Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Rosie looked at Zoe with a smug grin, not forgetting to join in with the crowd that had gathered to watch the drama, egging them on with her own jeers.
Rosie sneered, “You just barged in suddenly, claiming my work is yours and slandering me. My reputation is already ruined because of your accusations.
“Now that I’m giving you a chance to explain yourself, why are you suddenly silent? What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
“Of course not,” Zoe shot back, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned pale. She glared at Rosie, nearly grinding her teeth in anger. “Everything you just said is clearly my design—”
“What, are you seriously about to claim I just happened to say everything you wanted to say first?” Rosie shot her a look of exaggerated shock, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Miss Kensington, crashing the party without an invitation is rude enough, and now you’re standing here spouting nonsense. Do you really take everyone here for fools?” Rosie sneered.
Rosie’s smile grew even brighter, but in the very next moment, Zoe’s expression turned serious.
“Miss Sinclair, I think you need to understand one thing,” Zoe said, her voice steady. “The parts of a design that are obvious on the surface are honestly not even worth mentioning or interpreting.”
“It’s the deeper emotions hidden within these works that are the true monologue of a designer’s heart,” she continued, her gaze unwavering.
Zoe set the brooch down and turned around, her eyes meeting Raina’s.
Looking at the gentle, almost motherly warmth on Raina’s face, Zoe clenched her fists, her gaze growing even more determined.
“Miss Sinclair, what you just explained really only scratches the surface of this design,” Zoe said, her voice calm but firm. “Sure, this brooch stands for the eternity of time.
“But have you ever thought about why that sense of eternity is there in the first place? Do you truly understand what it means?”
Zoe looked at Rosie with a sweet, almost taunting smile, seeing her at a loss for words, Without missing a beat, she continued,
“My grandmother was terminally ill with cancer and didn’t have much time left. I designed the Eternal Garden brooch for her. The little bird always longs for freedom. Even trapped in eternity, it still spreads its wings, defying fate.
“This isn’t just my hope; it’s my longing for her, my way of holding onto her memory. There are initials engraved on the back of the brooch–mine and my grandmother’s.
“Miss Sinclair, didn’t anyone ever tell you that if you’re going to steal someone else’s work, you should at least check all the details first?”
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Chapter 108
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“That’s impossible. I know I checked everything,” Rosie’s voice cut off suddenly.
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She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with panic as she met the stunned gazes all around her.
“No, no, that’s not it. This is my design. I-” she stammered, her voice shaking.
“Miss Sinclair, please stop making a scene at my exhibition,” Raina said, her voice cutting through the tension. She remained calm and composed from beginning to end.
The moment Raina finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. The spotlight was on Rosie now, and she stood frozen, unable to escape the accusing stares from everyone around her.
Rosie frantically scanned the crowd, desperately searching for a familiar face. But after a full sweep, Kyle was nowhere to be seen.
“How could this happen? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go,” she muttered to herself.
“Miss Sinclair, stolen things will never truly belong to you,” Zoe said, her voice steady as she walked over. “Oh, and by the way, there aren’t any initials on the brooch. I was just messing with you.”
Zoe stood in front of the now–devastated Rosie, finally letting out all the pent–up frustration she’d been holding inside.
At that moment, the air felt sweeter than ever, and Zoe laughed out loud, completely unrestrained.
“Sorry for interrupting your exhibition,” Zoe said, giving a deep bow. “I’ve already set the record straight, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Zoe straightened up from her bow, then turned to go, ready to leave it all behind.
But just as she took a couple of steps, that gentle voice sounded from behind her again.
“This jewelry exhibition was always meant to be a chance for designers to get together and exchange ideas,” Raina said softly. “Since your design is on display here, I think you should stay, if you want to, of course.”
Raina’s gaze was warm and sincere, but it was almost as if she were looking right through Zoe, searching for someone else beyond her.
In that instant, Zoe went completely rigid.
She should have been bursting with joy. This was the dream she’d been chasing for so many years. But instead, her hands and feet tingled with numbness, and she couldn’t stop herself from trembling.
Zoe wasn’t even sure how she managed to turn around; all she knew was that the moment she saw Raina, her eyes grew misty.
“I–I’d love to. Thank you,” Zoe managed to say. Her eyes were red, and she looked just like a frightened little rabbit, biting her lower lip hard as she tried her best to steady herself.
Raina just reached out and gave Zoe a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Why don’t you go find a place to sit down for a bit? As for what happened here, I’ll make sure you get the justice you deserve.”
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Chapter 108
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“That’s impossible. I know I checked everything,” Rosie’s voice cut off suddenly.
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She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with panic as she met the stunned gazes all around her.
“No, no, that’s not it. This is my design. I-” she stammered, her voice shaking.
“Miss Sinclair, please stop making a scene at my exhibition,” Raina said, her voice cutting through the tension. She remained calm and composed from beginning to end.
The moment Raina finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. The spotlight was on Rosie now, and she stood frozen, unable to escape the accusing stares from everyone around her.
Rosie frantically scanned the crowd, desperately searching for a familiar face. But after a full sweep, Kyle was nowhere to be seen.
“How could this happen? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go,” she muttered to herself.
“Miss Sinclair, stolen things will never truly belong to you,” Zoe said, her voice steady as she walked over. “Oh, and by the way, there aren’t any initials on the brooch. I was just messing with you.”
Zoe stood in front of the now–devastated Rosie, finally letting out all the pent–up frustration she’d been holding inside.
At that moment, the air felt sweeter than ever, and Zoe laughed out loud, completely unrestrained.
“Sorry for interrupting your exhibition,” Zoe said, giving a deep bow. “I’ve already set the record straight, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Zoe straightened up from her bow, then turned to go, ready to leave it all behind.
But just as she took a couple of steps, that gentle voice sounded from behind her again.
“This jewelry exhibition was always meant to be a chance for designers to get together and exchange ideas,” Raina said softly. “Since your design is on display here, I think you should stay, if you want to, of course.”
Raina’s gaze was warm and sincere, but it was almost as if she were looking right through Zoe, searching for someone else beyond her.
In that instant, Zoe went completely rigid.
She should have been bursting with joy. This was the dream she’d been chasing for so many years. But instead, her hands and feet tingled with numbness, and she couldn’t stop herself from trembling.
Zoe wasn’t even sure how she managed to turn around; all she knew was that the moment she saw Raina, her eyes grew misty.
“I–I’d love to. Thank you,” Zoe managed to say. Her eyes were red, and she looked just like a frightened little rabbit, biting her lower lip hard as she tried her best to steady herself.
Raina just reached out and gave Zoe a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Why don’t you go find a place to sit down for a bit? As for what happened here, I’ll make sure you get the justice you deserve.”
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Chapter 108
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At this moment, a classmate suddenly said, “Mr. Snyder is gone, so who will pay for the dinner today?”
As soon as these words came out, everyone present’s expression changed drastically, and they looked at each other.
The restaurant they were having dinner at was one of the most luxurious, not a place they would dare to come to at all. Someone among them had even ordered a very expensive wine earlier. Today, these tables would cost at least tens of thousands of dollars.
They didn’t know who would be willing to pay that much money.
At this moment, everyone had one consensus in their hearts. It was all Casey’s fault.
If she hadn’t suggested having dinner here, and if Philip hadn’t been treating, they would not have come to such a high–end place and they would not have ordered expensive dishes without any scruples.
Mark stepped forward, his face not looking too good. “How about we chip in together?”
With the total reaching tens of thousands dollars, and fewer than forty students in the class–just over forty including the teachers—even if everyone chipped in, each person would still have to contribute three to six thousand dollars.
That was not a small number.
So it wasn’t just the students who were grimacing at the cost–even the teachers were wincing in pain.
Lucy was about to cry, “Kaia, what should I do? My family’s financial situation isn’t good, and I haven’t even raised enough for college tuition yet. How can I come up with over three thousand dollars!”
Kaia stopped eating and looked around before saying boldly, “Eat as much as you want, I’ll pay today.”
Everyone was shocked by Kaia’s words.
“Kaia, you’re not joking, are you? Don’t make fun of us.”
“Yeah, Kaia, that’s tens of thousands! Do you, do you have that much?”
As everyone knew, Kaia had been kicked out of the Bennett family.
Even if she hadn’t been kicked out, the Bennett family probably wouldn’t be willing to give Kaia tens of thousands of dollars for a meal.
Therefore, everyone wasn’t optimistic about Kaia.
Kaia took out her card and called the waiter over, ‘Pay the bill in advance, please.”
“Sure, Miss.”
Soon, the waiter returned with the card
“The total is 230 thousand dollars, Miss. Here is your card and receipt.”
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Chapter 108
Saying that, Raina walked straight toward Rosie.
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Rosie didn’t react at all. She just stood there, staring blankly ahead, muttering to herself over and over again. “I didn’t plagiarize anything. I thought I had everything under control. Why is this happening?
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m the real owner of this piece. I should be the one basking in the spotlight by now.”
Raina shook her head, her eyes turning sharp and cold.
“Miss Sinclair, please leave,” she said, her voice firm. “My jewelry exhibition doesn’t welcome copycat designers. And if Miss Kensington needs any legal help, I’ll make sure she gets all the support she needs.”
“No,” Rosie snapped back to reality, her eyes bulging so much it was almost frightening.
Zina, who had been quietly taking in the whole scene, turned to glance at Kellan beside her, who looked as cool and unbothered as ever. Her curiosity was once again piqued.
“So, you really had everything set up from the very beginning, didn’t you?” she asked, a hint of frustration in her voice.
‘If no one on the inside was helping her, how could a poor girl like Zoe have even found this place, let alone made it all the way in front of everyone without a hitch?‘ Zina thought to herself.
Kellan was definitely the most likely one to have pulled the strings. But really, Kellan had never schemed like this for anyone else.
‘What’s the real connection between that girl, Zoe, and Kellan?‘ Zina wondered, a sudden tightness gripping
her heart.
Zina bit her lip, glancing down at her chest. It felt oddly painful there, an uncomfortable feeling she just couldn’t explain.
“What are you thinking about?” Kellan asked, his voice breaking the silence.
Zina came back to herself and gave a slight shake of her head. “Nothing,” she replied.
“That girl? A friend just asked me to give her a hand, and that’s all,” Kellan replied offhandedly, as if it was no big deal,
Noticing what Zina was thinking, Kellan added with a lazy smile, “You know, every time you try to lie, it’s written all over your face.
“Anyone could see through it. There’s nothing going on between me and her, so you can relax. I already said you’re my fiancée, and I’d never do anything to let you down.”
“I” Zina started to retort instinctively, but Kellan’s next words left her at a loss for words. In the end, she spoke up, a little awkwardly, “Fine, I get it. It’s not like I wanted to ask about that anyway.”
“Okay,” Kellan replied.
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Chapter 108
“Okay.”
The private room fell silent again, gradually becoming deathly still, subtle, and strange.
Everyone stared at Kaia, their brains all frozen.
Lucy asked the question that everyone wanted to ask again.
“Kaia, where did you get so much money?”
Kaia calmly replied with the truth, “I earned it myself.”
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Everyone was stunned. She was just a student; there was no way she could have made that much money.
Noelle said disdainfully, “I heard before that you were being supported by an old man. I didn’t really believe it, but now…” She clicked her tongue, “A good college student actually does something like this, selling her body, without a shred of shame.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a pleasant, deep voice came from the doorway.
“I didn’t know I was that old?”
With a whoosh, everyone turned to look at the doorway.
It was him.
The classmates recognized the man as the one who had picked up Kaia that day in the heavy rain.
After Tobias came in, the first thing he saw was the most dazzling presence in the crowd. He smiled slightly at Kaia, who was looking at him, took a step with his long legs, and stopped in front of Kaia.
Kaia looked up at the man, a look of surprise in her eyes.
“What brings you here?”
“Today is your class reunion, and I felt that I should come.”
Kaia and Tobias continued to look at each other, one standing and looking down, and the other raising her chin and staring.
Both of them were extremely good–looking, and this scene was so beautiful that people wanted to take pictures to record it. In fact, some people did take out their phones to take pictures.
This classmate discovered that a casual shot without any beauty filters was a hundred times better than the covers of idol dramas that had been photoshopped countless times.
Tobías really liked the feeling that Kaia only had him in her eyes, “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit down?”
“There’s a seat here, but you won’t sit down yourself,” Kaia replied.
Tobias smiled and moved the chair closer to Kaia.
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Upon seeing the faint blush on Zina’s cheeks, before he even realized it, a smile crept onto Kellan’s face.
“Kellan, I didn’t expect to see you here, too,” a sudden voice called out.
The two of them had just been wrapped up in a warm, wordless moment, but that unexpected interruption snapped them right back to reality.
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“Why are you getting so close to me?” Kaia felt a little uncomfortable and said to Tobias in a low voice.
“I don’t want to lean on anyone else,” As Tobias spoke, he moved his chair closer to Kaia, so close that the two chairs were touching and couldn’t be moved any further. Only then did he stop.
To everyone watching, this scene was a blatant display of affection, leaving them all thoroughly envious.
Except for Casey.
Casey was staring at Tobias with terrified eyes, piecing everything together, and she seemed to have guessed Tobias’s identity.
At this moment, Noelle grabbed Casey’s arm, acting like a good sister, then raised her chin and provoked Kaia again.
