Lorelai felt a chill run down her spine as she forced a smile. “Oh, I must have forgotten to mention that detail. Good catch, Callie. You can sit down now.”
Callie remained standing, her expression innocent.
“Miss Ryan, aren’t you curious how I knew such specifics?”
A cold sweat broke out on Lorelai’s back. Callie’s calm confidence was unnerving. Lorelai’s lips twitched as she realized she was losing ground.
But then she thought Callie was just making a scene without evidence.
“And why is that?” Lorelai asked, trying to maintain her composure.
“Because I drew this design,” Callie said.
“Ridiculous. You said you drew it, but it doesn’t mean it’s true. You have no evidence…”
Before Lorelai could finish, Callie had already turned her computer screen to face the room, displaying the exact same design. Everyone in the room gasped.
Lorelai was stunned, cold sweat pouring down her back. How did Callie get her computer fixed? This was impossible!
The murmurs in the room grew louder.
“Look at that! Callie’s draft is dated a week ago, but Miss Ryan’s is clearly later.”
Lorelai shot back, “That proves nothing! I’ve been constantly revising my draft. The last saved date isn’t evidence! I could just as easily accuse her of copying me to tarnish my reputation!”
Callie nodded in agreement. She calmly typed on her keyboard. “You’re right. Dates aren’t conclusive. But Miss Ryan, if you’ve been revising the draft so often, didn’t you notice a significant error?”
Lorelai quickly glanced at her design, her eyes scanning it frantically, unsure how to respond.
Litzy, also scrutinizing the draft, whispered, “I don’t see any mistakes…”
Callie folded her hands and walked over to Lorelai, pointing to the upper right corner of the draft, where she circled a barely noticeable detail.
Hidden in a black line was a faint watermark: CM.
It was Callie’s signature mark, something she always included in her designs to prevent unauthorized use.
The room erupted in shock.
Now it was clear who the real plagiarist was.
Lorelai staggered back, collapsing into a chair, her face drained of color as she faced Callie.
“Usually, I remove the watermark before submitting the final draft,” Callie explained. “But you copied it before I could do that. If my computer hadn’t been fixed, I might have forgotten about it.”
What had once worried Callie turned out to be her saving grace.
“See, I told you she wasn’t fit to be director,” one colleague whispered.
“Her true colors are showing,” another added.
The victory was clearly Callie’s.
“I told you I’d find the evidence,” Callie said, her voice steady and determined. “Do you remember what you told me, Lorelai? You said you understood my ambition, but I shouldn’t achieve it by using someone else’s work. That’s exactly what I want to tell you now.”
Lorelai’s face turned ghostly pale, her lips trembling. She wanted to defend herself, but no words came. It was the ultimate disgrace, like being caught red-handed with no way to explain.
As the employees whispered and pointed at Lorelai, a group of security guards suddenly entered, followed by a distinguished middle-aged man.
Someone recognized him. “It’s Mr. Russell, the head of HR department.”
“Remove her from the company,” Mr. Russell commanded. “Oconnor Group has no place for dishonest people.”