“No… I didn’t…” Charlotte, weak and powerless, tried to explain to Sienna and Ahmad.
Both of their faces were grim, and the situation was nearly out of control.
There were countless people taking photos and recording videos.
Charlotte suddenly realized something. Her eyes searched around and finally fixed on a figure in white standing at the back left. The person stood very straight, with a slight smile, eyes curved like crescent moons.
Callie looked at her with a smile and mouthed: Happy Birthday.
Charlotte’s vision went black, and she collapsed completely unconscious.
Another wave of chaos ensued.
Callie closed her eyes and said to herself, Happy Birthday, Maevelyn. I’m sorry I just found out today is your birthday.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pair of cold, angry eyes staring at her from a distance.
Two hours later, the venue was cleared, all the paintings were packed up and stored, and the painting suspected of plagiarism was taken down and handed over to lawyers for negotiation.
Charlotte was sent to the hospital, with Sienna and Regan accompanying her. Ahmad returned alone to the Ellison family.
The venue was empty, giving off a sense of desolation.
Callie stood still, with Jamir by her side. After a long time, she finally moved. “Let’s go.”
“This show has exhausted me.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and patted it gently.
It was meant to be comforting.
At the entrance, Jamir went to get the car. Callie stood by the roadside but was stopped by someone. All the bodyguards from the venue were deployed to prevent her from leaving.
“Sorry, Miss Marsh, you can’t leave today.”
Callie’s hands trembled slightly. She said in a deep voice, “Tell Nelson not to push me too far!”
The bodyguard looked troubled. Glancing in the direction where Jamir was driving from, he quickly said, “Just doing my job, Miss Marsh. Please don’t make it hard for us.”
Back in the same room, the lights were off, and the curtains were tightly drawn, blocking out almost all light.
Callie sat on the sofa, her back still very straight. If one looked closely, they could see a dried trail of blood at the corner of her mouth, starkly noticeable.
A tall figure stood in front of her, his deep voice filled with undisguised anger.
“How long have you been planning this?”
“Less than two weeks,” she replied, her mouth hurting as she spoke.
Who could have imagined that a few hours ago, he had kissed her here, and now it was a completely different scene?
It was almost surreal.
Nelson sneered. “Quite capable.”
She remained silent.
“How did you know she plagiarized?”
“I deliberately left an art book for her. I guessed she would copy from it. I just needed to know which painting she would copy so I could find the original.”
It was a very thorough plan, almost a trap, leading Charlotte step by step into it.
“And then you had Jamir bribe my people not to bid against you, right?” He hit the mark.
That part was simple.
Nelson crouched down and gently touched the red marks on her face. He seemed to sigh. “Why did you do this?”
“She had every chance to avoid this outcome as long as she didn’t plagiarize,” Callie wanted to laugh but it hurt her mouth. “But she did it anyway. This is what she deserves!”
Upon hearing this, his gentle touch turned into a grip. He used more force, his anger reaching its peak. “What does this have to do with you! Callie! Do you know you’ve ruined her life!”