Chapter 427 Beating Down the Competition
Flora requested the microphone from the host, who was initially hesitant to hand it over but eventually yielded after a stern look from Natalie. It was clear that no one wished to offend Oliver's wife.
The audience remained seated, their attention fixed on the stage. Photographers and journalists, armed with their cameras, eagerly anticipated the unfolding of a live dispute.
"In other words, you, esteemed judges, lack concrete evidence to accuse me of plagiarism. Your claims are based solely on your opinion and bias against me," Flora said as she looked into the media’s cameras, "I’m fully aware of the rumors suggesting that I’ve been imitating Susan's style. Yet, where’s the evidence? How can you be certain these aren’t simply fabricated stories or manufactured gossip? Apart from debuting later than Susan, in what aspect do I fall short? Is it my skill and ability?”
Flora chuckled and looked at the judges with a hint of mockery in her eyes as she continued, "Interestingly, I received the highest score from you in the last round."
At this time, Natalie chimed in, "Speaking of which, here is an interesting piece of information for everyone. During the last round, I found myself seated next to a friend of Susan's. When the highest score was announced for Wine, Susan's friend was so convinced that the score belonged to Susan. She even commented that Wine, being Susan's junior, couldn't possibly have obtained the highest score."
Natalie then turned to Fernando and asked, "Mr. Fernando, in what way are you different from those uninformed individuals?"
"You!"
Fernando's face turned red with indignation.
"How dare you speak to me like that?! I’m a prominent figure in the industry. How dare you compare me to those ignorant people of your country! How absurd!”
Natalie raised an eyebrow as she gave Fernando a thumbs-up.
‘Amazing. With just a few words, he managed to insult so many people!’
Natalie was aware that Fernando was about to be overwhelmed by criticism from netizens across the globe.
Seeing the mocking thumbs-up, Fernando froze for a moment before realizing the gravity of his words. It was sure to become a focal point for widespread critique.
"I have evidence!" Fernando quickly attempted to salvage his credibility. "Susan sent me her designs before the competition. This was a week ago. At that time, I heard Wine's designs were incomplete."
The unsaid words were that it was impossible for Susan to have plagiarized Flora.
The room filled with whispers and murmurs.
Some discussed the unexpected appearance of evidence, while many were astonished that Susan had managed to communicate with Fernando during the designated seclusion period of the competition.
Susan's face turned pale in an instant when Fernando publicly revealed their communication!
However, Fernando remained oblivious to his mistake; he was unaware of the competition rule that participants would be secluded during the competition and were prohibited from communicating with the outside world.
Flora did not immediately address the issue but continued to speak to Fernando. "Mr. Fernando, in fact, I worked on two versions of the designs. After completing the first one, I realized that my first draft had been tampered with, so I revised it to create the piece I have now.
"To determine whether Susan has plagiarized my design, you only need to examine the scanned copy of the draft she sent you. You’ll find that on the back of the hemline, there’s a V-shaped curve connected to another V-shaped curve on the front of the hemline, forming a 'W'."
‘W’ naturally stood for Wine.
Upon hearing this, the others immediately examined the dress Doris was wearing.
"There’s nothing there," Fernando said.
At his words, Susan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"The finished product doesn’t show it. Only the design draft does," Flora clarified. "If it were obvious in the finished product, it wouldn’t serve as evidence, would it?"
Susan clenched her fists as a foreboding feeling rose in her heart.
Meanwhile, Doris felt a growing sense of despair. Flora’s descriptions were detailed; she surely could not have described it with such accuracy if the design was not hers. Moreover, Flora was Natalie’s friend, and she had a feeling that Natalie’s friends were just as dangerous as she was.
Fernando checked his email and arranged for the scanned image Susan had sent him to be projected onto the big screen.
There it was, the interconnected ‘W’. It was unmistakable.
The crowd broke into an uproar.
"Susan, how could you?!" Fernando exclaimed in disbelief. The evidence and facts felt like a harsh slap across his face. He had placed so much trust in her before, but she had tarnished his reputation!
“I-I didn’t! I really didn’t!”
Susan had never imagined that Flora would resort to such a strategy. She realized now that this might have been a trap specifically designed by Flora. No wonder she was able to enter Flora's room without any difficulty and obtain photographs of Flora's complete design without the slightest effort.
"Susan, perhaps you could explain why you felt the need to send Mr. Fernando your design? And how were you able to send emails when no one else had access to communication devices?" Flora, with the microphone in hand, ensured that every word was audible to everyone present.
"I..." Susan began her explanation.
"There’s no point in explaining; you won’t be able to explain yourself,” Natalie interjected, taking the microphone from Flora, "Actually, I have another question."
The situation was clear.
It was over for Susan, and Natalie was adding fuel to the fire!
Natalie, holding the hem of her skirt, walked over to Doris and pointed at the exquisite embroidery on her chest.
"Susan, from what I know about you, you’re neither skilled at embroidery nor familiar with Assisi embroidery. Yet, the needlework here is clearly Assisi embroidery. Can you please explain how you managed to complete this on your own without violating any competition rules?"
…
The competition concluded in a farce, with Susan's humiliation being its climax.
Even the final rankings were invalidated.
What was originally a niche designer competition gained widespread popularity due to the incident, capturing the attention of the international fashion industry and sparking intense discussions among netizens nationwide.
[Seeing Natalie and Flora fighting for their rights gives me the same excitement as seeing Natalie and Jane make a joint appearance on a variety show.]
[Absolutely! A perfect partnership! They absolutely crushed it.]
[Insider information: Natalie, Flora, and Jane have been best friends for over a decade. It seems like excellent people hang out with other excellent people!]
[The trio could form a team and debut as a group - a designer, a model, and a photographer. Ah, they’re so amazing!]
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