Chapter 192: Suspicion
Felix looked surprised for a moment before saying, "I'll be right down."
When Felix got to the car, Gianna was lost in thought and only snapped out of it when she heard a knock on the window.
Seeing Felix outside, looking concerned, she opened the door and got out.
It was early autumn, and Gianna, in a light dress, felt the chill as the wind blew.
Felix took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulder. The woody scent of his cologne filled her nose.
His jacket was warm, but Gianna felt only cold.
Seeing her pale face, Felix held her hand and said, "Let's go upstairs."
Gianna didn't speak, letting Felix lead her into the Clinton Group like a puppet.
Employees they passed looked shocked, or more precisely, at Felix.
They never expected their president to be so considerate, even giving a woman his jacket.
Once in the president's office, they were away from those curious or judgmental stares.
Felix seated Gianna on the sofa and said, "Don't worry about anything. I'll handle it."
Gianna, who had been silent, finally looked up and said, "Felix, you gave LR Design Studio to Bella."
She thought she didn't care, but saying it out loud made her realize how much it hurt.
How could she not care? Unless she didn't like Felix, how could she not care?
Felix frowned, guilt flashing through his eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect this."
Gianna closed her eyes, "I came to ask one thing. Did you give those designs to Bella?"
The office fell silent.
After a long pause, Felix's cold voice broke the silence, "Are you accusing me?"
He thought she came to rely on him, not to question him.
"Just answer me," Gianna said.
Felix looked at her coldly, "I'm your boyfriend, and you're questioning me like a criminal. How should I answer?"
Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Gianna's hand tightened, "I just want an answer."
Felix sneered, "Do you want me to say yes so you can break up with me guilt-free?"
Gianna frowned, "These are separate issues, but if you did this, we're done."
The office fell silent again, Felix's icy demeanor chilling the room.
Gianna showed no fear, staring at him, demanding an answer.
Finally, Felix spoke slowly, "Since you already have an answer in your heart, why ask me?"
Gianna bit her lip, "So you're admitting it?"
Felix laughed bitterly, each word like ice.
"Yes, I did it. Satisfied?"
Gianna said nothing more, stood up, and left.
The office fell silent again, and Felix angrily swept everything off the coffee table, his eyes cold.
Leaving the Clinton Group, Gianna went straight back to MY FASHION.
The plagiarism scandal involving MY FASHION had gone viral, sparking heated discussions online.
Gianna had the PR department try to control the comments, but it backfired, leading to more criticism.
"Gianna, it must be LR Design Studio causing trouble. We can't control the comments. Anyone defending MY FASHION gets attacked by netizens."
Gianna's expression was cold, "Got it. Leave the online comments alone for now."
After the PR manager left, Gianna called Emily. "Get me the initial draft time, final draft time, and details of each revision. Email it to me."
Emily worked fast and sent the timeline to Gianna in under an hour.
Gianna forwarded it to the PR department, telling them to post it online.
Once the design draft timeline was posted, the criticism of MY FASHION started to shift. Some people began to believe in MY FASHION.
[MY FASHION's timeline looks solid. I'm siding with them. Let's see if LR Design Studio has any proof.]
[Let's wait and see. I'm not picking sides yet.]
[I still trust LR Design Studio. If they plagiarized, they wouldn't accuse MY FASHION. They probably have more evidence.]
The PR manager found it easier to control the comments now. They discovered the Clinton Group was secretly helping them.
Thinking about Gianna's relationship with Felix, the PR manager mentioned in the group chat that the Clinton Group's PR department was assisting. Everyone envied Gianna.
Soon, Gianna heard about it and immediately messaged Felix.
Gianna: [We don't need your help. MY FASHION can handle this, and I don't want to owe you any favors.]
Felix didn't reply, and it was unclear if he had read the message or not.
Gianna didn't want to suspect Felix, but the design draft had only passed through her and Emily's hands. Emily wouldn't sabotage her own future, so Felix was the most suspicious.
Given Felix's previous concern for Bella, it wasn't impossible he'd help her if she cried to him.
Gianna's suspicion of Felix came from her lack of confidence in him. She never fully believed Felix's affection for her was stronger than his feelings for Bella. So, she instinctively felt Felix would side with Bella in conflicts.
After work, Gianna saw Felix's car parked by the roadside.
She planned to ignore it, but Felix got out and walked straight to her.
"Gianna, we need to talk," he said.
"Until this is resolved, we should keep our distance."
Felix looked serious, "You don't really think I did this, do you?"
"You admitted it yourself this afternoon, didn't you?"
Seeing her cold expression, Felix didn't argue. He picked Gianna up and carried her to the roadside.
Gianna was stunned, then started struggling. "Felix, put me down!"
Felix glanced at her, his voice low, "If you don't want your colleagues to see me kiss you in public, be quiet."
While Gianna was momentarily stunned, Felix reached the roadside and put her in the car. He got in and told the driver to go.
Gianna gritted her teeth, "Let me out!"
"Come with me first."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
Seeing Felix's calm demeanor, Gianna was furious but couldn't jump out. She turned away and sulked.
Half an hour later, the black Maybach stopped at the gate of Harmony Garden.
