But wasn’t this just blatant poaching?
“That’s not very good, Mr. Duncan. We’re already artists under Star Entertainment, and if we jump ship like this, we’ll have to pay a penalty.” Ashtyn politely declined, but Tristian was persistent.
“It’s okay. It’s just a penalty fee. I’ll pay for it on your behalf.”
Upon hearing this, the two fell silent for a while and had some doubts about Tristian’s proposal.
If Jane really didn’t care about them, how could she bring a doctor to the police station so quickly to rescue them?
“Tristian, what are you doing here?” Just as they hesitated, Jane’s voice came from behind.
Just as the two hesitated, Jane’s voice came from behind.
They all turned to look, and there was Jane, wearing a white lace sweater, with beautiful curly hair cascading down to her waist. Her every move exuded a charming and enchanting aura.
Jane had called a car for the two of them, but when she saw them suddenly change direction towards the café, she quickly realized something was wrong.
So she hurriedly came here.
“Why did you come…” Tristian was slightly surprised, then he glared at the two trainees beside him, thinking that they had called Jane.
“If I didn’t come, I was afraid you would poach my artists,” Jane said, striding over to stand beside the two girls and pulling them behind her.
“I just wanted to invite the two of them for afternoon tea. Is it too much for you to have such control?” he said, his words carrying a hint of sarcasm.
As soon as these words came out, the two girls wanted to shake their heads and distance themselves from Tristian, but Tristian’s eyes glanced over discreetly, causing them to remain silent.
“I don’t care who they have afternoon tea with, but having tea with you is absolutely not allowed,” Jane said.
Little did Tristian know that Jane would directly expose him, embarrassing him in front of everyone. There were others present, and instantly their gazes were drawn to the scene.
Originally, they were a bit curious when they saw such a handsome man having afternoon tea with two girls, but because their voices were low, they could hardly hear what they were saying.
But with Jane’s arrival, she directly revealed Tristian’s attempt to poach people, causing everyone to involuntarily look over.
“What do you mean by this!” Tristian suddenly felt embarrassed. He pointed at the people in front of him, but in the next second, people nearby started whispering.
“I didn’t expect a big man like him to bully three women. Is he not ashamed?”
The surrounding people’s strange looks made Tristian feel a burning pain on his face.
“Ms. North, do we have any grudges between us? Why are you slandering me like this?” Tristian said, trying to deny what he had just said, but Jane sneered.
“I heard everything you said just now, and I recorded it as well, Mr. Duncan. Take care of yourself,” Jane said fiercely, glaring at him before taking the two trainees and leaving.
“Jane…” Ashtyn felt guilty. Jane cared so much about them, yet they almost believed Tristian’s nonsense.
“Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?” Jane held the two girls and circled around, making sure they were fine before letting out a sigh of relief.
“Tristian acts and speaks without thinking. Based on the videos online, you should have been cautious of him,” Jane reminded them, and the two quickly nodded.
Jane soon personally drove the two girls back home.
Then Jane returned to the company. She frowned, as Tristian’s actions of poaching people were never acceptable. She had to give him some punishment.
Moreover, he had done something to her before, causing misunderstandings.
Thinking of this, Jane opened Twitter.
She opened the editing panel and typed a line.
“The mighty CEO actually came under my nose to poach trainees. Astonishing!”
After finishing, Jane uploaded the audio and quickly sent out the tweet.
Soon, people noticed this tweet.
Those who were present in the morning began to criticize Tristian, claiming that they saw it with their own eyes.
Many industry insiders also came forward to condemn Tristian. Such behavior was infuriating.
Many people stood up for Jane, and Tristian’s image took a big hit after this incident.
On the other hand, another big incident broke out on Twitter.
Darnell Maynard, as Dax’s disciple, was unexpectedly found to be involved in plagiarism.
Someone compared his work with a popular image on the internet and discovered not only the similarity in theme but also the stark difference in color and brushwork.
Both were depicting the life cycle of a peony flower, from a bud to its withering state. Darnell’s work was just recently released and received a large following.
As the news spread, some observant netizens felt that they had seen a similar piece before, somewhere.
Soon enough, another image was found online by netizens.
Clearly, that image was already slightly blurry, indicating that it was created many years ago, while Darnell’s work had just been released this week.
In no time, people online concluded that Darnell had plagiarized someone else’s work. It was unimaginable that as Dax’s disciple, he could commit such an act.
Plagiarism was not a trivial matter, and those in the industry began to investigate vigorously to find out who the original author of the painting was.
Soon, a netizen discovered that Jane’s alternate Twitter account had posted this artwork with a series of interpretations.
However, this tweet was from several days ago when Dax’s work had already been released, causing many people to shift their focus.
Could it be that Jane plagiarized Darnell? But no one could say for sure, and public opinion on the internet fell into a dilemma.
However, soon another netizen came forward with solid evidence that indeed it was Darnell who plagiarized Jane.
Everyone knew what kind of person Jane was. As the wife of the CEO, she possessed immense wealth, and these artworks were not her only source of income. Analyzing images was just her hobby.
It was possible that Jane had already released this artwork a long time ago, and it had only recently made its way to Twitter for appreciation.
On the other hand, Darnell was a professional in this field, so it was hard not to suspect him for such an act.
In no time, people online began to confirm that it was Darnell who had plagiarized Jane. Although there was no concrete evidence, many netizens started to believe this narrative.
Soon, Darnell became the subject of public criticism, and as an elder figure in the industry, Dax himself could not escape the association with his disciple’s plagiarism.
In no time, even Dax was pushed to the forefront of public opinion.