Chapter 6

Emily had just won the National Best Design Award for her artwork. At the ceremony, the host called her the most promising young artist of her generation. Under the stage lights, Emily shone in her elegant gown, standing out from the crowd. "Oliver, do you think Julia will be upset?" Emily gazed up at Oliver with innocent eyes. For some reason, Oliver felt a pang in his chest. When he thought of Julia at home, his heart throbbed with guilt. But he quickly reminded himself that Julia loved him so much that she would forgive anything. No matter what he did, she would always let it go. Oliver smiled and said, "She won't. Just enjoy your night. I'll take care of everything else." With all eyes on her, Emily stepped onto the stage as the spotlight tracked her every move. The host handed her the trophy and asked, "Ms. Evans, how does it feel to have your work named the best among the younger generation? I heard that your sister, Julia Evans, who's adopted into your family, was accused of plagiarizing your work. What do you have to say about that?" The whole country was watching the ceremony live. Every word Emily spoke and every move she made were on full display. Emily took the trophy, looked up at the big screen, and let out a deep sigh. "No matter what, she's still my sister. Even though she plagiarized my work, I could never blame her." As soon as she finished, the crowd murmured in admiration at her supposed kindness. People in the audience whispered, "The Evans family is way too kind. Not only did they raise a daughter who isn't their own, but they even chose to forgive her after she was caught plagiarizing." "Julia Evans looks like trouble. She's got that slutty face. Who knows who she's been seducing?" The gossip grew nastier, and Emily couldn't hide her satisfaction as she smiled. "I hope everyone can forgive my sister, since this is the first time she's made such a mistake. Please don't hold it against her. I'll apologize to you all on her behalf." She even bowed deeply to the crowd, putting on a perfect act. But right at that moment, the images on the big screen changed. Hundreds of sketches suddenly filled the display, each one with Julia's name and the exact date written underneath. Emily's face turned pale in an instant. She shot a desperate look at Oliver in the audience. Oliver was blindsided. He turned to the organizers and snapped, "Cut the feed now!" But the organizers were in chaos. "We can't! Someone hacked our system from the outside! "Mr. Miller, perhaps you should focus on what Ms. Evans is going to say to explain all this, rather than pointing fingers at us." The media, who'd been fawning over Emily just a minute before, instantly turned on her. "Ms. Evans, you claim you created that piece, but all the drafts are signed by your sister, Julia Evans. How do you explain that?" "We have every reason to suspect that you plagiarized Julia's artwork." "Please, answer directly. Did you steal your sister's artwork?" The reporters pressed in, refusing to let the story go. The host was quick on the uptake, too. He said with a smile, "Ms. Evans, with your copyright in question, the award committee will hold onto the trophy for now." The host took the trophy away, and the media nearly shoved their cameras in Emily's face. At the critical moment, Oliver burst in with a team of bodyguards, shielding Emily as he rushed her out. "Today's incident was an accident. Any media outlet that spreads rumors will have to answer to Miller Corporation." Julia had watched the entire ceremony unfold from a helicopter hovering above the city. At that moment, she let out a cold laugh. "Oliver really loves Emily. He'll stand by her even when the truth is staring him in the face. He's willing to risk his entire company just to protect her." Back when they were together, if anything ever affected Miller Corporation, Oliver would treat it with the utmost caution. But now, he'd gone this far for Emily. Julia turned to Noah and said, "Do me a favor. Spread the video of the award ceremony and make sure everyone sees it. I want Emily and Oliver to go down together!"