Chapter 16

The announcement of the competition results was about to begin. Everyone remained seated, waiting for the host, Martin Welch, to announce the results on stage. Cecily felt a wave of nervousness. Martin opened the envelope and was about to announce the results when someone walked up to the stage and whispered in his ear. "Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a case of plagiarism in this competition. All entries will be reviewed for plagiarism to ensure fairness, and the results will be re-evaluated." The audience fell into hushed whispers at the mention of plagiarism. Plagiarism was a serious offense. Being accused of it could ruin a person's reputation in the industry. The organizers had intended to settle the plagiarism dispute privately, but due to pressure from the crowd, they displayed both the allegedly plagiarized works on the screen behind them. Cecily looked up and was startled to see both her own work and Isabel's displayed. She turned to Isabel and Clyde in disbelief. Is