NovelEnglishChapter 380
The car pulled up to the hotel.
“I need a cigarette, Adrian muttered, getting out.
| watched him walk to the smoking area and light up.
Ethan whistled low. “Mr. Knox is... not what | expected. The way he defends you, even against Blake... | thought
maybe he had feelings for you.”
| scoffed. “If he likes me, it’s only because | have my sister's face. He's not seeing- he’s seeing her
replacement.
I'm not Rachel Hayes. | won't be anyone's stand-in. Besides, he’s my sister's husband. Nothing would happen
between us out of respect for her.”
Ethan frowned at his phone. “But you're trending as New York's favorite couple. You've even overshadowed
Rachel and Blake's wedding in a few days - ”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring at his screen.
| looked over. The trending topics about Adrian andhad vanished, replaced by:
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
[Evelyn Knox plagiarizing dead sister's work, character bankruptcy!]
[Stealing sister's designs: Sisterly love or profit grab?]
| grabbed my phone, finding the news immediately. It claimed my new Q-elegant designs were 70% similar to
Audrey Sinclair's unpublished drafts.
I'd been so busy rebuilding the company and my health that I'd lacked creative inspiration. I'd drawn from my
old designs - minor sketches I'd made for fun, never publicly released.
But someone had reported plagiarism with evidence downloaded directly from my backup cloud drive something
only Rachel Hayes and | had access to.
“These photos are crystal clear,” Ethan observed, frowning. “Definitely not secretly taken.”
‘Audrey, do you think Blake somehow got these drafts?”
| shook my head with a bitter smile. “Not him. | know exactly who leaked those photos. And | know who's
gunning for me.”
‘I'll handle it. Don’t worry.”
| stepped out of the car, closing the door behind me.
What happened next caughtcompletely off guard.
“Plagiarizing thief! You deserve to rot!” The scream cfrom behind me, followed immediately by something
wet and heavy smacking against my head.
The smell hitbefore I could process what had happened. A rotten egg. Putrid yolk dripped down my hair onto
my face and shoulders, soaking into my blouse.
‘Bulls-eye!” A chorus of laughter erupted. ‘Look at Little Miss Designer now!”
| wiped slfrom my eyes to see a heavy-set young woman surrounded by a pack of girls with tattoos and
mean smiles.
“Thought you could steal your dead sister's designs and nobody would notice?” She stepped forward, her voice
dropping to a snarl. “You're disgusting.”
“You humiliated your own parents on live TV,” another chimed in.
1/2
Chapter 380
Family means nothing to you just a stepping stone.”
Heartless bitch!”
They had phones out - recording, live-streaming my humiliation. One held a bag that clearly contained more
ammunition.
The girl with the bag hurried forward, offering another egg to the ringleader. “She's not even sorry. Look at her
face!”
The heavy girl grabbed the egg, eyes locked on mine. “Still proud of yourself?”
She pulled her arm back to throw. | braced myself.
In a blur of movement, someone crashed into me, pressingagainst the gar and coveringwith their body.
At the stime, another figure lunged at my attacker.
| heard a splat followed by choking and retching.
From what little I could see, the second person had somehow forced the egg into the girl's mouth. She was on
her knees now, violently throwing up.
Pressed against the car, all | could see was darkness, but | didn’t need to see his face. That scent, that warmth -
I'd recognize it immediately.
“Blake, | muttered, pushing against his chest. “You can let go now.”
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
