Chapter 215 I Bet with You
"I..." Liam started to say something but then stopped himself. "Why should I admit to it? I didn't do any of that! What's there to admit?"
He continued, "Laura, just because you're with Evelyn now and have some backup, doesn't mean you can lie about me. Everything I did was legit; I'm not scared of your accusations!" And with that, Liam quickly hung up.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly; otherwise, they might have recorded him and obtained evidence, leaving Liam with no way to clear his name.
Liam patted his chest, feeling pretty smart for not giving them any ammo.
On the other end, Laura was fuming, staring at her phone in frustration.
Liam almost confessed. Posting that audio online would've been a game-changer, but Liam managed to keep his mouth shut at the last second.
Without a confession, Laura had no direct evidence against him. Lima was so sneaky!
"I told you he wouldn't fall for it," Evelyn said. She never thought Laura's plan would work. If Liam was that easy to trick, Evelyn wouldn't have been duped in the first place.
"I'm so mad! Liam's such a coward, doing all that but not owning up to it!" Laura yelled, throwing her phone on the table.
"Lots of people do bad stuff and don't admit it. If everyone confessed, we wouldn't need cops," Evelyn said, staying calm. "Did you get all the info I asked for?"
"Yeah, I got it all," Laura nodded, perking up. "I'll post it online right now."
"Alright, blur out the sensitive parts and make sure the timeline's clear," Evelyn instructed. After a quick check, Laura went ahead and made the post.
Before leaving, Evelyn had gathered evidence, including experiment records with computer backups and handwritten notes. Liam thought he had everything, not knowing Evelyn always kept backups.
Evelyn often had bursts of inspiration at home, so one set of notes was never enough.
With Laura helping out, her records and insights were also crucial. Posting both sets of notes online was the best move.
Sure enough, once Laura posted it, the response was huge. People who were on the fence now backed Evelyn. The evidence was solid, more convincing than any words. If Evelyn's notes weren't enough, what about Laura's? Did she copy Evelyn too?
Even someone with basic knowledge could see this wasn't something one could fake. The records, reflections, crossed-out sections, and revisions showed the hard work and trial-and-error of a perfumer's experiments. Laura's insights, even partially blurred, still showed her meticulous care taken at each step.
In no time, accusations of "plagiarism," "academic dishonesty," "bad character," and "irresponsible behavior in relationships" against Liam blew up. People were demanding he apologize to Evelyn.
"No, it's not like that!" Liam muttered to himself.
Sitting in his office chair, Liam was sweating bullets.
Staring at the computer screen, Liam couldn't believe Evelyn still had all that data, and that Laura had it too!
"No, I still have a chance; I still have a chance!" he muttered, trembling as he got up. He remembered that Vivian had hand-copied notes in court before. Maybe he could use those as evidence.
After searching for a long time, he finally found the relatively new notebook at the back of a drawer. But as he pulled it out and placed it on the table, ready to snap a photo, he hesitated.
Liam had forgotten that Evelyn had prepared the notebook for him when she left, with some parts deliberately incorrect. These errors were subtle, and with the notebook being so thick, Vivian had just copied them without noticing. If Liam posted it online, it could be picked apart, potentially becoming evidence against him.
Dejected, he set down his phone and ran his hands through his hair, desperately trying to salvage the situation.
Glancing at the computer, he saw unread comments and numerous messages. He didn't need to open them to know what they contained.There were bound to be predominantly insults. Leaning back in his chair, Liam looked up at the ceiling, his mind blank.
It was almost laughable—just online opinions, unseen behind screens, easily dismissed by turning off a monitor. Yet, it felt like an invisible web, tightly woven around him, making him feel suffocated.
In this era of information, Liam knew how terrifying the power of public opinion could be. It could stir up attention, use people's sympathy to boost sales, but it could also devour you. Online calls for returns and boycotts were signs of things getting worse.
Taking a deep breath, Liam decided to make one last effort.
He faintly remembered Evelyn's statement: [As long as I am innocent, I will have the ability to prove my innocence without relying on others' defense or verification. I don't care.] Such a simple statement had effortlessly quashed the severe controversy of job-hopping and betraying her former employer, even garnering some fans who admired Evelyn's character.
Liam decided to follow suit. Instead of closing comments and messages, he commented and reposted under Laura's Instagram post with evidence, using similar words: [As long as I am innocent, I will have the ability to prove my innocence, without relying on others' defense or proof. I believe that my actions are just and do not violate conscience or moral principles.]
After replying, Liam withdrew his hand and answered a call from the after-sales manager. "Open a return line and tell customers that we will never refuse returns, but they will be arranged in order of purchase. Slow down the process as much as possible, but still accommodate the returns."
The after-sales manager was stunned. "Mr. Scott, there are currently a large number of return requests, and some are clearly used. It's malicious."
"It's okay. Just do as I say. Claim that it's the procedure and ask customers to be patient. But Liavian Perfumes will definitely try to meet customer demands as much as possible."
After giving instructions, he then told the PR department to send out a statement with a similar message. Once everything was settled, he stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking outside.
The wind was picking up, and even through the glass, Liam could feel the chill. He was gambling on everyone's sympathy, hoping for a different turn of events.
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