Chapter 50 – Right Person Wrong Time

Whitney was obviously stunned. However, she managed to snap back swiftly. “Miss Nicole, are you asking me to help you clean up the plagiarism scandal?”

“Yeah, I’ll feel more at ease with you by my side,” Nicole said immediately.

Although Whitney was her assistant designer, her real profession was a hacker. Nicole could not trust anyone now, so she could only rely on Whitney.

Upon hearing that, Whitney breathed a sigh of relief. “Not a problem! President Yates gave his orders earlier. He, too, asked me to stop any work I have at the moment and wait for your call.”

Sure enough, Whitney saw the scandal and comments circulating on the Internet. Yet, she did not take the initiative to do anything, considering Nicole had been staying silent.

Zachary saw the news about the plagiarism scandal first thing in the morning. He gave Whitney a call that morning, asking her to stop her work at the moment and wait for Nicole’s call.

It never crossed Nicole’s mind that Zachary would be so thoughtful. Hence, she felt rather touched by his thoughtfulness. “By the way, help me investigate a person and find out his current whereabouts when you come.”

“Is it the one in the video?” Whitney asked.

Upon hearing that, Nicole nodded and answered, “Yeah.”

Since Henry does not want me to have a better life, why would I be sanctimonious and let him live a comfortable life?

“Order received! Not to worry, Miss Nicole. This matter will certainly be dealt with nicely, considering I’m taking the lead!” Whitney assured with a smile.

Then, Nicole reached out her hand and massaged between her eyebrows. Feeling slightly tired, she responded, “Safe travels.”

Plagiarism scandal, hooking up with men for money, and pregnancy out of wedlock…

Initially, the talk was just circulating around the plagiarism scandal. However, due to Nicole’s rising popularity, her boundless dark past was dug up and exposed.

At first, Nicole wanted to solve the matter step by step. She did not expect Queenie to go this extreme this time. Not only does she want to destroy my career, but she even wants to ruin my entire life!

Meanwhile, in the Anderson Residence, Lydia was holding a bowl of lobster bisque in her hand. With a smile on her face, she walked forward in small steps.

“Queenie… I’m sure that b*tch, Nicole, will definitely have a hard time emancipating herself this time!” Lydia put the bowl of lobster bisque in front of Queenie as she spoke.

With a complacent look on her face, Queenie squinted her eyes and smirked. Then, she snorted coldly. “She has no one to blame but herself. Nicole didn’t know her place and tried to snatch my rightful possession away! In her dreams!”

Although the scandal had turned into a massive deal, Lydia was still a little worried. “After all, Nicole is now the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel. Do you think they will curb this scandal for her sake?”

They finally had the opportunity to knock Nicole down, so she definitely would not want Nicole to emancipate herself from this scandal. Not to mention, due to Nicole’s status as a Chief Designer, William had long been thinking of accepting her back into the Anderson Family. If it was not for Lydia constantly advising him against it, Nicole would probably have moved in by now!

Just then, Queenie’s eyes sparkled with a trace of malignancy, and she sneered with her lips curled upward, “Mom, I won’t give them the chance!”

Now that I have started this, I must ensure the mud sticks firmly. Nicole must not be given a chance to emancipate herself. I want to keep her completely under my feet!

Upon hearing that, Lydia leaned over and asked, “Do you have any good ideas?”

With her lips curled into a smile, Queenie said slowly, “The incident that took place five years ago and the pregnancy out of wedlock can only allow the netizens to criticize Nicole from a moral point of view. But, that’s not the case with plagiarism. Plagiarizing means she’s violated the law. Despite having the support from F&M Apparel, Nicole will still be sent to jail as long as the rightful owner of the original design draft sues her!”

Overjoyed at Queenie’s words, Lydia immediately asked, “Queenie, have you found the owner of the original design draft?”

Upon hearing that, Queenie shook her head. She had been bothered by this matter as well. Although she had asked the judges of the competition from that year, they informed her that it was an anonymous draft. Even though the person had won first place in the competition, no one ever showed up to pick up the prize. They tried to contact the person, but there was no response.

“Then, what should we do?” Lydia asked, feeling rather anxious. I finally seized this golden opportunity. I don’t want to give it up!

“Mom, this matter has become too big of a deal now. It’s impossible that the owner of the original design draft hasn’t seen it. Let’s wait for two more days. If the judges still can’t get in touch with the owner by then, we’ll find someone to pretend to be the owner of the original design draft ourselves. This time, we need to crush Nicole to the point that she can’t make a comeback!”

As she gritted her teeth, Queenie uttered those words. Last time, Nicole nearly set me up to have s*x with Joseph! No matter what, I can’t let that slide. Currently, Nicole is being treated like a reprobate. Everyone is spitting hateful remarks, showing her no signs of kindness when they see her. I simply don’t believe that there’s still a way for her to emancipate herself!

Instantaneously, Lydia showed a malicious smile. “Sounds good. Queenie, you’re so intelligent!” Back then, Nicole’s mother never conspired against me. It seems like the daughter she gave birth to is also useless, considering we can have Nicole completely under our feet now!

At the same time, at the Gardner Corporation, the situation was not looking well in the

President’s office. Holding his head with one hand, Colton looked at the document in his hand and could not help feeling a headache.

Due to scandals like Nicole’s plagiarism, premarital pregnancy, and such being exposed on the Internet, the Board of Directors of the Gardner Corporation could no longer sit still. They all requested the Gardner Corporation to play safe and quickly kick Nicole out.

Though Colton managed to suppress this issue with all his strength, he did not expect the Board of Directors to bring this matter to his father, Benjamin Gardner.

Benjamin was old and had a bad temper. Upon hearing that there was such a black sheep in the company, he immediately gave Colton a call and scolded him first without letting him explain.

Then, Benjamin strictly ordered Colton to kick Nicole out of the Gardner Cooperation as soon as possible. If it was someone else, Colton could still suppress this issue with a tough approach. However, this was his own father. So, he really could do nothing much about it.

Because of the incident related to Nicole, Colton was immediately summoned back to the Gardner Residence by Benjamin.

Later in the evening, four people were sitting at the dining table in the Gardner Residence. Occupying the main seat was a man who looked very stern. Nearly half of the hair on his head was gray, and he was wearing a suit. He had put up a straight look on his face, making the atmosphere at the dining table extremely tense.

After a while, the man questioned, “Colton, did I not request you to kick out the plagiarist out of the Gardner Corporation? Why did you oppose my request?” The man’s voice was thick and deep, with a hint of regal command that could not be refuted.

Pursing his lips, Colton looked up at Benjamin and answered in a faint voice, “This matter has yet to be investigated. Hence, we can’t jump to conclusions.”

After receiving his reply, Benjamin slammed his palm onto the table and stood up immediately, his pair of eagle eyes staring directly at Colton. “What else is there to investigate further? The judges’ verdicts have determined it, and she even gave Wendy the plagiarized outfit to wear. Since when did Wendy deserve to suffer from such grievances?”

With a collected composure, Colton looked toward a very angered Benjamin. His eyes slowly fell on Benjamin’s palm which he had used to slam the table earlier. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “Doesn’t your palm hurt when you slam so hard?”

Seeing that Colton was still diverting the subject at hand, Benjamin was fueled with anger. “I’m being serious with you. Don’t try to change the subject!”

Seeing that Benjamin did not seem to be fooled by his tactic, Colton could only speak faintly, “Lisa is the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel after all. Since F&M Apparel has yet to make an announcement in regards to the scandal, we can’t be the first to make any moves.”

Colton softened his tone, and he looked at

Benjamin, who was still standing. Pulling the corners of his mouth, he continued by saying, “Dad, if she’s really committed plagiarism, I wouldn’t need you to order me; I’ll kick her out of the Gardner Corporation myself. However, if that’s not the case, we will certainly be criticized for our actions in the future if we were to act now on impulse.”

After he listened to Colton’s words, the look on Benjamin’s face eventually lightened up slightly. He eased up on his expression and sat down slowly. “Still, we can’t let Wendy suffer from such grievances. There must be a way to justify this matter.”

Before Colton could voice out his opinion, Wendy suddenly spoke up. “Dad, let’s wait until the end of this month.”

The solemnity on Benjamin’s face instantly softened when he heard Wendy’s voice. As he looked at Wendy, the look on his face was loving, and the tone in his voice softened a lot. “Wendy, are you not upset over this matter anymore?”

While resting her chin on one hand, Wendy pouted and said, “If the outfit was truly plagiarized, I’d certainly be livid. But, just like what Colton had said, if the Gardner Corporation kicks her out, people will certainly criticize us if it is revealed that it wasn’t plagiarism.”

Wendy’s brisk voice carried a deep sense of righteousness. Shaking his head, Benjamin felt emotional in his heart, and he almost burst into tears. “Oh, my dear daughter, you’re all grown up, and you even know how to look out for others now.”

In reality, Wendy simply did not wish to make the situation more difficult for Colton. Either way, Nicole had already promised that if she failed to prove her innocence by the end of this month, she would leave the fashion designing circle herself. Therefore, why should the Gardner Corporation portray itself as the villain first?

“Colton.” Wendy turned her head to look at Colton, a brief determination twinkling in her clear eyes. “If Lisa fails to prove that her design draft is not plagiarized by the end of the month, be sure to oust her from the Gardner Corporation!”

To be frank, Colton never expected Wendy to actually behave so righteously. Hence, he nodded. “Deal.”

There’s still more than a week before the end of the month. There’s enough time for the matter to bloom and scatter.

Colton was also curious as to who instigated this scandal. Was the person targeting Nicole, or the cooperative ties linked between F&M Apparel and the Gardner Corporation?

“Alright, you guys. It’s rare for our family to dine together. Let’s not discuss these negative issues and just enjoy our meal,” Anna hurriedly said as she sensed the slight harmonious atmosphere at the dining table.

Nicole did not show up to the company today. Seeing that she was now like a complete celebrity, people instantly recognized her and judged her the very moment she set her feet in public.

The night was dim, and the weather in April was not that chilly as the evening breeze blew gently. Even though Nicole only wore one layer of clothing, she did not feel too cold.

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