Chapter 101 The Design on the Magazine
The sudden sound had everyone turning their heads towards the entrance of the conference hall.
A woman with flawless skin, sharp features, curly hair, and rocking a professional suit strutted in, her high heels clicking like a metronome.
Margaret's eyes zeroed in on her, squinting a bit. If she wasn't tripping, this woman was Marilyn, the new hotshot chief designer at Royal Radiance and the brain behind "As You Wish."
Marilyn, oozing confidence, marched to the front, snatched a reporter's mic, and shouted, "Margaret just accused Royal Radiance of ripping them off, which is a total slander! We ain't copying nobody!"
The room exploded into chatter, and the reporters went nuts. Nobody saw this kind of drama coming at today's press conference.
Marilyn looked pretty smug with herself. She scanned the room and raised her voice. "You just said the Fisher Group's 'Ice and Fire' was done a month ago, and both Lyle and Bruce backed it up, right?"
Margaret gave Marilyn a bored look. "That's right."
Marilyn's face lit up with a smug grin. "Exactly, this proves Fisher Group's 'Ice and Fire' ripped off my 'As You Wish!'"
A young reporter piped up, "Got any proof?"
Marilyn sneered. "The design for 'As You Wish' was wrapped up two months ago. It's clear who's the copycat."
The reporter pressed on, "But 'As You Wish' was only shown to the media two days ago. How does that prove Fisher Group copied it?"
Marilyn waved a magazine in her hand. "Actually, my design was finished two months ago and was published in a fashion magazine back then. I just signed with Royal Radiance and officially dropped it two days ago."
Margaret watched Marilyn and the reporter play their little game, her face cool and collected. She knew Royal Radiance would pull this stunt, accusing Fisher Group of plagiarism at today's press conference. Marilyn showing up with her so-called "proof" was no shocker.
Lucy, standing nearby, looked just as pleased. She had a big plan for tonight's celebration, but she didn't expect the press conference to be this juicy.
Margaret getting called out for plagiarism right at the launch of "Ice and Fire" was a huge blow to Fisher Group. Lucy was sure William wouldn't let such a big screw-up slide from Margaret. Getting fired would be the least of her problems.
With the "special surprise" Lucy had lined up for Margaret later tonight, she was sure she'd come out on top and finally get rid of Margaret!
A reporter, trying to be polite, asked Marilyn, "Can you show us this fashion magazine?"
Marilyn grinned. "Absolutely."
She held up the fashion magazine she had brought along. It was some fashion magazine called "Vogue Vision," which Margaret had never even heard of.
On the page Marilyn flipped to, there was a design that looked a lot like "As You Wish." In big, bold red letters, it hyped up the idea of changing colors under different lighting.
"Now, everyone can see it clear as day. The Fisher Group's so-called 'Ice and Fire' is a total rip-off of my idea!" Marilyn's eyes turned icy as she stared down Margaret. "I demand the Fisher Group publicly admit to plagiarism, apologize to me, destroy all 'Ice and Fire' products, and cough up fifty million dollars for infringement!"
The crowd went wild. For the Fisher Group, fifty million bucks was chump change, but their rep was everything. The top dog in Ravenford getting caught up in a plagiarism scandal? That was a major hit to their image.
Margaret's eyes drifted to the podium. There sat a distinguished, dazzling man, chilling in his chair, legs crossed, looking totally unfazed by the plagiarism drama. Their eyes met, and William gave a faint smile. His look was full of trust in Margaret and a vibe that he had everything under control.
Margaret smiled back and turned to Marilyn. "Where was this magazine published? Why have I never seen it before?"
Marilyn smirked, dripping with disdain. "This magazine was published in Fleurancia. You're just clueless. So, of course, you haven't heard of it."
Margaret acted like she just got it and then asked, "Is that so? If it was published in Fleurancia, why isn't it in Fleurancia's language?"
Marilyn was caught off guard for a sec, then said, "Magazines published in Fleurancia have versions in different languages for various audiences."
Margaret looked around the conference hall and slowly asked, "Has anyone here seen or heard of this magazine?"
Besides the Fisher Group execs and media reporters, there were a lot of folks from the jewelry industry. Everyone exchanged glances; nobody had ever seen or heard of "Vogue Vision" before.
"Marilyn, with your status, if you were gonna publish an article, wouldn't you pick an internationally known magazine? How could you go with some no-name? Now, you're waving this around to accuse the Fisher Group of plagiarism. Isn't that a bit sketchy?" Margaret said with a hint of sarcasm.
The crowd nodded; Margaret's point hit home. As a big-shot designer, it was unlikely she'd publish in some obscure magazine.
Marilyn's face twisted. "Which magazine I choose is my business. Don't try to muddy the waters! Now, I demand you apologize to me right now for the plagiarism!"
"I'm afraid the one who should apologize is you!" Margaret's gaze was fierce as she spoke coldly, "Because the real plagiarist is you, Marilyn! Your 'As You Wish' jewelry series is a complete knockoff!"
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