Chapter 287 The Inside Story of the Plagiarism Incident
Joseph was on it. Not long after Lauren hung up, Dylan gave her a call.
Just like Lauren thought, Dylan listened to Joseph and agreed to hear them out.
Excited, Lauren quickly told Elodie and Richard the good news. She was about to call Ethan but paused. Instead, she shot him a text: [Mr. Jones agreed to meet us.]
After sending the message, Lauren flopped onto her bed, closing her eyes. She needed to figure out how to convince Dylan they were innocent.
At the Robinson Conglomerate office, Noah looked clueless as Quentin glared at him. Quentin had called him in just to give him the silent treatment. What had he done to tick Quentin off?
"Quentin, are you taking out your frustration from Lauren's mom on me?" Noah joked, still unaware of the storm brewing.
"Cut the crap and look at these documents!" Quentin snapped, not in the mood for jokes.
Noah opened the documents and his face changed. "It's just a company project. What's the big deal?"
Quentin's anger flared. "Noah, Ethan already talked to me. How long did you think you could keep this from me?"
Noah's playful grin vanished. He looked seriously at Quentin, staying silent.
"What's the deal with Ethan's company plagiarizing? I want the truth!" Quentin demanded, giving Noah a chance to come clean. If Noah didn't, Quentin had other ways to find out.
Noah's eyes grew distant. He tossed the documents aside and sat down.
"You're smart; you should know why Ethan's company would plagiarize. Yeah, it was me. I set it up. Miles and the others jumped ship to his company, but their email addresses and passwords were still on the office computer. I accessed Miles' email, saw their design plans, and used them. Plus, Dylan and I were classmates, so with that connection, Ethan and his team were doomed," Noah explained casually. The more relaxed he sounded, the angrier Quentin got.
Quentin, fuming, strode forward, grabbed Noah by the collar, and yanked him up. "When did you become such a schemer?"
Noah chuckled, "I've been with you for years; I've seen all kinds of tactics. This little trick is nothing, but it's enough to ruin Ethan."
Quentin punched Noah in the face, sending him to the ground. Noah looked up with a bitter smile, almost passing out.
"If you're doing this for me, don't bother! I can handle my own problems." Quentin's eyes were filled with sadness. Noah was his best friend, and he didn't want him caught up in this mess.
Noah's smile faded. He clenched his fists, remembering the real reason behind it all.
Actually, it wasn't him who stole Miles' design; it was Sophia. After Hall Corporation and Robinson Conglomerate started working together, Sophia often visited their company. Frustrated that she couldn't win Quentin's heart, she had recently grown closer to Noah.
One day, Sophia found out that Ethan had snagged some designers from Robinson Conglomerate. Pissed off, she snooped around the computers those designers left behind and stumbled upon a big secret.
Sophia knew the designer handling Dylan's project, so she nudged the designer to swipe the design.
By the time Noah figured out what was going on, it was too late. To save his company's reputation, he had to turn to his old buddy Dylan for help.
Quentin looked at Noah, still on the floor. Feeling a bit guilty, he helped him up and sighed, "I'll take care of the rest. You've done enough. Take a few days off."
Noah stared at Quentin with wide eyes. After a long pause, he calmly said, "Alright, seeing you back in high spirits, I can take my vacation with peace of mind."
With that, Noah let out a hearty laugh, went back to his office to pack up, and left the company.
Quentin closed his eyes in pain. He knew Noah wouldn't blame him for removing him from his position. What hurt was that Noah had been scheming behind his back. He didn't want to believe it, but he had no choice.
Just then, Felix walked in to tell Quentin that Dylan had scheduled a meeting with him. Quentin's eyes deepened. Some matters indeed required his personal touch.
Dylan set up a meeting with Lauren and the others three days later. After talking it over with Ethan, Lauren decided to bring only Richard to explain the plagiarism issue to Dylan.
Lauren wasn't super confident about it, but she knew they had to give it a shot.
What she didn't know was that Joseph had not only secured this face-to-face with Dylan but had also quietly used his connections to keep the plagiarism news under wraps. So, even if they couldn't clear things up, the impact on Lauren and her team would be minimal.
Because of this, Dylan's attitude towards the matter wasn't as harsh and firm as before. As a businessman, he had his own considerations.
Lauren felt a bit anxious, and Ethan noticed. He held her hand and said, "Don't stress too much. We all know you've done your best, and you got us this chance. Whether we succeed or not, we're all grateful to you, especially me. Lauren, thank you for everything you've done for me."
Lauren smiled slightly. "I'm part of this company, too. Of course, I want the company to do well. Besides, Ethan, you've always appreciated me. This is what I should do."
"You don't need to draw such clear lines with me. I know it in my heart. I'm saying this to help you relax. You've been too stressed lately, and I'm worried about your health," Ethan replied.
Lauren pulled her cold hand from Ethan's warm grasp. Opening a file, she said to Ethan, "Success or failure hinges on this one action!"
The folder contained their company's design plans. Over the past two days, Lauren had carefully asked Miles and Desmond about their design concepts and had marked everything.
Lauren naively believed that as long as they explained their design concepts and perfectly matched their plans, they couldn't be accused of plagiarism.
Half an hour later, Lauren and her team finally arrived at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet Dylan. Led by a waiter, they went straight to a private room.
Lauren took a deep breath, ready to face the challenge. But when they walked in, she saw a tall, stern-faced man.
Quentin? What was he doing here?
