria, and the majority of shares were still technically in Selinaâs name. Even if she hadnât fully taken control yet, why would an outsider like Bryant be so concerned about what she did with her own inheritance?
Manager Bryantâs face turned bright red with embarrassment. "W-Well, even if Victoria founded it, right now, it belongs toâ"
"Miss Selina, youâre here!"
A voice interrupted. An older man, around sixty, quickly walked in, his brows furrowed. "Manager Bryant, this is Clark Group, not the Bryant Familyâs personal playground!"
Manager Bryant stiffened but tried to argue. "But Selinaâ"
"I donât want to hear another word. If you keep causing trouble, hand in your resignation."
The older shareholder then turned to Selina. "Did you bring the design drafts, Miss Selina? Please, come upstairs with me."
Angelicaâs gaze flickered as she exchanged a look with the shareholder before quietly slipping away.
Manager Bryant, still fuming, muttered under her breath, "Everyone knows Mr. Taylor is loyal to Victoriaâheâs clearly playing favorites. I really feel bad for Miss Angelica..."
Meanwhile, whispers spread through the crowd.
"Did Miss Selina really bring design drafts?"
"Miss Angelica already formed her own jewelry design team. This is clearly a showdown between the two!"
"Yeah, launching designs at the same time... Whoever sells less will lose face."
"Iâm betting on Miss Angelica..."
...
Inside the jewelry department.
Selina frowned. "Why are they asking for the designs now?"
Clark Groupâs jewelry line usually released two new collections per quarter. It wasnât time for the next launch yet.
The shareholder, Taylor, gave her a polite yet calculated smile. "Miss Selina, you may not be aware, but Angelica suggested releasing a new design every month. Mr. Clark agreed. I didnât want you to fall behind, so I hurried to inform you."
"But donât worry, Miss Selina. In terms of connections and talent, Angelica is no match for you. We are the people Mrs. Victoria left behindâwe will always stand by you."
Selina lowered her gaze and took out a design draft. "Got it."
Shareholder Taylor accepted it, the greed in his eyes growing even more intense. "The brooch sample will be ready soon. Shall I escort you back, Miss Selina?"
Something about this situation felt off.
But the jewelry department had stood by her mother for over twenty years without wavering, and Shareholder Taylor had helped her a lot in the past...
Selina shook her head. "No need."
As she stepped out the door, the kindly expression on Shareholder Taylorâs face faded into something more sinister. He walked into a secluded corner and murmured into his phone:
"The design draft is in hand. Next step..."
...
Back at Sapphire Valley Villa, Kevinâs call came through.
"Selina, the word on the street is that youâre going head-to-head with Angelica in a jewelry design competitionâwhoever wins inherits Clark Group. Is that true?"
Selina raised an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that from?"
"Everyoneâs saying it." Kevin shrugged, then suddenly grinned mischievously.
"Clark Group and Angelica probably have no idea that youâve made a name for yourself internationallyâyouâre a master in the design industry. If they knew, would they even dare compete with you?"
"If you ask me, you should just reveal your true identity. The renowned designer âStarââwhose designs are worth a fortuneâwhy bother staying low-
key and putting up with this nonsense at Clark Group?"
Selina rested her chin on her hand. "Itâs not the right time yet."
Kevin didnât push. "Alright, but I heard Angelica is determined to win. Her design skills donât even come close to yours, so be carefulâshe might try something underhanded."
Selina narrowed her eyes, now curious about what tricks Angelica had up her sleeve.
...
One week later, both gemstone brooches were unveiled.
Inside Clark Group, the launch sparked heated discussions.
"Miss Angelica, great news! Your brooch design is already receiving numerous pre-orders from wealthy ladies."
"The response on the website is amazing too! Who wouldâve thought you had such a talent for jewelry design?"
Angelica gave a subtle signal, and suddenly, someone in the crowd voiced their suspicion.
"Wait... why do these two gemstone brooches look so similar?"
Another person chimed in, "Yeah, Selinaâs design is almost identical to Miss Angelicaâs!"
Angelica frowned lightly, feigning concern. "How could this happen? There must be some mistake..."
Clark Groupâs main jewelry department, managed by Selina, and Angelicaâs independent jewelry team had both released their new products.
Yet the designs were eerily alike!
"Looks like someone copied... but who copied who?"
"Isnât it obvious? Miss Angelica submitted her design a long time ago, while Selina only turned hers in last week. The answer is clear."
"Selina plagiarized? How shameless! Does she think being Clark Groupâs heiress lets her do whatever she wants? People were praising her designs for being unique, and now we find out theyâre stolen?"
"I feel so bad for Miss Angelica... You canât let this slide!"
...
Thirty minutes later, Angelica stormed toward Jamesâ office, her face dark with anger.
"Uncle Clark..."
She hesitated, putting on a conflicted expression. "I donât even know if I should bring this up. After all, Selina is your biological daughter, and I shouldnât speak ill of her in front of you. But this involves Clark Groupâs reputation..."
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
ï¤Chapter 191: The Woman He Cares About the Most Apocalypse: The Supporting Actress Made a Comeback ï¤Chapter 739 - 395 Bite back Shadow Slave ï¤Chapter 2468 Home Bitter Home She pulled out a set of design drafts. "Look at this. Selinaâs design is identical to mine. The products are already on the market, and my fans know this was my creation first. Now, Clark Group is trending for plagiarism. Uncle Clark, I canât turn a blind eye to this just to protect Selina at the expense of Clark Group."
"I may not be a true member of the Clark Family, but I canât stand by and watch Clark Group be ruined in her hands..."