At the preliminary round of the Asian Jewelry Design Competition, my fingers tapped unconsciously on
"Next, representing Aurora Jewelry."
I stood, smoothing the hem of my trousers. Today, I'd deliberately chosen a tailored white suit, paired with the brooch from my Rebirth series—a phoe
The stage lights were blinding
"The 'Nirvana' series," I began, "is inspired b
"Hold on a moment!"
A familiar voice sliced through the air. Rachel Lin walked onto the s
"Judges, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt,
Gasps rippled through the audience. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. In my past life, she had used this exact tactic to brand me a plagiarist and force me to depend on Marcus Lu.
Two sketches were displayed side by side on the large screen—my Nirvan, andFire. The resemblance
"This is
The judges began murmuring. In the front row, Marcus w
"May I see the supposed 'original'?" I a
Rachel hesitated, but finally handed it over. I inspected the edges and brush strokes carefully, then let a
"Ms. Lin, you claim this was completed last month?" I turned to the judges. "Yet this drawing uses a limited-edition German LAMY ink that only launched in China last week."
Rachel's
"And furthermore," I flipped open my sketchbook, revealing a page from three months ago, "this is my original concept draft, along with a dated creation log." I handed the book to the judges. "N
The room buzzed with whispers. Rachel's fla
"And lastly—" I pulled a sealed folder from my bag, "this is my official copyright registration from last week, with a timestamp. Two days b Ms. Lin's all
Rachel's hands began to tremble. I knew what she was thinking—she had bribed the Copyright Office to delay my certificate. She didn't know that in this life, I'd also submitted a digital application—an innovation that would only become common years later.
"It appears there's been a misunderstanding," the head judge said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Miss Harr
As Rachel stepped off the stage, her heel twisted and she nearly fell. I stepped forward to steady her, whispering in her ear, "Tell Marcus to find a smarter pawn next time."
Her pupils contracted.
My presentation resumed. This time, I was met with thunderous applause. Afterward, Marcus approached with a bouquet of white roses.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said gently, draping a coat over my shoulders. "Rachel was out of line.
The scent of his cologne clung to the jacket, making my stomach turn. In my past life, this gentle mask had lure
"Thank you, Marcus." I lowered my head with a bashful smile, avoiding his eyes. "I'm glad you're
"How could I miss such an important moment for my fiancée?" he said, placing an arm around me. His gaze landed on my brooch. "These red diamonds are exceptional—African ori
My heart skipped. He always had a hound's nose for rare gems.
"They've been in my family for years. I'm not sure of their exact source." I changed the subject. "By the way, has Mr. Zhang been in touch lately? My father mentioned
His eyes flickered. "Director Zhang's busy with
As soon
"Miss Harrison, impre
I turned. A woman in gold-r
Inside were photocopies of sketches by Pierre Dup, a renowned French jeweler f
"Dupont also faced plagiarism. His solution was… creative.PS: Check the coat for th
I ripped off
"What else
She adjusted her glasses. "Just this: The game has only ju"
Back at the office, I summ
"Should we remove them?" the t
"No," I said with a slo
Once everyone left, I locked the door and retrieved a second phone from a hidden drawer. I sent a text to Ethan Zhou: Thanks. What's your price?
The reply was immediate: The real financial records of
I fro
Bu
My ph
I ran a search on Zhang's trave
He'd been in Myanmar.
A chilling thought struck me. If
Just then, Etha
The timestamp read: yesterday.
I called my father i
"He dropped by yesterda
My blood ran cold. Zhang had been in
"Just wanted to thank him for introducing that designer," I said, forcing a smile into my voice. Then I ended the call and messaged Ethan: Pleasure working with you. I'll need more eviden
His reply came seconds later:"Tomorrow, 8 PM. Galaxy
I stared at the screen, heart pounding. In my past life, I'd o
What exactly was Ethan planning?
And more importantly—can I trust him?
Outside, the sun was sinking, painting the city in shades of blood. My hand drifted across my mother's final sketches. The red gem she called the Stone of Destiny shimmered faintly under the fading light
The gears of revenge were turning.