Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Everyone was staring at him with intense curiosity, and Patrick had had enough. He ripped off the bandage directly. To his surprise, when he exposed the wound beneath the bandage, everyone started staring even more blatantly and even began whispering to each other.

Though he was not sure if they were really talking about him, in Patrick’s eyes, it was clear they were discussing how he got that injury. Coupled with the events from the morning, Patrick’s frustration built up like a volcano ready to erupt. He summed it all up emotionally and left the meeting with a parting remark.

Not long after the meeting, Nelson went to find Patrick. “Mr. Hersey, Miss Webb…”

He had barely uttered anything when Patrick cut him off with a chilly tone. “Today, don’t let me hear the name Violet Webb. I don’t want to hear anything about her today. Understand?”

Nelson hesitated, staring at Patrick’s unpleasant expression, and could only nod before quietly exiting.

Around noon, right before lunch, Violet suddenly noticed that everyone was sneakily glancing at her. She was somewhat puzzled but did not take the initiative to ask.

Suddenly, Megan called, her voice filled with anger and coldness. “Violet, have you seen what’s trending online?”

Violet was bewildered. “What’s trending?”

Megan had not expected Violet to be unaware and responded with irritation, “What else could it be? That fake Veronica is up to her tricks again. Just go online and see for yourself.”

Violet hung up the phone and immediately opened Twitter. She saw what Megan had mentioned and belatedly realized why everyone had been covertly looking at her.

Veronica was trending, or more precisely, both Veronica and Violet were trending. There were four trending hashtags: “Veronica Suicide,” “Veronica and Violet Are Sisters,” “Violet Heartless,” and “Support Veronica.”

Violet clicked on the trending topic about Veronica’s suicide and watched a video cl*p of a reporter interviewing Veronica. The backdrop was a hospital, and Veronica, with a pale face, looked directly into the camera. The reporter zoomed in on her wrist, which was wrapped in bandages. It appeared to be seeping blood. The reporter asked, “Miss Webb, can you please tell us why you tried to kill yourself? It was just a case of plagiarism. There are many people who make mistakes every day in the world, and your mistake isn’t that significant. There’s no need to take it so hard.”

Upon hearing the reporter’s question, Violet quickly grasped that this reporter

had been hired by Veronica to act out this drama. Regular reporters would not speak so gently.

Veronica, with a weak expression, avoided eye contact. Her gaze seemed to flicker. “I–it’s not just because of that…”

The reporter gently said, “Then what is it? Don’t be afraid, speak up bravely, and everyone will support you.”

Veronica, her voice choked with sorrow, sniffled and said, “I don’t even know how things escalated like this. Maybe you all don’t know, but Violet and I are sisters.” The reporter was surprised. “Oh, you two are sisters?”

Veronica, her eyes reddening, wiped her moist eyes with her hand. “She’s my actual sister, and I’ve always known she was dating Russell. But later, Russell told me that he and my sister were just pretending to be a couple in public for the sake of Oceanen Jewelry’s interests. At first, I didn’t believe him.”

Veronica’s voice quivered. “But later, he started treating me so well, and he and my sister had a distant relationship in private. I foolishly believed his words. The designs I submitted for the competition were all given to me by him. I had no idea they were my sister’s creations. He told me he loved me, and that he wanted to lift me up. I wanted to be with him, so I had to establish myself in the jewelry industry to help him. I resisted at first, but eventually, I agreed to his request. I used those design sketches for the competition.”

Veronica became even more upset, her tears flowing freely, and she started sobbing uncontrollably. “It was only after I married Russell that I found out the previous design sketches were all drawn by my sister. We were already husband and wife, and he asked me for one final favor. He promised that once I won the Century Jewelry Competition, he wouldn’t pressure me anymore. So even though I knew the truth this time, I still used my sister’s design sketches for the competition.”

The reporter handed her a tissue as the camera continued rolling. Her entire face was flooded with tears, and she looked utterly miserable.

Veronica wiped her tears as she spoke, “At the moment it all happened, I was in complete shock. Russell said we had to protect my reputation for Oceanen Jewelry. Despite my strong objections, he went ahead and had the company’s lawyers sue my sister in my name. Then came my sister’s counterattack, followed by a flood of online criticism. Everyone online is using the harshest language to berate me. Every day when I go online, it feels like my sanity is on the brink of collapsing. It’s so painful, and I have no idea what I should do.”

She covered her face with her hands and then lifted them. Her eyes were swollen and pitiful. “I know I’ve done something wrong. After learning the truth, I should never have continued to agree with Russell to use my sister’s design for the competition. I was so confused at the time that I made a terrible mistake, and I deeply regret it now. I’m willing to apologize to my sister, to beg for her forgiveness.”

Veronica stared into the camera, looking utterly pitiable. “But my sister won’t give me a chance at all. She refuses to forgive me. She won’t answer my calls or reply to my messages.”