Reborn to Marry My Best Friend's Uncle novel Chapter 26

Once Annie turned around to pull out her color swatches, Abigail seized the chance to quickly lift her phone. She aimed it at the computer screen where the final design draft was still displayed and quickly pressed the shutter.

The soft click was perfectly masked by a deliberate cough she feigned at the same time.

After getting the design draft, Abigail's heart leapt. She pretended to ask a few more perfunctory, insignificant questions before gathering her materials with satisfaction.

Then, she bowed deeply to Annie, wearing a face of overflowing gratitude. "Thank you so much, Annie. I understand it all now!"

Assuming she was just genuinely eager to learn, Annie simply smiled and waved a hand. "It's nothing. Feel free to ask me anytime you're unsure."

"Got it!"

Watching Abigail skip away, Annie thought no more of it. She shut down her computer, picked up her bag, and left the studio.

Meanwhile, Abigail ducked into an empty corner the second she cleared the studio. She swiftly tapped into her phone's photo gallery and sent all four clear shots of Annie's design drafts to Cecilia.

After completing the task, she leaned against the wall and let out a long, relieved breath. With Cecilia, the future boss' wife as her backer, her path moving forward would be smooth sailing.

As for Annie, she shouldn't have offended Cecilia in the first place!

…

Days of preparation flew by, and soon, it was the day of the contest. Rising design talents and industry veterans from home and abroad gathered.

Backstage was a hive of busy, nervous energy.

Annie sat in a corner, quietly reviewing the final version of her design saved on her USB drive. She took deep breaths to steady her nerves.

"Next, let's welcome contestant No. 32, Ms. Cecilia Lambert, onstage to present her work," the host announced.

Annie looked up. Through the monitor screen, she saw Cecilia in a pure white dress, wearing delicate, innocent-looking makeup.

Slowly, Cecilia glided onto the stage and nodded at the judges and audience. She wore a sweet, confident smile on her face as she said, "The theme of my entry is 'Nirvana'."

When the giant screen behind her lit up to display her design draft, the calm on Annie's face shattered.

The screen displayed a professional black and white suit, with golden threads outlining a phoenix rising along the suit's spine and stitched with sharp and fluid tailoring.

It was a suit designed to highlight its fiery spirits. Every line and detail was identical to the design she'd perfected countless times.

How? This was impossible!

Cecilia eloquently described the design draft, while other contestants backstage began whispering.

"Wow, this is such a stunning design."

Step by step, she walked onto the stage. Without looking at anyone, she silently handed the USB drive to the staff member.

When the all-too-familiar design appeared on the giant screen once more, the room erupted.

"Wait… This is the same design as the last!"

"Plagriasim? This is all so blatant that they presented back-to-back!"

"I can't believe how embarrassing she is, to plagiarize here, right at the venue of the contest!"

At the judges' table, the panel's expression had turned grim. They despised plagiarism above all else, as it was an unforgivable sin in the design world.

Annie clenched her fists. The memory of Abigail seeking her out that night flashed in her mind. Aside from that one instance, no one else could have accessed her final design draft.

"I did not plagiarize. The final stroke of my design was completed at 8:00 pm on the 26th. I request a timestamp authentication."

"Order!" A senior judge couldn't help but speak up. He grabbed the microphone and rose to his feet.

"Ms. Steward, you and Ms. Lambert come from the same studio. A timestamp proves very little under such circumstances.

"Do you have any other evidence?"