Chapter 325 Competition Dark Horse? All Plagiarism!
Back in the day, the person who stirred up trouble behind the scenes for the Howard family's relatives was Franklin!
"If we didn't go along with his plan, he wanted to throw both our families into chaos. But how could he do that to Elodie?"
Felix was visibly upset as he spoke.
Marcus shook his head gently.
"Elodie and Timothy were his biggest supporters back then. When they realized his plan was flawed, they were the first to leave."
"He resented Elodie and worried she had taken secrets from the Galactic Aurora Collective. Even after she left, Franklin didn't let her go."
Felix slammed his hand on the table.
"Heartless! He always said he treated Elodie like his own sister, but look at what he did!"
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Elodie... I failed her. I didn't protect her back then. It's my fault!"
Marcus stood up, holding Catherine's hand.
Outside, a light rain began to fall, and the sky grew darker with heavy clouds. The sound of prayers continued, their ancient, deep tones providing a sense of peace.
Alexander gently rubbed Catherine's palm, reluctant to part.
"It's raining. You should head back. I'll come find you once everything here is settled."
Catherine knew Alexander had a lot to handle.
"If I stay, will it affect your work?"
"I'll be distracted. No matter where you are, I can't help but look at you."
Even though he knew Catherine could handle herself and even be helpful at times, Alexander couldn't bear to let her stay. He preferred to keep the girl he liked safe and sound.
"Alright, I'll go then."
After saying their goodbyes, Brandon left with his two daughters.
Once in the car, Aurora smiled at Catherine.
"Catherine, why didn't Alexander leave with you?"
Aurora asked because she had seen Beck and felt he seemed unreliable.
"The ceremony isn't over yet. There are still things to take care of."
Aurora was displeased. "Alexander is the youngest son in their family. Why does he have to handle everything? The Howard family is too much. Even if Alexander is capable, they shouldn't make him do everything!"
Aurora's attitude towards Alexander was like a mother-in-law doting on her son-in-law. In her eyes, Alexander was already part of the family. Seeing how Beck treated Alexander made her heart ache.
Marcus looked at Catherine.
"Catherine, when you go to school, tell your principal something from me."
"Tell him it's time to settle the score!"
Catherine was surprised.
Meeting Marcus's calm gaze, she heard his aged yet authoritative voice fill the small car.
"Franklin was also a friend of your grandmother's. Since we plan to hand over all family matters to you gradually, I don't want to keep this from you."
Marcus believed Catherine wouldn't want to miss anything related to Elodie. The children were growing up, and Marcus trusted their abilities.
"Brandon will drive you to school every day for now."
"Alright!"
Brandon was thrilled at the chance to drive Catherine to school every day. When Juniper was in school, she skipped grades and spent all her time in the lab, leaving Brandon no chance to experience father-daughter moments. Now, he finally had the opportunity!
Imperial University.
As soon as Catherine walked into the classroom, the class president, Cecilia, sat down next to her with a book.
"Is this seat taken?"
"Nope."
Cecilia had a pleasant round face with ordinary features that came together harmoniously, giving her a clear, youthful look typical of college students.
"Catherine, there's a competition in our department. Are you interested in participating?"
"Not really."
Cecilia, anxious, quickly pulled out her phone to show Catherine information about the competition.
"It's a jewelry design contest in our department. If you win, there's a cash prize! Outstanding designs can be bought by Radiant Treasures, which collaborates with our department, and made into actual products for sale!"
Catherine raised an eyebrow slightly. Radiant Treasures was the jewelry company Samuel had given her, located just outside the school. She had been too busy to visit it lately. Charles was managing the company, and it seemed he and Samuel had arranged this competition with her department.
Cecilia showed Catherine some design sketches submitted by participants.
"Look, a bunch of our classmates are participating. Don't you want to join in? Gabriella said that your design skills are amazing!"
As class president, Cecilia often worked with Gabriella, the temporary class advisor, and had learned about Catherine's impressive drawing and design skills from her. She had been waiting for days to invite Catherine to join the competition.
Catherine wasn't interested in such competitions. But when she saw the excellent designs Cecilia showed her, her eyebrows twitched slightly. One of the images looked familiar.
She opened the image, and the signature at the bottom was Lyra's.
Cecilia noticed Catherine looking at the design and quickly explained, "Lyra's design is the dark horse of this competition! I already told Gabriella about what happened last time, and she said she'd handle it properly."
"How?"
"Gabriella plans to make Lyra apologize to you in front of everyone and give her a major demerit!"
Such a punishment would be a significant stain on a college student's dignity and future record. Someone like Lyra would likely refuse.
"Will she agree?"
"She has no choice! What she did was too serious, and Gabriella is furious!"
Catherine looked at Cecilia, whose round face showed indignation and dissatisfaction, all on Catherine's behalf. Cecilia and Gabriella had thoroughly investigated the incident and contacted Richard. Learning that Lyra had maliciously orchestrated everything, Cecilia felt deeply guilty.
Catherine was like an angel! Despite everything, she remained calm and didn't let Lyra's actions bother her. She was so talented yet had to endure Lyra's jealous slander and defamation. It was outrageous!
"Catherine, please don't lose faith in the school. The class will clear your name!"
Catherine smiled lightly. "Really?"
"Really!"
Catherine looked at Cecilia and pointed to Lyra's submitted designs.
"Then I'll also report that Lyra's competition entries are plagiarized."
"What? How do you know, Catherine? These designs are some of the best in the competition…"
Catherine replied nonchalantly, "Because she copied them from me!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
