Ch. 121..130

Chapter 121 Vilification

Seeing that Nicole had a determined look, Colton suddenly felt like he was worrying for nothing. It turns out Nicole has always been able to handle it with ease.

Then, Colton lowered his head and gave a faint smile. “That’s fine. However, if you don’t clarify, I’m afraid you might face trouble for these days. Let me know if you need me.”

Upon hearing that, Nicole sincerely expressed her gratitude toward Colton. “Thanks.”

The very next morning, Hayden’s fever had also tapered down. Now that there was also a nanny overseeing matters at home, Nicole returned to work at the Gardner Corporation without any worry.

The atmosphere in the room was no longer as tranquil as before the moment she stepped into the Design Department. As soon as she walked through the entrance, she could hear distinct whispers.

“Wow! She still has the nerve to return to the Gardner Corporation.”

“I thought she would be in hiding after she was exposed. What a surprise. Tsk tsk!”

“As the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, she went so far as to plagiarize. Such a disgrace!”

There were further remarks being made about her.

Without any exception given, all of the comments made were vilifying remarks toward her. However, Nicole had no issue about it. After all, plagiarism was indeed ignominious in the fashion designing circle.

At that moment, Joanna appeared out of nowhere. When she heard these words, she scanned the people in the office with her eyes. Then, she said sternly, “Don’t spew nonsense! The issue has not yet been thoroughly investigated, so don’t believe the rumors you hear outside!”

Seeing that Joanna was defending Nicole, one of them stood up and said in a dissatisfying manner, “Miss Schmidt, even the judges of the competition have agreed that the design draft was plagiarized. What else is there to say?”

“Yeah, that’s right! Although we’re not as popular as her, we won’t plagiarize in any case.”

Still, Nicole was not as enraged as expected despite facing animosity in the office. After all, it was a reaction anticipated from a normal human being.

Then, Nicole recalled her past. Back then, someone in F&M Apparel was involved in plagiarism, and I mercilessly kicked the person out.

Scanning through the people in the office, Nicole slightly raised the corners of her lips. Then, she said lightly, “This issue has yet to receive its final verdict. After the end of the investigation, the truth will certainly be made clear to all!”

With that, Nicole turned and went back to her office. As soon as she stepped into her office, Joanna followed.

Well, this is an infrequent visitor. Looking up at Joanna, Nicole asked, “Director Schmidt, is there something wrong?”

Joanna looked at Nicole. Although she had anticipated drama deep in her heart, she pretended to express her care on the surface.

“Lisa, you heard the remarks outside. I wanted to stop them, but they…”

Nicole did not call Joanna out despite seeing the pretentious look on her face.

“It’s fine. I understand. After all, I’m the one plagiarizing now, so it’s normal for everyone to have such a reaction,” Nicole said, seemingly unbothered.

A hint of surprise flashed in Joanna’s eyes. As she stared at Nicole’s still indifferent look, a trace of suspicion arose in her heart.

Plagiarism was considered a lifelong blotch for a regular designer, let alone a renowned designer such as Nicole herself. Furthermore, the rumors were spreading like wildfire on the Internet. Yet, there was not an ounce of worry on Nicole’s face.

Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Joanna looked at Nicole again. Then, she phrased her words mildly. “Lisa, I believe you’re innocent, but…”

Joanna pursed her lips in embarrassment. After pausing for a long time, she added, “But, you are caught up in a plagiarism scandal now. If you don’t clarify the matter, it will bring damage to you, F&M Apparel, and the Gardner Corporation. So, regarding the coming drafts…”

As she listened to the hesitation in Joanna’s voice, Nicole knew what she wanted to say. Joanna’s intention is as clear as day. She just wants to call the shots for the cooperation between F&M Apparel and the Gardner Corporation.

Nicole was not surprised at all and thereafter nodded. “Right, I got it. I’ll let you be responsible for the affairs regarding the drafts for the time being. We’ll see how to go about it once the scandal is over.”

Upon seeing the relaxed look on Nicole’s face, Joanna frowned slightly. She thought Nicole would continue to hold on to the matter and refuse to surrender. At that time, she would have an excuse to complain about her act to Colton. However, she did not expect Nicole to agree so readily.

Joanna jeered in her heart. Wait for the plagiarism scandal to subside? I thought Nicole had a well-thought-out plan, but I didn’t expect that she was preparing to wait until time passed, and the others would forget about this matter. Such foolish thinking!

 

Chapter 122 Raise Hell

After getting her hands on the implementation rights, Joanna did not stay in Nicole’s office for long. She turned around and left.

I reckon Queenie must have something to do with this matter. Not many people know that Henry is my ex-boyfriend. I really underestimated Queenie, judging from this series of stunts she pulled off. It surprises me that she’s actually quite smart. Also, although Joanna tries her best to pretend to have saintly behavior in front of others, it’s likely that she has something to do with this matter too. I’ll just have to see if she will be involved after this.

Later, Nicole turned on the computer and found that almost all the posts on the Internet now were criticizing her.

‘Lisa, you copycat! Get the hell out of the fashion designing circle!’

‘F&M Apparel’s Chief Designer, Lisa, plagiarized the design draft!’

‘Lisa broke up with her boyfriend five years ago because of money! She sold herself for money!’

As she scrolled further, Nicole discovered that not only were the posts about the plagiarism, but there was also quite a handful that talked about the incident from five years ago.

Never have I expected Queenie to go this far. By the looks of things, she wishes to force me to a dead end! Upon realizing that, Nicole sneered, and her eyes darkened. In that case, I would like to see how huge of an uproar you can stir up, Queenie!

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from outside the door. “Miss Gardner! Miss Gardner! Miss Lisa is still working. You can’t go in.” After she listened carefully, she felt it sounded like Scarlett’s voice.

Shortly after, a brisk and angry voice sounded. “This is my brother’s company. It’s the Gardner Family’s company. How am I not allowed to enter!?” If Nicole heard it correctly, that should be Wendy’s voice.

At once, Nicole felt it was rather pitiful to be her assistant. As her assistant, Scarlett needed to help her stop all these troubles all day long.

Nicole opened the door. At a glance, she saw Wendy standing at the door angrily.

Upon seeing Nicole come out, Wendy fumed with anger while her pair of beautiful eyes were about to burst into flames. Then, she looked straight at Nicole, gritted her teeth, and uttered, “Nicole Anderson!”

It nearly slipped off Nicole’s mind. Her clothes involved elements of plagiarism, and Wendy would definitely be implicated since she wore the outfit that she designed. As a lady who was cherished dearly by her family, Wendy must be pissed beyond belief from suffering such a big grievance.

“Miss Gardner, let’s discuss this matter inside my office.” Nicole smiled lightly and took a step back.

With a slightly worried look on her face, Scarlett turned her head and looked at Nicole. “Miss Nicole, she—”

Realizing Scarlett’s concern, Nicole comforted her by saying, “It’s fine. I know what to do.”

Stepping on her high heels, Wendy stepped into the office with no regard. Nicole closed the door and looked at the angry young lady standing in front of her. With a slightly apologetic look on her face, Nicole apologized by saying, “Miss Gardner, I’m sorry for what happened this time.”

Thinking that Nicole was apologizing to her for the plagiarism, Wendy snorted coldly and scorned, “If apologizing would solve anything, we would have no use for the system of justice. If you’re not competent enough for the job, you shouldn’t have taken on the feat. Plagiarism is a very shameful thing!”

Facing Wendy’s questioning, Nicole hesitated. Then, she sighed slightly and explained, “I’m not apologizing for the plagiarism, but for implicating you in this matter.”

Upon hearing that, Wendy frowned. Then, she looked at Nicole in confusion. “What are you up to again?”

However, Nicole could not disclose her real plan of action to Wendy at this moment. Wendy was a straightforward person, and all her efforts would be in vain if Wendy leaked her plan. Therefore, Nicole could only give her a promise. “There’s absolutely no element of plagiarism in my design draft. I can assure you that I’ll give you a thorough and truthful explanation by this month at the latest.”

However, Wendy’s current trust in Nicole was almost zero. She did not trust Nicole. “Go ahead and tell me! What’s your plan?”

“Miss Gardner, I’m aware that you’re infuriated now. If I can’t give you a satisfactory answer at the end of this month, you can do whatever you want to me. How about that?” Nicole pledged while looking at Wendy.

Wendy looked suspiciously at the confident person in front of her. Since Nicole made such a promise, I guess there’s no need for me to be polite to her.

“Okay. If you can’t clear your suspicion of plagiarism before the end of the month, get out of the fashion designing circle!”

“It’s a deal.”

 

Chapter 123 Promiscuous

The plagiarism scandal also exposed the news that Nicole sold herself for money five years ago. Hence, the talk among the netizens ranged from her dishonesty in her profession to her integrity.

In the afternoon, one of the media outlets released a video. Once again, the heat of the plagiarism scandal reached a new high.

Although the person in the video had already been blurred, Nicole could still recognize that the person was Henry!

In the video, Henry first described his whole ordeal in courting Nicole and her leaving him to hook up with other men for money. Nearing the end of his description, he even started to cry hypocritically.

“I didn’t expect that I would meet her again five years later. Now, she’s a superior Chief Designer, while I’m just an ordinary salaryman. I asked her about the incident that took place five years ago, but she just kept apologizing to me…”

The length of the video was not long—only 5 minutes. However, every word Henry spat in the video painted a bad picture of Nicole.

In addition, the video even played out the audio of Nicole apologizing at the end. The recording was edited and left only a few words. “Henry, I’m sorry…”

Once the video was released, comments started flooding in, and most of them were hateful remarks made by the netizens toward Nicole.

‘How unexpected! Not only did she plagiarize, but she also obtained her current position by hooking up with men!’

‘This kind of woman is willing to do anything for money and power. I speculate that she’s been promiscuous since the beginning!’

‘Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, my foot! How ridiculous!’

The comments went on and on.

It would be a lie to say that Nicole was not enraged when she saw this video. She had never expected Henry to be the person betraying her.

With her teary eyes, Nicole played the video. Then, she closed her eyes slightly as she listened to the looping audio in the video.

“Regarding the incident that took place five years ago, she just kept apologizing to me…”

Yes, what Henry said is true. Because of the incident that took place five years ago, I felt that I had mistreated him. However, how could he twist his words and make me sound so despicable?

At the thought of that, Nicole clenched her fists tightly. When she opened her eyes again, the look on her face was that of a dead man.

Since he has chosen death, he can’t blame me for ending his life!

And thus, Nicole took out her phone and called her assistant, Whitney Campbell.

“Miss Nicole, I thought you had forgotten about me once you arrived in Goldwick!” Whitney whined with a smile.

Listening to the pretentious, whiny tone in Whitney’s voice, Nicole put up a stern look on her face. Then, she said, “Stop any work that you have at the moment and return to Goldwick on the first flight.”

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.”

 

Chapter 124 Conspiracy

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.

Chapter 125 Ousted From the Gardner Corporation

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.

 

Chapter 126 Thugs

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.

Nicole stayed at home all day and played with Hayden for a long period of time. Initially, she still had control over the plagiarism scandal. However, she did not expect that the incident that took place five years ago would pop up on the Internet later and spread like wildfire.

That incident was something Nicole could not deny, and this could only be done by Queenie!

As she closed her eyes, Nicole took a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, they were clear and bright. Reaching out her hands, she patted her cheeks. Earlier, Hayden mentioned that he wanted to eat steak. She was now out to buy steaks for him.

Nicole quickened her pace and entered the supermarket. The supermarket was huge, and the parking lot was located in the basement. It took Nicole about ten minutes to walk up to the supermarket’s entrance after she parked her car.

After paying for her steaks, Nicole immediately carried the shopping bag and made her way toward the basement parking lot.

As she stared at the parking lot, Nicole felt the atmosphere was rather gloomy, uncertain if it was because it was a basement parking lot. She noticed that several lights that were supposed to brighten up the area were broken when she walked past them.

Sensing that the parking lot was unusually quiet, Nicole frowned. She clenched the plastic bag in her hand tightly and paced quickly toward her car.

As soon as Nicole arrived at the side of her car, several roguishly dressed thugs walked toward her from the opposite direction.

Speechless, Nicole was frozen with fear. The saying is true. The thing that you fear most will eventually come find you.

“Yo, beautiful! That’s a nice car you’ve got there,” commented a thug as he directly put his foot on Nicole’s car and looked at her with a sinister smile.

Nicole was no fool. She knew these thugs were sent by Queenie. At that moment, Nicole clenched the bag with steaks and glanced around. There were four people in total, and three of them were holding sticks in their hands. There was no one else in the entire basement parking lot.

Upon realizing that, Nicole narrowed her eyes and asked calmly, “What do you guys want?”

“What do we want?” The leader of the group of thugs suddenly laughed. He looked at Nicole and said with a smile, “It’s uncommon for us to spot such a beauty like you, so we just want to have a little friendly chat with you. That’s all.”

At once, one of the men came over and whispered to the leader, “Take a look, bro. Isn’t she very similar to the person that went viral on the Internet recently?”

The man, who seemed like the leader, frowned. After that, he asked with a loud voice, “Which one are you referring to?”

“It’s the woman who plagiarized a design, got pregnant out of wedlock, and hooked up with men for money.” As soon as those words escaped the man’s lips, the people behind him also laughed.

Shortly after, the thugs jeered, “Hook up with men for money? It just so happens that we have a little money here. How about you accompany us?”

With the corner of her mouth curled up into a sneer, Nicole was not embarrassed by their words at all. Then, she raised the phone in her hand, indicating that she had dialed 911.

“If you wish to continue accompanying me here, then please do so. It’ll be just in time for the cops to arrive and invite you guys over to the station for a few cups of free coffee.”

Yet, those thugs did not seem to be trembling in fear when they saw Nicole had called the police. Instead, they laughed even more frantically. “We just came out of there. We don’t mind following the cops back to the station. It’s not a big deal for us.”

In an instant, Nicole’s facial expression took a turn. She did not expect these people standing in front of her could be so shameless.

Clenching her fists, Nicole began to plot an escape route. After all, she was outnumbered. She could not afford to act recklessly and attack them head on.

“Hey, you guys! Are you bullying this young lady?” Before Nicole could make a run for it, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind. There was also a hint of ruffian tone in the voice.

Out of curiosity, Nicole turned her head and saw a familiar face. However, the person had dyed his hair back to its standard black in comparison to the last time they met. The riffraff aura of the person seemed to have lessened too.

When Mason saw that it was Nicole, he was shocked. Then, he greeted her with a smile, “Oh, it’s you, little beauty. What a coincidence!”

Chapter 127 Hero Saves Beauty

One of the thugs noticed someone approaching and asked impatiently, “Who is it? Don’t you see that I’m picking up a girl, for God’s sake?”

The arrogant thug turned his head and saw Mason’s face.

Mason placed his hands in his pockets and took a step forward, but he didn’t do anything. He only walked in front of the thug, raised his eyebrow, and said with a smile, “Picking up a girl?” He grinned before revealing a particularly arrogant smile. “You think that my girl is someone whom you can simply pick up, huh?”

When the thug saw that the person in front of him was Mason, he shivered with fright and stammered, “M-Mr. Schumacher…”

Mason stood there and didn’t move. However, seeing them standing still as well, he asked unhappily, “What’s the matter? Do you need me to invite you out?”

As soon as the thugs heard this, they immediately turned and ran away.

After they left, Mason turned his head to look at Nicole. The gloomy expression on his face disappeared and he wore a smile before he waved his hand.

“Hey, Pretty Lady. Long time no see. Don’t you think we have a special kind of fate?”

Nicole looked at the thugs who had left and she felt relieved as her expression looked better. When she remembered that the thugs respectfully addressed him as ‘Mr. Schumacher’, she turned to look at Mason and joked, “This is not some kind of hero act that you are putting on, right?”

He had a smile on his face, and he didn’t mind her joke at all. Soon, he continued the conversation. “If I had arranged this, I would definitely have included an intense fighting scene so that you could be convinced by my heroic appearance.”

The moment she heard this, she opened her mouth and laughed before she thanked, “Anyway, thank you for today.”

With a wave of his hand, Mason replied, “You’re welcome. I just happened to come across such a situation and as a good person such as myself, I would do it for any other pretty girl as well.”

After Nicole thanked him, she was about to carry her things into the car and leave. Mason looked at her leaving figure and whispered, “I’ve saved you twice. Don’t you ever feel like repaying my favor?”

In the empty underground parking lot, Mason’s complaints were particularly loud and obvious.

Nicole laughed. She took out a box of steaks from the plastic bag, put it directly into Mason’s hands, and said with a smile, “Consider this a gift of thanks.”

He looked down at the steak before he looked up at her as the smile on his face became more profound. “I thought you would invite me to dinner or something. After all, this is not the first time I have saved you, you see.”

She raised her head to meet his gaze and noticed that he was wearing a casual all-black outfit today. Although he looked low-key, she took a look at the logo on his clothes and reckoned that this outfit was not cheap at all.

“We’ll have the opportunity in the future. I’ve been a little busy recently, and I feel like I can’t do anything right these days,” Nicole said seriously; it was true that the cyberbullying incident these days kept her busy.

“Are you thinking about what happened online, Pretty Lady?” Mason asked bluntly.

Nicole was stunned for a moment. She didn’t expect Mason to know about this, so she raised her eyebrow and looked over at him.

Mason quickly explained when he saw Nicole’s surprise, “Pretty Lady, don’t get me wrong; I didn’t specifically investigate you. You’ve been so famous recently with a rising popularity. I was curious and investigated Lisa’s identity, but I didn’t expect it to be you.”

She looked at his sincere appearance, after which she felt a little amused and twitched the corners of her mouth. “Since I’m that kind of woman, you should stay away from me.”

Mason pouted and said indifferently, “These days, the Internet spreads baseless rumors, and nobody has any opinions of their own. Little beauty, I believe you are not such a person.”

To be believed by a person whom she had only met twice, Nicole was inexplicably moved while she lowered her head and flashed a smile.

“Thank you. When this matter is finally settled, I will invite you to dinner.”

When Mason heard that Nicole would invite him to dinner, he hurriedly took out his cell phone. “Come on. Let me add you as a friend first so that you won’t change your mind and go back on your word.”

Looking at his eager face, she laughed hoarsely and took out her mobile phone to add him as a friend on social media.

After the two were connected, Nicole entered the car and left.

Mason stood there while looking at his list of friends on the phone before he turned back toward Nicole, who had left, with an interesting smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 128 Let the Show Begin

Whitney packed her things and flew over by plane the next day.

Before this, Nicole had sent her the address of her home, and at noon, Whitney arrived there.

“Miss Nicole! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Whitney said while she was still holding her luggage. But after seeing Nicole, she immediately dropped her luggage and went up to her to give her a hug.

Nicole couldn’t help laughing when she saw Whitney’s enthusiasm. “I was thinking of picking you up at the airport; I didn’t expect you to come so quickly.”

Whitney dragged her suitcase to the side and said, “Nah, it’s quicker if I just came here directly. Anyway, where’s Hayden?”

As soon as she entered the door, she scanned around the house. Seeing that there was no sign of Hayden on the first floor, she couldn’t help but ask.

“He is still taking a nap. He will come down when he wakes up,” Nicole said, taking Whitney to the sofa.

Whitney sat down on the sofa and immediately took out the notebook from her suitcase to get into serious business.

“Miss Nicole, I have already checked the matter you told me about. The video posted by Henry Cooper was uploaded from Hieburgh city, but after that, he never posted anything else again.”

Nicole frowned slightly. Hieburgh was almost ten hours away from here. She didn’t expect Henry to have run so far within such a short time.

“Can you find out his specific location?” Nicole asked. Now that it had come to this, she felt she must not neglect any clue that she could get.

“We will have to wait for him to post something again, or when he finally gets in touch with someone,” Whitney replied. “I have been following his account all this time. If there is any news, I will be able to see it firsthand.”

Nicole nodded. With Whitney by her side, she felt a lot more at ease.

“By the way, Miss Nicole, what the hell is going on with this plagiarism stuff? Didn’t you draw the draft yourself?” Whitney asked proactively when she saw that Nicole didn’t speak.

She had been by Nicole’s side for many years, and she only knew about this matter when Nicole brought it up briefly before. If it weren’t such a big issue now, she would have forgotten all about it.

Nicole nodded and explained lightly, “I guess it’s because someone is upset by the fact that I am working in the Gardner Corporation, so they’re trying to work against me behind my back.”

When Whitney heard this, she was even more dissatisfied and muttered, “Miss Nicole, as the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, why do you care about the Gardner Corporation? After the dust settles on this matter, let’s just leave Gardner!”

Nicole looked at Whitney feeling upset for herself and chuckled lightly. “Although we’re sure that someone from Gardner is not happy with me, I still owe President Gardner a favor. Even after this matter is resolved, we still have to wait for the contract to end before leaving.”

“Fine. But let me work with you on this. With me by your side, let’s see what tricks they dare play on you!” Whitney said viciously.

“Of course.” Seeing Whitney’s angry face, Nicole lowered her voice and chuckled.

……

Back at the Anderson Residence.

“Queenie, have you found the contact information of the champion of the design competition?” Lydia asked while sitting on the sofa.

In the past few days, things had become more and more serious. Though Nicole was now hated on by everyone, no one had filed any lawsuit against her. Therefore, this could only be considered a moral condemnation.

“No.” Queenie shook her head. It did not matter that she contacted the previous judges or the champion because there was no response from them.

In the past few days, she tried her best to find the contact information of this ‘anonymous’ champion, but she still couldn’t get in touch with them at all.

Lydia frowned, a look of worry on her face. “Then what should we do?”

A layer of viciousness flashed in Queenie’s eyes. No matter what, I will not let Nicole go this time!

She hooked her lips and sneered. “Things have blown out of proportion these past few days. I’m sure if the anonymous still doesn’t show themself, it would mean that they no longer exist, or they didn’t even see the news online at all. If that’s the case, let’s bring her to justice on their behalf.”

“You’ve already prepared everything?” Lydia asked Queenie as she glanced at her confident look.

“Of course. Let’s just wait for the moment when Nicole goes to hell!” Queenie said viciously.

Chapter 129 The Lawsuit

The next morning, when Nicole woke up, she saw Whitney sitting downstairs. Her fingers were quickly tapping on the keyboard, and her expression looked a little solemn.

As she walked downstairs while yawning, she asked, “What’s the matter? You’re already starting to work early in the morning?”

“I’m fighting against a group of retards,” Whitney said viciously.

Hearing her tone, Nicole couldn’t help laughing. She walked down slowly, and her eyes fell on her computer.

At a glance, she saw the huge title on the screen, ‘Original Author of Design Draft Sues Lisa’.

Nicole frowned. There were 4 days left until the end of the month, and yet this person couldn’t wait?

“Who’s claiming to be the original author?” Nicole asked with her head lowered.

Whitney’s hands stopped. She switched windows, pointed to a person, and said, “This person right here.”

Nicole looked at the profile under her and found that it was a designer from Pinnacle Group.

If she remembered correctly, Pinnacle Group was the current leader in the clothing market in the country, and it was also a company with a very deep foundation. She didn’t expect such a shameless person to work in the company.

“Find out where she is now,” Nicole said with a frown.

She figured this was done by the sly Queenie. Otherwise, how could a junior designer have such courage?

“Miss Nicole, should we get a group of people to fight them head on?” Whitney asked.

Nicole was amused by what she said, and she slapped Whitney’s head lightly. “Do you think we are a triad, huh, going around beating people up?”

Whitney pouted. Although she was complaining, she did not slow down her hands. “I’m just trying to help you out, okay?”

Nicole urged, “Hurry up and find out where she is.”

Whitney hurriedly worked on the computer, and the information of this person was quickly found.

“This person is called Daniella Zimmer. She is in her thirties. She can only be regarded as a junior designer in Pinnacle Group, and she has been a designer for 8 years, but she hasn’t produced any outstanding designs.”

Nicole’s eyes landed on the photo on the computer.

Whitney paused and continued, “But her design drawings are all quite youthful. Although they are somewhat similar to your previous design drawings, they are obviously not of the same grade.”

“Is she still working in Pinnacle Group now?” Nicole asked.

“She should be. Today is a working day, and her last post pinned her at her company.” Whitney nodded. This person did not deliberately hide her identity, so she was easy to find.

“Get ready and go out with me for a bit,” Nicole said while reaching out and combing through her messy hair, feeling really restless.

“Okay. I’m the best at making trouble.” Whitney was suddenly very excited.

…

When the two arrived at Pinnacle Group, it was already lunch time.

Pinnacle Group was located in a development area of ​​Goldwick, surrounded by commercial streets. It was also a bustling area.

The two stood in front of the company building, waiting for Daniella to come out.

Nicole had to wear a mask due to the recent buzz. After all, if anyone saw her, the things they would say to her would be a little uncomfortable for her to bear.

“Miss Nicole, do you think she will come down?” Whitney asked Nicole with her arms crossed.

Nicole pursed her lips; she was not sure. “Let’s wait. We’ll wait till noon, and if she’s not here by then, we’ll wait until the evening. In any case, she can’t stay in the office forever.”

As soon as she spoke, a group of people came out of the elevator, chattering with envy.

“Daniella, did you really draw that design? Lisa definitely copied it from you. You are really amazing.”

“I know, right? Daniella, if the investigation leads to proving the drawing is yours this time, your reputation will improve a lot!”

And the flattering words went on and on.

The person who stood among them was Daniella. She only smiled faintly at them and said, “The most important thing in our business is to never plagiarize.”

Listening to her pompous words, Whitney couldn’t help muttering in a low voice, “Shameless!”

Chapter 130 The Design Draft Is Not Yours

Whitney’s voice was probably a little loud that the people over there heard it, whereupon Daniella’s smiling face instantly darkened.

Someone on the side who was probably trying to fawn over Daniella quickly stepped forward and scolded, “Who are you? What nonsense are you talking about!?”

Whitney herself was also short-tempered, so she squinted her eyes and retorted, “I’m talking about the person who said that Lisa plagiarized her. How shameless!”

When Nicole saw that the atmosphere was getting worse, she hurriedly reached out and interrupted, “Enough, Whitney.”

Whitney closed her mouth after hearing Nicole’s dissuasion.

Then, Nicole took a step forward, and her gaze fell on Daniella.

She was in her early thirties, with a slightly chubby body, but she looked honest.

“Miss Zimmer, I have something to consult you. If you have the time, would it be convenient to grab a cup of coffee?” Nicole asked with a smile.

A trace of panic flashed in Daniella’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and shook her head. “I don’t know you guys, so it’s inconvenient for us to do that.”

Whitney stepped forward and sneered. “Ms. Zimmer, we are here to discuss the design draft with you.”

Daniella tugged at the palm of her hand. She pursed her lips tightly, but still shook her head stubbornly and said, “I have nothing to talk to you about.”

Whitney saw that she was unwilling, so she slowly leaned over and said in a low voice, “Ms. Zimmer, you know whether this design draft truly belongs to you.”

Her voice was not too loud. She lowered her voice and spoke in Daniella’s ear, then she took a few steps back and said in a normal tone, “We’re just here to find out some things, so why won’t you spare us some time, Ms. Zimmer?”

Seeing the looming smile on Whitney’s face, Daniella tightened her hands nervously and breathed quickly for a while before she finally agreed through gritted teeth. “Okay.”

Nicole took Whitney and Daniella to a restaurant and even asked for a private booth.

After walking into the booth, Daniella looked at Nicole and asked two consecutive questions. “Who are you? Why do you want to talk to me?”

Nicole took off her mask and looked at her with a smile on her face.

Seeing Nicole’s face, Daniella was obviously startled. She probably didn’t expect Nicole to approach her. Immediately, she gulped nervously, and her eyes flashed while she whispered, “Lisa…”

“Yes, it’s me,” Nicole responded.

Once Daniella saw Nicole, her reaction became exaggerated. She stood up immediately and gritted her teeth. “I will not withdraw the lawsuit!”

Hearing Daniella’s confident remarks, Nicole felt surprised as her eyes flickered, but she still remained calm. She crossed her hands and said lightly, “Ms. Zimmer, you see, there’s no need to panic. I only want to talk to you. Nothing else.”

“Like I said, I don’t have anything to talk to you about.” Daniella was inexplicably anxious and wanted to leave after speaking, but she was stopped by Whitney as soon as she stepped out.

Following that, Nicole began to say calmly, “Ms. Zimmer, you sued me and falsely claimed ownership of the design drawings—what do you actually think you can get out of this?”

Hearing Nicole’s words, Daniella turned around to look at her and said quickly, “Don’t slander me. This is my design!”

Nicole hooked her lips into a smile, slowly stood up, and walked to Daniella.

“This design draft won the national design competition that year. If you’ve received this award, then why are you merely a junior designer in Pinnacle now?”

Daniella’s eyes were a little dodgy as she faced Nicole’s pressing questions. She said hesitantly, “I… I didn’t have time back then…”

Nicole couldn’t hold back and suddenly burst out laughing. “Didn’t have time? This prize was reserved for nearly half a year; it seems you were really busy.”

“It’s none of your business whether I claim the award or not. But how is it right for you to copy my draft?” Daniella was forced to ask directly.

“I just wonder whether this draft is really yours,” Nicole calmly said.