Chapter 112 Bringing Justice to Lolly
Chelsea returned to her workstation and immediately retrieved the design draft she had hidden. She was glad she hadn't thrown it away. When she presented it initially, she had never imagined it would lead to such a controversy.
With the original design draft in hand, which a plagiarist would never possess, no one could accuse her of plagiarism. Confident in this fact, she eagerly awaited to disappoint those who were ready to see her fail.
Chelsea took a few photos of the design draft from various angles and posted them on Instagram with a caption: "Here is the manuscript, purely original. Thank you for not spreading rumors."
After tagging the official accounts of the Heilbronn Group, a luxury appreciation institution, and Swan, she was satisfied and proceeded with her work for the day.
Chelsea didn't consider this minor misunderstanding to be a major public relations event.
Her Instagram post quickly caught the attention of people from all walks of life.
Initially, news of this incident wasn't spreading rapidly in the country. However, with her elaborate clarification, the Heilbronn Group designer's alleged plagiarism immediately became the top trending topic.
Seeing the headline made her angry. Chelsea couldn't believe the media would create such a sensational headline. She was here to clarify the situation, yet the topic suggested she was suspected of plagiarism.
She thought in anger, 'Do the netizens lack any judgment? They didn't even bother to look at the design draft images Ihad posted. Unquestioningly supporting Lolly, a designer who didn't even dare to publish photos online, and accusing me of plagiarism is unjust.'
The speed at which public opinion fermented exceeded everyone's expectations.
In the CEO's office, Zack was extremely busy, not even having a moment to sit down. Despite spending a significant amount of money, he couldn't suppress the negative publicity surrounding the company.
With public opinion overwhelmingly against her, not even considering Chelsea's explanation, some individuals even went to her Instagram post to insult her, leading her to block comments.
The Heilbronn Group's official Instagram account also received negative comments.
The positive reviews, which had cost millions, didn't stand any chance and were overshadowed by Lolly's fans. Some celebrities even boldly reposted, demanding justice for Lolly.
Aurelia in Silvershore Falls also learned about the significant events of the day. Knowing this incident would cause a stir, she hadn't expected Swan to act so swiftly by holding a press conference on the same day.
The fashion industry had zero tolerance for plagiarism.
Aurelia chuckled at Chelsea's explanation.
The manuscript had a unique mark belonging to Lolly, a precaution she had taken to prevent her work from being stolen. Over the years, she had never mentioned this mark to anyone, but now it proved to be handy.
Aurelia shared the secret mark of the manuscript with Swan's leadership. This time, they had to conclusively prove Chelsea's plagiarism to expel such individuals from the design industry for good.
She had been soft-hearted towards that woman for a long time, but now her patience had run out.
Swan took this matter very seriously. Lolly was their most valued designer, and their senior leadership vowed to stand by her and not tolerate any plagiarists.
Finished the email, Aurelia spent the day as usual, strolling by the seaside with Reed, picking seashells, cooking seafood soup, and sunbathing in the yard after waking up.
She enjoyed her days without men, feeling quite content. She even felt reluctant to leave, preferring to stay with Reed and let Nathaniel live alone.
Nathaniel spent the entire day in a state of anxiety. Despite a considerable cost, he couldn't quell the negative publicity surrounding the company. Instead, the situation worsened, and in the afternoon after work, some individuals arrived at the company's main entrance with protest signs and eggs for a demonstration.
This created a sense of panic, and no one dared leave alone after work; instead, they opted to walk in groups for safety.
Chelsea remained calm as ever, ignoring the insults online by blocking comments. She refused to believe that this incident would have any irreversible consequences. She was confident that as long as she persisted in claiming the design draft was her creation, not even Lolly herself could bring her down.
Moreover, she had accidentally stumbled upon this draft in Nathaniel's files and used it because she found the design impressive. She couldn't believe that the draft belonged to Lolly.
It was well-known that Nathaniel had been trying to recruit Lolly to the Heilbronn Group, but all his attempts had failed. He had never even met Lolly in person, indicating that he had no connection with her.
Therefore, the design draft found in his folder couldn't possibly belong to Lolly. Swan's press conference spreading such news was likely just an attempt to suppress the Heilbronn Group out of jealousy of the work Chelsea had presented.
Chelsea remained undaunted.
She clocked out as usual, even more confidently than before. She was now waiting for the situation to be clarified, for the entire nation to realize that she hadn't plagiarized, and for the outstanding design to be seen as, indeed, her creation. She wanted to show that not only Lolly could create such exquisite work, but she could, too.
Carrying her newly purchased LV bag from her father's money, she confidently stepped out in high heels, the sound crisp as she walked, and paid no attention to the murmurs behind her.
Out of nowhere, she was hit by an egg as soon as she stepped out.
The egg yolk dripped down her newly styled hair, sticking to her face.
As she touched it, feeling sticky and smelling strange, she realized a rotten egg had hit her.
She shouted, "Security, security!"
The security guards were already overwhelmed; there had been too many troublemakers that afternoon. They would chase away a few, only for new ones to arrive.
Feeling wronged, Chelsea returned to the building with egg all over her as the crowd outside grew larger, blocking the exit completely.
Everyone refused to accept the Heilbronn Group's explanation, firmly believing that their designer had stolen Lolly's manuscript. They stood outside with megaphones, threatening to continue protesting against the Heilbronn Group until justice was served for Lolly.
Feeling aggrieved, Chelsea entered the CEO's office, and of course, Nathaniel was aware of the situation outside. He dared not step out now; the crowd seemed to have gone mad, ready to throw things no matter who he was.
Nathaniel looked at the disheveled Chelsea and, unable to bring himself to reprimand her, worried that she might have a heart attack from the shock. He couldn't afford to take care of a patient right now.
"Go wash up first."
Enduring the foul smell, he handed her a pack of tissues.
Chelsea was on the verge of tears. "Nathaniel, you must help me. Those who hit me must be punished."
"Enough, hurry up."
He had reached his limit since the stench was unbearable.
Chelsea ran to the restroom in tears, and as soon as she left, Nathaniel opened the windows and asked Zack to replace a new trash can. The tissue she had used to wipe her hair was also a source of air pollution.
What a rough day for Nathaniel! As soon as he saw Chelsea off, he was cornered in his office by the shareholders who had attended the morning meeting.
"Mr. Heilbronn, I don't think this is baseless. We can't ignore the opinions of netizens and the public. Shouldn't we investigate this matter thoroughly?"
"Mr. Heilbronn, Chelsea has a history of plagiarism. Have you forgotten the chaos she caused on the internal forum a few days ago? We need to carefully consider our personnel decisions."
"Mr. Heilbronn, we can't let Chelsea tarnish the company's reputation. You are known for being fair and impartial; we believe this matter can be resolved fairly, setting aside personal grievances."
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