Chapter 21 They're Arguing, They're Arguing
Liam quickly took the microphone.
"Of course, this isn't theft. Nevertheless, Evelyn is a valued employee of our company. She has served as Vivian's assistant for several years and has contributed to our perfume formulation efforts.
"I hesitate to label her actions as theft or plagiarism; such terms seem overly severe. Rather, in our industry, the allure of temptation can be strong, and Evelyn momentarily succumbed to it. It's a human reaction.
"We're prepared to offer Evelyn another opportunity and remain optimistic that Liavian Perfumes will continue to deliver exceptional work in the future."
Liam had acquired some experience in socializing and dealing with the media over the years. His words, modest yet sincere, depicted his company in a favorable light. He even demonstrated empathy and understanding towards an employee who had betrayed the company.
The journalists were all moved and looked down on Evelyn at the same time.
They believed the situation was clear. Evelyn wasn't satisfied with being just an assistant; she had stolen the company's achievements to sell to other companies, intending to defect. However, someone else exposed her.
None of the journalists present had expected Liavian Perfumes to be willing to keep such a person after things had developed this far.
However, there were also a few journalists who were looking for loopholes and stepped forward to ask, "But earlier Evelyn said that she is not an employee of your company and she didn't sign a contract."
Liam had considered this question before and calmly smiled as he said, "Yes, I admit that this was a mistake on the company's part.
"Of course, it's not that we didn't want to sign the contract. You may not know, but Evelyn and I were college classmates. We were friends, so we didn't think things through thoroughly at first. As for her salary, I directly transfer it to her account.
"I admit it was my mistake, and we are also prepared to offer her a very generous contract. I believe that after this misunderstanding, Liavian Perfumes will have a better future!"
There was enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Liam breathed a sigh of relief and smiled in satisfaction, thinking, 'Fortunately, I reacted quickly. Otherwise, there might have been bigger problems.'
Before he could fully relax, another journalist stood up to ask a question. "Ms. Taylor, shouldn't you publicly apologize for this incident? Moreover, does Neogenito Fragrances know the true situation? If they're unaware, how do you intend to explain to them? Is this dishonesty? Will Neogenito Fragrances sue you?"
The questions were getting sharper, and their gazes towards Evelyn was particularly sharp.
Liam kept thinking and said, "Regarding this question—"
Before he could answer, Evelyn directly took the microphone from his hand. She held it and slowly stood up. "Your question is a good one. Let me answer your first question. In regards to an apology, I don't think it's necessary, nor will I do it. Because I don't need to."
Her voice rang out clearly, each word distinct.
Every person in the room heard her words and was stunned. Until then, they had all concurred with Liam's earlier statement. They had even taken it for granted. But now, as she declared her refusal to apologize, asserting she saw no need for it, they all felt that she was unwilling to admit her mistakes.
For a moment, they all sneered at her.
"You have no shame!"
"How dare she say that?"
"Disgusting!"
People whispered quietly.
Their voices weren't loud, but Evelyn could hear them. However, she wasn't angry, and her face wasn't red. She tightly held the microphone, calmly looked around, and said, "Regarding this incident, I just want to say two things.
"Firstly, 'First Love' is my creation, the product of three months of collaboration between my assistant and myself.
"Secondly, beyond 'First Love,' I have also contributed to the creation of most of Liavian Perfumes' fragrances. That concludes my statement."
The journalists' curiosity piqued. They had listened to Liam's words and observed Evelyn's gentle smile, assuming the matter had concluded. However, they were taken aback by a sudden twist, in front of so many people,
Evelyn directly contradicted Liam's words!
Almost all the cameras were focused on Liam's quickly angry face, while Evelyn remained calm. The contrast was too stark.
"Ms. Taylor, are you saying that not only did you not plagiarize Ms. Reed's work, but she actually plagiarized yours?" someone immediately asked.
Evelyn smiled and replied, "I want to correct your choice of words. Plagiarism implies copying someone's work, but it also involves excessive imitation. While plagiarism is not good, there is still a process of self-transformation involved. Besides plagiarism, there is another behavior called directly taking someone else's work and changing it to make it their own."
"Isn't that theft?" the journalist responded.
Evelyn simply smiled and did not respond.
"Evelyn, what do you mean by this?!" Liam turned his head, his face partially covered by his arm, and silently mouthed the question to Evelyn.
His expression was twisted, and he clenched his teeth as if he wanted to bite her. But in front of so many people, he couldn't get angry or even make a sound.
Evelyn didn't even glance in his direction. Instead, she calmly surveyed the journalists before her, her demeanor resembling that of a general commanding a battlefield.
"Ms. Taylor, just as you said, you never signed a contract with Liavian Perfumes, which means you are not an official employee of Liavian Perfumes. So what gives you the right to claim that all the works of Liavian Perfumes are yours? Do you have any evidence?"
The journalists were all professional and always able to pinpoint the key questions.
They were actually not biased towards either side. Besides being curious, their main goal was to find information and write a sensational news story.
Facing the challenge, Evelyn was about to respond when Vivian, who was sitting next to her, couldn't help but interject, "Evelyn, what did you mean by that just now? Are you saying that I stole your ideas and works?"
"Ms. Reed, this is something between us. Shouldn't we be the ones who understand it best?" she calmly countered, with a faint smile on her face.
From the moment Evelyn entered and took her seat, she exuded confidence as she fielded the journalists' questions with ease. Her demeanor remained composed, her emotions seemingly undisturbed.
Despite the calmness in her voice, there was an underlying tension as she countered their questions, causing a palpable shift in the atmosphere of the conference room.
Vivian's expression soured, her beautiful fingers curling into a fist. Though she attempted to maintain a smile, it was clearly strained. Through gritted teeth, she asked, "What exactly do you mean? I'm not entirely clear. Can you clarify?"
Everyone held their cameras and voice recorders tightly, anxiously afraid of missing any detail.
At this moment, almost every journalist had the same thought in their minds: 'They're arguing! They're starting to argue!'
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