The fact of Barbara's plagiarism was undeniable. However, she remained tight-lipped about how she obtained the design drafts. In other words, she refused to confess.The person in charge of Grandeur Gallery had also arrived at the scene. They claimed to have no knowledge of Chad's actions and declared that it was his personal endeavor. Nevertheless, they stated that they would appropriately compensate for any losses caused to The Velvet due to Chad's behavior since he was their employee.Barbara's file had not even been registered yet. She had not signed any contract with Grandeur Gallery, which meant that she was not officially their employee and, therefore, not under their jurisdiction.Barbara was ready to argue with the head upon hearing this. She accused them of colluding to deceive her. If it were not for the police's intervention, she might have gotten into a brawl with the person in charge.Grandeur Gallery distanced itself completely from the situation. Consequently, the m
The change in Stella's revenge tactics was all thanks to Keegan. He acted as her legal expert and educated her daily.Stella used to think that Keegan had a bad temper, but he was actually just stubborn. Deep down, he was a kind-hearted person. As for Stella, she held onto grudges, and she wanted to settle every score. This demonstrated the importance of having a partner with stable emotions and aligned values.Of course, there was so much more about Keegan that Stella had learned from. For instance, she imitated his calm and authoritative demeanor to assert dominance.Chris was clearly intimidated by her. His face turned green, as he bit his lips. "You're right, Ms. Hall. I'm sorry for being too soft-hearted."Darcie watched Stella and the others leave in the police car. She thought about the situation and turned to Wenham. "Honey, Aubrey called and said something came up at the company. I have to attend to it."Wenham nodded. "I'll have the driver take you.""It's okay. I can t
Keegan had been waiting in the car for Stella. As soon as she got in, she fumed, "How dare he strut around in front of me! I may not have caught him red-handed, but I'm not a fool!"Keegan opened a water bottle and handed it to her. "Here. Take a sip and tell me what happened."Stella took a few sips and cleared her throat before she said, "I know all this happened because of Chris! But, I don't have any concrete evidence that could link him to this incident. Otherwise, I would've fired him on the spot!"Stella had noticed the financial assistant as soon as she joined the company. She was quite attractive and about the same age as Stella.Stella had been busy with the new product launch recently and spent a lot of time in the store. She would run into the staff casually gossiping whenever she went to the break room or restroom.From those conversations, Stella learned that the financial assistant had been specially recruited and had a close relationship with Chris. Some of them ha
Back then, Keegan's memory was a blur after a few too many drinks. He could not recall what had happened. When he saw Stella in tears, he had no choice but to take her words at face value.Keegan was not one to offer apologies to smooth things over. Instead, he sent Aldor a snapshot of the Clivia and asked for his assistance in procuring a replacement that matched as closely as possible."Didn't you try transplanting it?" Aldor asked.Keegan replied, "I think I might've stepped on it. It didn't look salvageable."His words left Aldor at a loss for words. Aldor distinctly remembered that it was Stella who accidentally knocked over the plant. 'Since when did it become Mr. Kane's doing?'At that moment, he could not help but think that his boss was a little gullible. Keegan seemed to believe everything Stella told him.As Keegan reflected on bringing back the new plant, he recalled gauging Stella's reaction and noticing that she did not seem entirely pleased. So, in a misguided atte
Felicity hurriedly finished buttoning up her clothes and opened the bathroom door in response to Vermont's knock. "What's up?" she asked."The grilled fish is getting cold. Come on out and eat," Vermont urged."Alright, I'm coming."Vermont was already seated at the dining table when Felicity emerged from the bathroom. He waved her over. "You took a while in there. Were you constipated or something?"Felicity was speechless. "You're quite the pest," she shot back, as she glared at him. "Other couples go on dates. They sip on coffee or wine and explore various places together. But, with you, all we do is eat, drink, and sleep.Vermont handed her some cutleries with a grin. "Those are the basics of life. Who spends their days in an RV with a glass of wine? Will you be drinking when we have children?"Felicity was feeling a little stifled. "Can't we have a bit more romance? I feel like you didn't really woo me. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I just settled with what
Felicity wanted to retort, but she could not find a good reason to do so. 'I guess being rejected after a confession and pursuing someone else doesn't really harm anyone,' she thought.However, she still felt that something was a bit off. 'How could he shift his affection for someone to another person so quickly?'Felicity bit her lip and expressed her concern. "Did you really... like your ex-girlfriends?"Vermont sighed. "Do you really want to discuss this when we're spending time together?"Felicity did not say anything, but her expression showed her discontent.Vermont wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her head. "I don't want to hide anything from you. I definitely had feelings for my exes. I wouldn't have dated them otherwise.""I grew up in the town with my grandpa. Even after I made money, I didn't have any grand aspirations. I thought treating your partner well was about sharing what I found enjoyable, but they didn't see it that way. I worked so hard to find af
"I need to go out for a bit," Felicity declared.Vermont was surprised. "What? Why?"As Felicity hurried toward the bedroom to get changed, she explained, "My supervisor got ambushed. Turns out her boyfriend is a married man. A bunch of people showed up at her place and wrecked the whole house. I'm going to take her to the police."Vermont followed her with concern etched on his face. "Why didn't she just call the cops herself? It's already so late.""They shredded all her clothes. She's got nothing to wear now. She probably didn't want to call the cops and have them show up while she's in this state."Worried for her safety, Vermont said, "Let me come with you. What if those guys haven't left yet? It's not safe for you to go alone.""It's fine. Aren't you hungry? Go grab a bite. I'll be back in no time."As she spoke, she moved toward the entrance to put on her shoes. Vermont swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "I know you can handle yourself, but can't you let me be
"Scripts that don't turn a profit won't keep selling, no matter how many favors you owe. No one's in the industry for charity," Vermont factually stated.Felicity seemed to grasp the concept, but there was still a hint of confusion in her expression. She cut to the chase and asked, "Can you be more specific?"Vermont laughed and said, "The average price for an apartment in the neighborhood we just left is only slightly lower than Clouditude International. She's a screenwriter with an average family background and who hasn't written a blockbuster. How do you reckon she affords a place like that?"This caught Felicity off guard.Her supervisor's place was anything but small. It was around 4000 square feet, with an average price of over ten grand per square foot. It was a mansion worth nearly half a billion and definitely not within financial reach for a screenwriter like her superior."Why did security let those people in? Have you considered that perhaps the house is registered und