It was very quiet outside. The thunder and rain had stopped. The lights of the houses gradually faded as midnight fell, and soon, the city was completely enveloped in darkness. The Noretin Design Competition had ended, and the winners had been chosen.
Unfortunately, Mona was accused of plagiarism.
Mona looked outside and rested her head on Maxwell's shoulder.
She sat quietly for a long time that night, thinking a lot about the incident. She wanted to prove her innocence and make Molly pay for what the latter had done. Molly was the one who had plagiarized.
But Mona didn't seem to know what to do and couldn't come up with a fix. Who would believe what she said?
As Mona dwelled in her thoughts, Maxwell sat quietly by her side, lending her a shoulder and offering warmth.
Mona finally couldn't take the doziness anymore, and her eyes slowly closed.
After quite some time, Maxwell gently carried her in his arms and quietly placed her on the big bed. After covering her with the blanket, he walked out of the bedroom.
He called Nigel right after he closed the door.
Nigel had been waiting for Maxwell's call. When it finally came, he said, "Mr. Carter, I've found out that there's a story between Molly and the Carter family.
"Her family is related to the Reed family who are overseas, and she's the illegitimate daughter of Lydia's uncle. She takes her mother's surname and has been raised by Danielle all these years."
Nigel passed the message he received verbatim.
Just as Nigel was about to continue, Maxwell interrupted him. "Nigel, is your brain under shock or what? What were my instructions? I told you to look for evidence of Molly stealing Mona's design, not Molly's background."
Maxwell felt like slapping Nigel. 'Nigel's an absolute idiot. After working with me for so many years, he still couldn't understand fully what I was trying to say,' he thought.
After hanging up, Maxwell saw the WhatsApp message from Brendan.
[I'll look for Danielle. After gaining her trust, the tables will be turned for sure. Also, Danielle will attend a private gathering in Yosneosiland. The invitation letter is with the hotel reception.]
Regardless of the reason or plan, Brendan provided Maxwell with solutions. Maxwell replied: [Many thanks.]
After Maxwell returned to the bed, Mona leaned into his arms. Her fair and smooth hands clasped Maxwell's silk pajamas tightly.
Maxwell slowly drew out his pajamas from Mona's palm and replaced it with his pinky.
In the night, Maxwell's palm gently stroked Mona's soft hair and said in a deep voice, "Mona, it will pass. This is the darkness just before the dawn. In the future, your design will be admired by a lot of people."
Maxwell would support Mona and stay by her side to help her overcome the obstacles along the way.
The heavy rain in Noretin cleared the dust in the air. Golden sun rays shone through the heavy window screen. A new day had arrived.
On the big bed, Mona slowly opened her eyes. Maxwell was no longer there. She got up, put on the clothes that he had prepared, went to the bathroom, and washed up.
The toothpaste was already squeezed onto her toothbrush. Even the face towel had been pulled out and arranged neatly. Mona finally let out a faint smile.
With Maxwell around, she didn't feel so sad anymore since being falsely incriminated for plagiarism.
When she got out of the bathroom, she saw Maxwell walking in with some paper lunch boxes. Their eyes met.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Queen's Back (Mona and Maxwell)