Chapter 437 Patricia Strikes Back at Grace
Patricia, oblivious to the shocked gazes around her, glared coldly at Grace. "That was for stealing my designs and then trying to frame me for plagiarism."
Grace's cheek stung. "You..."
Patricia's hand whipped out again. Another crisp 'snap' rang out.
Grace's ears rang.
"This is for the lies you spread about me and Jeremy!"
The slap came so swiftly that Grace had no time to react.
"And this one's for Jeremy. He cared for you, and you betrayed him for your ambition, dragging his name through the mud."
"Patricia, you..."
Grace finally snapped to, her body shaking violently, fists clenched, eyes burning with fury, prepared to fight back.
But Patricia was unfazed, delivering another sharp slap.
"This is for Shane! The poor guy had bent over backward to bring you back, loved you so dearly, and yet you kept letting him down, even made him the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons."
Swiftly, Patricia followed up with two more smacks across the face.
"This one's just for me, to vent my frustration. I can't shake this anger unless I give you a piece of my mind."
With this final slap, Patricia had delivered a total of five resounding blows.
Grace's cheeks swung side to side under the assault, puffing up like a chipmunk's cheeks. Her carefully styled hair frayed, leaving her looking like a madwoman.
After the final blow, Patricia felt a wave of relief wash over her. Shaking off her hand, she turned to the judges with a smile. "Alright, the truth's out. Let's carry on with the competition."
Grace clutched her face, wincing with pain at even the slightest movement of her lips. Fury and anger seared through her, yet she dared not retaliate against Patricia, settling instead for glaring daggers at her.
As Patricia delivered the first slap to Grace, Riley flinched in surprise. However, as the subsequent slaps followed, his initial shock gave way to understanding and approval. He believed Patricia's actions were justified, considering the need to set someone like Grace straight and prevent her from causing further trouble.
In the end, Riley dismissed Grace with disdain, barking at her, "Get off the stage! You're an embarrassment."
Grace felt utterly crushed. She had anticipated this night as her breakthrough moment in the jewelry world, but her plans had crumbled, and Patricia had publicly humiliated her.
Following a moment of hush, as Grace left the stage, the audience erupted in a mix of hisses and cheers.
"Well-deserved!"
"She had it coming."
"It's high time she was gone."
"Such a vile, deceitful woman."
The crowd did not hold back their disdain, and their comments were audible to Grace. Her face turned beet-red with shame, and genuine tears welled up in her eyes.
On stage, she had cried for sympathy, but now her tears flowed without restraint. Mortification, disgrace, hatred, and resentment gnawed at her heart.
Oh, Patricia had really done a number on her.
Grace was determined to exact her revenge today, leaving her rival disgraced and with nowhere to hide.
The chat during the live broadcast was filled with cheers.
"That wicked woman finally got what she deserved. I couldn't watch another second without feeling sick."
"What a satisfying beatdown, better than any feel-good book I've ever read."
"I love these intense 'good girl gone bad' showdowns. So thrilling."
"Haha!"
As expected, Patricia won the first prize.
The second and third prizes went to two up-and-coming designers fresh out of college.
The upper management of the Koch Group, who had praised Grace earlier, was now publicly humbled, not uttering another word.
Patricia's victory was met with widespread acclaim. Her design was chosen as the crown jewel for the Koch Group's centennial celebration, securing her a contract with the company. Further details and issues would be resolved once she officially started the job.
The triennial jewelry design competition concluded with a grand celebration. With a substantial prize and the contract from the Koch Group in her hands, Patricia became the center of attention, swarmed by eager reporters. What had initially been an industry-focused event had exploded into the limelight due to Grace's scandalous plagiarism. Patricia was catapulted into the celebrity spotlight within a matter of hours.
After the competition, Shane, accompanied by Ariel, made a weary exit from the venue. Riley had his own business to attend to and did not join them on their way back. Shane had originally planned to meet both Patricia and Grace backstage after the competition, regardless of the outcome, as a gesture of encouragement. However, the day's events left him disheartened, and he chose to leave instead.
When Grace tried to follow, all she saw was the tail end of his car, disappearing like smoke.
As she was about to chase after him, someone hurled a stone her way, yelling, "You malicious witch, have you no shame? Get out of here!"
Caught off guard, the stone struck her in the chest, followed by a barrage of rotten tomatoes, rotten eggs, mud, and more stones aimed at her.
"I've never seen someone as vile as you."
"People like you are a waste of air; you're better off gone."
"We have to avenge Patricia and take you down."
Grace was tossed aside, left disheveled, and terrified to even leave the network building. She cupped her face, lowered her head, and hurried back inside to hide in some deserted corner, leaning against the wall as pain radiated throughout her body.
Since her return to the Koch family, she had never experienced such humiliation. The more humiliated she felt, the more resentful she became towards Patricia.
Initially, Grace had no idea why everyone hated her so vehemently, but as she pulled out her phone and saw the trending stories, she had an epiphany. She froze in shock, realizing the video had leaked, leading to the public's anger and hostility.
Grace's grip on her phone tightened, her knuckles whitening from the pressure.
It had to be Patricia. It all pointed to her.
Having concluded her engagements, Patricia, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, was confronted by Grace in the corridor. Fearful of being caught, Grace dragged Patricia into the stairwell, pinning her forcefully against the wall with a face twisted in rage.
"Patricia, you've ruined me—ruined everything… I'm going to end you…"
Her hand raised to deliver a slap, but Patricia, anticipating it, threw the flowers in Grace's face. The wrapping paper brushed against her eyes, and she reflexively ducked and covered them.
Seizing the moment, Patricia kicked furiously into Grace's abdomen.
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