Chapter 197: Presenting Evidence, Delivering a Brutal Slap Angelica didnât respond, but someone in the crowd shouted, "Of course!"
"Whoever publishes first is the original creatorâ isnât that common sense?!"
"Angelica started live-streaming her design process a month agoâ what about you?!"
The reason why this piece of jewelry looked familiar to so many people was that Angelica had been sketching bits of it during every live stream for the past month, making sure her fans remembered it.
Katieâs eyes darted around before she quickly spoke up, "Selina, what else is there to say? Weâre all familyâ if you admit your mistake now, Angelica wonât hold it against you!"
Angelica pursed her lips and sighed, "Selina... dragging this out any longer wonât do you any good. Even if you donât care about yourself, at least think about Logan."
Selina smirked. Think about Logan?
"Since thatâs the case..."
With a snap of her fingers, the massive screen behind them suddenly flickered, and the original display vanished, replaced by a recorded video.
"Everyone here insists that the one who publishes first is the original creator. So, Angelica, how do you explain this?"
The video started playing.
On the screen, Selina was sketching a jewelry design, her hand gracefully moving across the page before she scanned and uploaded it onto a computer.
The design in the video was identical to the one caught in the plagiarism scandal.
And in the bottom-right corner of the screenâ the timestamp showed it was from a year ago.
Wait... a year ago?!
The previously outraged crowd suddenly fell silent.
Reporters exchanged uncertain glances. "Selina sketched this design a year ago?"
"Angelica only started hers a month ago... so does that meanâ Angelica really plagiarized?"
With just one video, the entire narrative flipped on its head.
Selina in the video was wearing winter clothing, and from the snowy background outside the window, it was clear that this footage was genuinely recorded last winter.
Which meantâ
Gasps rippled through the audience.
"Oh my god, Angelica was the one who copied! And yet her fans were attacking Selina, trying to force her into a confessionâ was this their plan all along? If Selina gave in, no one would have ever known Angelica stole the design!"
"This is insane! Even her own father didnât bother investigating the truth. He believed a stepdaughter over his real daughter and was ready to kick her out!"
Angelicaâs face drained of color. She staggered slightly before shooting a panicked glare toward Shareholder Taylor.
No... impossible!
Shareholder Taylor had sworn that Selina had no evidence. So where did this video come from?!
Katie screeched, "Selina! Where did you even find this fake video to frame Angelica?! You stole her design, and now youâre trying to play the victim?
With todayâs technology, do you really think we donât know how easy it is to fabricate a timestamp?"
Angelica immediately caught on and burst into tears.
"Selina... there was no need for this. You can ask anyone in the industryâ my reputation speaks for itself. Iâve never had a history of plagiarism! I have my design records, and my fans can vouch for me..."
[Thatâs right! I watched Angelica live-stream her design process every nightâ I saw her create it from scratch! Why would she ever need to steal from some no-name rookie?]
[Selina is disgusting! Even when sheâs exposed, she refuses to admit it!]
[According to Selina, she supposedly designed this a year ago. But Angelica has never even seen her sketchâ how could she have copied it exactly? Selina mustâve realized she couldnât explain herself, so she faked this footage at the last minute. Donât fall for it!]
Some spectators hesitated, unsure of who to believe.
After all, Angelica was an established name in the industryâ why would she need to steal someone elseâs design?
Could it be that Selina really forged the evidence?
Angelica let out a sigh of relief.
As long as she insisted that Selina had forged the evidence, public opinion would still be in her favor.
She pretended to be kind-hearted, saying, "Selina, if you admit it now, I can still plead for you... Otherwise, this industry will never accept you again. I donât want to see you ruin yourself..."
"Since you claim this design is yours, thenâ"
Before she could finish, Selina interrupted her directly, pointing to a specific part of the brooch.
"Why is there a broken cloud in this design?"
Angelicaâs face turned slightly pale. How did she know that?!
Selina tilted her head playfully. "Why isnât Angelica answering? Canât come up with an explanation?"
Angelica took a deep breath. "I donât need to answer that."
"Then why is there a seagull here? What does the overall design symbolize? What was the inspiration behind this brooch?"
Selina fired off three consecutive questions, and Angelicaâs face went from red to green to pale white, her expression completely stiff.
The room fell silentâeveryone was now waiting for Angelicaâs response.
She had no choice but to feign helplessness. "Selina, design inspiration is something that comes in fleeting moments. The way youâre pressing me like this... how am I supposed to answer?"
"Itâs normal that you canât answer."
Selina suddenly paused, her smirk deepening.
"Because when you copied it, you had no ideaâthis brooch isnât actually complete, is it?"
Angelicaâs breath hitched, panic rushing to her head.
Wait... what did Selina mean by that?!
The crowd also looked puzzled.
Not complete?
The brooch had already been released on the marketâit was clearly a standalone piece. Aside from that broken cloud, how was it incomplete?
Katie sneered without thinking. "Selina, youâll say anything to clear your name! Not complete? Youâre just jealous of Angelica!"
Angelicaâs brows suddenly furrowed, a deep sense of foreboding creeping in.
Wait... Selinaâs ânot completeââcould it be...
"Itâs incomplete because itâs a matching coupleâs brooch."
Selinaâs voice rang out clearly.
"The broken cloud, the solitary seagull... every tiny detail hints at the existence of another half! Angelica, if this design is truly yours, then tell meâdid you design a coupleâs set?"
A coupleâs brooch...
This was a pair of brooches?!
Angelicaâs breath caught, and her face finally darkened.
"Selina, even if you say all this, you could just be making things upâ"
Before she could finish, the paused video on the screen suddenly resumed playing.
In the video, Selina continued sketching next to the original brooch design.
The broken cloud connected to another half, and opposite the seagull, a fish emerged from the seaâone in the sky, the other in the ocean.
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
ï¤Chapter 196: Expelled from Clark Group Apocalypse: The Supporting Actress Made a Comeback ï¤Chapter 739 - 395 Bite back Shadow Slave ï¤Chapter 2468 Home Bitter Home Every single detail matched perfectly.
Anyone with eyes could tellâthis was indeed a coupleâs design.
Angelica stumbled backward, her entire body trembling!
Selina sneered coldly.
"Angelica, you donât even know what the full design represents. The seagull and the fish love each other, but they will never be together. They were split into two brooches, yet they continue to longingly gaze at one another. That was my original vision."
"Yet you canât explain why the seagull is looking down, why the cloud is broken, or why you even changed my original blue sapphire to pink. In my design, the blue sapphire represents the sea. What does your pink one represent?"
Angelica couldnât answer. She had no idea.
Selinaâs voice turned sharper, her words cutting like a blade.
"Angelica, you canât explain the design concept, you didnât even know this was a coupleâs set, and I have the full recording of my design process. Yet you still claim this is your work?"
"Based on what? Just because you have more fans, you think you can distort the truth?"