He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 768

Yardley was agonizing over whether he should step up and leverage his immense reputation in the international architectural community to beg for mercy on Scarlett's behalf.

But before he could make a move, Julian beat him to it. He stood up from his front-row seat, strode onto the stage with undeniable authority, and smoothly took the microphone from the stunned host.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Julian Croft."

He didn't list any titles or accolades, but that simple introduction sent a massive shockwave through the room. During his years in Country A, Julian had designed some of the nation's most iconic, landmark structures. Yet he was notoriously reclusive, almost never appearing in public, shunning award circuits, and rarely socializing within the elite circles. He was an absolute legend—a ghost in the industry.

This was his first public appearance on a global stage of this magnitude. Instantly, every eye in the room was locked onto him, desperate to know why the elusive genius had decided to step into the spotlight.

Julian took a steadying breath, his voice ringing out with absolute conviction. "I am here to clear the name of my friend, Scarlett Langley. It is true that these two drafts are nearly identical. But that is because the user 'Zephyr' is Scarlett herself. That old draft was originally posted by her."

The auditorium erupted into chaos.

Dennis, who had just been riding the high of his righteous indignation, looked completely dumbfounded. He stared at Julian in disbelief. "Mr. Croft, you can't just make claims without proof! Do you have evidence?"

Scarlett and Julian exchanged a brief, knowing look. Then, with perfect elegance, Scarlett accepted the microphone from the host.

"Julian is entirely correct. Zephyr is my pen name."

Refusing to give the crowd a second to breathe, her voice echoed through the hall with lethal precision. "That draft is indeed an early sketch I did years ago. I posted it on that forum hoping to get constructive feedback from more experienced architects, but the post gained zero traction. Eventually, I forgot I had even uploaded it."

She continued, "My winning design tonight is a highly evolved, heavily modified version of that original concept, built on years of hard-earned industry experience. I did not plagiarize anyone. Both designs were created by my own two hands. And now, I will present my proof."

Cool as ice, Scarlett pulled a USB drive from her clutch and handed it to the bewildered event staff.

The color violently drained from Dennis's face. Cold sweat practically rained down his forehead, and his eyes darted around the room in absolute panic.

Julian lifted the microphone again, delivering the final strike. "I formally propose that Dennis's silver award be revoked. If anyone can publicly assassinate a peer's character based on sloppy assumptions, then the integrity of this prestigious award means absolutely nothing."

Dennis's eyes bulged in sheer terror as the weight of his ruin crushed him. His head dropped in defeat.

For a split second, there was total silence. Then, someone in the crowd started clapping. Within seconds, the entire auditorium exploded into thunderous, standing applause.

Sylvia's malicious smile shattered. Her nails were digging so deeply into her flesh that they drew blood, but she couldn't feel the pain. Staring up at Scarlett—who was practically glowing with absolute victory—Sylvia felt like she had just been slapped across the face with a brick. Her cheeks burned with humiliation.

Beside her, Yardley looked like he had been struck by lightning.