Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Nobody in that room had seen this twist coming.

Zachary slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his frown deepening. “Ms. Barnes, is there any way you can prove that design is actually yours p>

Sophie’s brows pinched as her thoughts scrambled for something—anything—to cling to.

Before she could speak, Lila pounced with a smug tilt of her lips. “Do you have any old drafts? Maybe some rough sketches p>

Sophie shook her head quickly. “No. That test was live. I came up with it on the spot. How could I have older drafts lying around p>

“What a pity.” Lila sighed, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. She pulled a crinkled, yellowed page from her drawer and slid it across the table. “Luckily, I kept detailed records of my design process p>

Zachary studied the sketch. The ring on the page looked uncannily similar to the winning design, and the paper was marked with a date from over a year ago. “This qualifies as evidence,” he muttered with a firm nod.

“That’s a lie!” Sophie’s fists curled so tight that her knuckles went white. “She could’ve copied the ring after the contest and just faked the date! That paper proves nothing p>

𝖴𝗽𝖽𝖺𝘁еѕ е𝘃𝖾𝗋𝘆 𝗐𝗲𝖾𝗄 𝘰ո ѕ.𝘤o𝘮

“Stop it already!” Lila’s eyes glistened as her voice cracked at just the right pitch. “Sophie, I know you’ve always resented me, but do you have to drag me through the mud like this?” She turned toward Zachary, tears trembling perfectly on her lashes. “Zachary, Sophie worked under me. Perhaps I was strict with her, but this… this is pure revenge p>

Zachary’s face grew darker by the second.

He remembered Sophie’s name clearly. Her submission had been the messiest of all, especially when compared to Lila’s polished design. To him, Sophie’s careless work hinted at a careless personality. The difference between the two women was obvious.

Lila was everything she wasn’t—polite, ambitious, and already promoted. She had even visited him earlier that day with a bottle of pricey wine. Her uncle was a manager in the company as well. With a background like that, cheating seemed unlikely.

Sophie, on the other hand, looked more like she was making a fuss without any proof. She was merely an assistant designer. There was no way she could have pulled off such impressive work.

Lila had strong evidence, while Sophie had nothing but claims.

Zachary’s eyes narrowed at Sophie. “Did you tamper with the camera beforehand? Did you make sure there’d be no proof just so you could stage this circus p>

“She’s been like this forever,” Lila cut in smoothly. “Always stirring up drama in our department. Everyone knows it p>

Sophie’s nails dug painfully into her palms. Lila hadn’t just stolen her work; she had planted fake evidence and probably bribed someone to erase the footage.

“Zachary,” Sophie said, her voice trembling with rage, “security footage doesn’t just disappear. This is clearly p>

“Enough!” Zachary slammed his palm on the desk, pushing himself to his feet. “You’re slandering a former colleague and challenging company decisions without a shred of proof. Get out p>

Her pulse hammered as Sophie blurted, “If you doubt me, then test me! Give us a theme and ten minutes. Lila and I will design right here, right now. Let the results speak for themselves p>

“Why would I waste my time?” Zachary snapped, checking his watch like she was beneath his schedule. “I don’t babysit half-baked designers p>

“Ten minutes!” Sophie stepped forward, blocking his path. “That’s all I’m asking. Ten minutes to recreate that ring. Unless p>

She turned to Lila with a sharp smile. “Unless someone’s too scared to prove herself p>

Under the desk, Lila’s fingers dug into the wood, though her expression held a smug little smirk. “Please. I’m a lead designer at Pinnacle Jewelry. Why would I stoop to competing with a disgraced assistant p>

“You heard her,” Zachary said coldly. “Leave now, or I’ll have security escort you out p>

Just as the tension hit its peak, a smooth, playful voice cut in from the doorway. “Why not? Personally, I’d love to see this showdown p>

Everyone’s attention snapped to the door, where a young man in a casual blazer was leaning against the frame.