Chapter 8
By the time Claire finished taking care of her wound, lunch was over and the industry summit had officially kicked off.
Claire took a deep breath. It was almost her turn to present her own innovative product. All those years of hard work were finally about to pay off.
She walked into the main hall and had just sat down when she saw Lily standing center stage, introducing her product with fiery enthusiasm.
Claire only glanced at the stage before she shot to her feet in shock. Lily was introducing the exact product Claire was meant to present.
A staff member rushed over, shushing her and pulling her back down. "Please don't disrupt the event."
Claire blurted out in panic. "Did you mess up the video? That's supposed to be mine. Why is she showing it?"
The staff member frowned. "Hey, don't accuse us. We play exactly what the participants give us. There's no mistake."
Just as he finished speaking, Lily's presentation wrapped up, and the room exploded with thunderous applause.
"So creative, so deep, and totally practical." Claire could hear the flood of compliments swirling around her, but not a single one was meant for her. Every bit of praise was showered on Lily, standing proudly on stage.
Claire was frozen in place, still in shock. The staff member nudged her urgently, "You're up next. Hurry!"
Before Claire could even process what was happening, she was practically shoved onto the stage.
The giant screen behind her flickered on, playing the product video Claire had poured half a year of her life into, only for her to realize, with a sinking heart, that it was exactly what Lily had just presented.
The room exploded with boos.
"That's straight-up plagiarism!"
"She's got some nerve, copying right in front of everyone!"
"Who even is she? She's wrecking the whole scene. Kick her out!"
The crowd was roaring in Claire's ears, everyone below looking outraged. But in the sea of angry faces, she spotted two she knew all too well, James and Lily.
James looked tense, his brows furrowed, while Lily snuggled up to him, giving Claire a smug, taunting grin.
It all clicked for Claire. There was no way this was just some freak coincidence. James was the only possible culprit.
The guy she once loved, the one she'd trusted with everything, had stolen her work and handed it to his lover.
Claire snatched up the mic, her voice shaking with outrage. "This is my product! Lily Warren ripped it off from me!"
But her voice bounced back to her alone; the mic had been cut off. She yelled at the audience, but the staff swarmed in, yanking her off the stage without a shred of mercy.
Even after being hauled outside, Claire tried to fight her way back in, desperate to clear her name. But the staff blocked her, their faces full of contempt. "Claire, this summit is being livestreamed. Have some shame, will you?"
Claire pulled out her phone, and her heart sank. The internet was already blowing up with hate comments about her.
[She might look good, but she's rotten inside.]
[Just a pretty face, nothing more. Stop making a fool of yourself.]
[Copycat! Everyone boycott her stuff!]
Claire's fingers shook as she tried to type out an explanation, but all she got in return was even more hate.
From that day on, Claire's world flipped upside down overnight. Investors bombarded her, demanding to pull out their money.
All her company's products were sent back, her cash flow dried up completely, and she'd have nothing left to pay her staff next month.
Her phone never stopped ringing, random trolls calling to hurl insults, reporters trying to expose her.
James called her every single day, but she didn't even bother picking up; just hit decline every time.
Just as Claire was bracing herself for bankruptcy, her secretary burst in, breathless. "Ms. Kingston, we just got a 30-million-dollar investment!"
Claire stared in shock. "Who invested in us?"
Just then, the office door swung open, and Edward walked in. He'd been overseas handling mergers and acquisitions. "Claire, hope I'm not too late. This money should help you out of your tight spot."
Claire, who'd been frowning for days, finally broke into a smile. "Not too late at all. Today marks exactly one month since our promise. Let's go get married right now!"