Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 45

The stares of the audience bore into her, accompanied by the endless hum of whispers.

Seraphina clutched her notebook, a rising panic clawing at her chest.

If she couldn't prove her innocence today, the plagiarism label would follow her for the rest of her life.

No company would ever hire her, and no competition would ever accept her entry again.

Her six years of silent endurance and her recent grueling efforts would all amount to a pathetic joke.

She took a deep breath, set the sketchbook down, and grabbed her phone.

She had one last resort.

Log into the account and prove that she was the 'anonymous designer.'

But the problem was that she had used the anonymous identity six years ago for a reason.

If she publicized the account now, a lot of buried secrets would be dragged back into the light.

Yet, if she kept quiet, the plagiarism charge would stick, and her life would be utterly destroyed.

Countless pairs of eyes in the venue were locked onto her, waiting for an explanation. The invisible pressure was suffocating.

Just as Seraphina was about to log into her account, a voice rang out from the back of the hall.

"Hold on a moment."

The crowd turned around to see a man in a sharp suit striding purposefully into the venue, holding a stack of documents and a tablet.

He walked straight up to the judges' table, leaned in, and whispered a few words.

The young man straightened up, gave a polite nod, and stepped aside.

The head judge's expression shifted drastically before he cleared his throat and stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we proceed to the final scoring, we need to clarify a matter."

He picked up the tablet, pulled up a video, and turned the screen toward the audience.

"So she didn't steal it at all. She literally drew it stroke by stroke herself."

"Doesn't that make the person who accused her look like an absolute clown?"

As the gossip flared up again, Cynthia's face drained of color.

She gripped her clutch tightly, though she quickly forced her features back into a mask of composure.

Seraphina stared at the video, her fingers slowly relaxing.

She had no idea who pulled that footage or who sent it to the judges.

But whoever it was, she owed them a massive thank you.

The head judge raised a hand to quiet the room and continued, "The judging panel has unanimously concluded that designer Prima's 'Chrysalis' has absolutely no trace of plagiarism. Any stylistic similarities are purely coincidental and do not impact its originality. We will now resume scoring."

A wave of applause thundered through the crowd, even more passionate than before.

Seraphina sank back into her seat, the fabric of her dress drenched in cold sweat.