Chapter 14
Joanna couldn’t have been more relieved. She really didn’t want to deal with Margot.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t want to take my order? Or are you feeling guilty?” Margot, now both angry and embarrassed, snapped, “Tine, Joanna, you’re asking for this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
With that, she stormed out
Joanna’s expression remained cool and unfazed. She wasn’t worried in the slightest. She had no intention of letting people like Margot walk all over her
Besides, Margot was only looking for a chance to make things difficult and humiliate her–there was no need for Joanna to show her any courtesy.
Britney, a little concerned, spoke up. “Ms. Osborne, what should we do? What if this blows up…?”
Joanna calmly reassured her. “It’s fine. Let her make a fuss if she wants to” She wasn’t about to let Margot’s threats get under her skin.
The rest of the office got back to work. Only Sirena stood there, lost in thought. She still couldn’t shake the shock of what she’d just seen.
That design was definitely Ada’s. She knew it–there was no mistaking it. It was the work of her idol. But then she wondered, “Why does Joanna have it! Does she know Ada!
Sirena couldn’t bring herself to believe Joanna was Ada. It just didn’t make sense. Ada was a genius, a true prodigy in the fashion world. How could someone like Joanna, who’s only just started, be the same person?
She pursed her lips, realizing that Joanna must have a lot of secrets she wasn’t revealing. It seemed like there was more to her than met the eye.
Sirena decided to stay back and watch how things played out. After all, Margot had made it clear she wouldn’t go easy on Joanna. Now, she was curious to see how Joanna would handle it.
Joanna returned to her desk and got back to work
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her. She quickly pressed her hand to her mouth. She thought, Could it be the early signs of pregnancy? Shr sincerely hoped the symptoms wouldn’t be too bad.
Glancing at the calendar on her desk, she realized it might be time to schedule her first prenatal checkup. She made a mental note to find a good time for it before diving back into her tasks.
Later that evening, after a
after a shower, Joanna’s phone rang. It was Isabella.
““Joanna, something’s wrong! You need to check X right now.” Isabella’s voice was frantic. Joanna immediately knew something serious had happened.
She stayed calm and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll take a look”
After hanging up, she opened X. A headline on the trending page caught her attention. Joanna, Design Director at Menzie Group, Accused of Plagiarizing Master Ada’s Work
What a bombshell. In less than half an hour, the post had gone viral, with millions of views. This was huge. Normally, a plagiarism accusation might not be such a big deal, but this wasn’t just any designer–they were talking about Ada,
Ada had always kept a low profile. She’d disappeared from the public eye for years, and hardly anyone had ever seen her face. Now, her work had suddenly resurfaced, and of course, people were buzzing about it.
The commer
comment section was already flooded with tens of thousands of replies, many of them pinned at the top.
[Joanna, Menzie Groups Design Director, was a housewife before. She didn’t know the first thing about design.
[I heard she only landed this job after divorcing and hooking up with Mr. Menzie. Now she’s the design director?
[Maybe she divorced just to latch on to a rich guy?)
[Boycon plagiarists. They have no place in the design world!
[How shameless! Copying designs from lesser–known designers might realize she’s digging her own grave!]
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I go unnoticed, but she’s stupid enough to plagiarize Ada’s work? Doesn’t she
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Chapter 14
The comments were all over the place, leaving Joanna dizzy. Of course, none of these people had any idea what the real story was
It didn’t take her long to figure out that this was exactly what Margot had been aiming for: making her life miserable.
A cold glins flashed in Joanna’s eyes. She didn’t go looking for trouble, but she wasn’t afraid of it either. She had tried to ignore Margot, but now that she had crossed the line. Joanna was ready to fight back.
When Philip saw the report, he exploded with rage. He immediately set things in motion to handle it.
It was clear that someone was framing Joanna, likely with bribery involved. Otherwise, he thought, ‘How could things have escalated so out of control? What infuriated him the most was the web of lies being sTROL
He suddenly thought of Joanna. He thought. Has she seen this?”
Without wasting another moment, he called her.
Joanna picked up right away.
Joanna, have you seen
option
” Philip’s voice was tense, his anger palpable. He had intended to keep things low–key, but now, that was no longer an
preparing to fight back,” Joanna replied, her tone calm and collected.
“I saw in Philip. Don’t worry, I’m pr
Philip was momentarily taken aback. Joanna had grown up; she didn’t need anyone to protect her anymore.
“Is there anything you need me to do?” he asked, feeling a little more reassured hearing her speak to confidently.
“No need Philip Just sit back and watch,” Joanna said before hanging up. She then opened her laptop.
She had registered for X a while ago, so she logged in right away.
Her slender fingers typed quickly, and within minutes, her account was verified. She uploaded her design, attaching a message. I am Ada. There is no plagiarism. As for why I got divorced, please ask Mr. Buckley]
In an instant, what was already a hot topic exploded. The online buzz was deafening.
The information was explosive, and the public couldn’t get enough of it. The involvement of Howell, another big shot, only stoked the flames further
The most shocking pan! One of the photos she posted was of Howell with a woman, seemingly in an intimate embrace
People stared, wide–eyed. They thought, ‘Is this the reason for her divorcet Has Howell been cheating?
It didn’t take long for people to connect the dots. The woman in the photo with Howell turned out to be none other than Margot, the dancer.
Margot was known for her beauty, her perfect figure, and her high profile in the entertainment industry. She wasn’t just a dancer, she was a rising
in the public eye, and many people recognized her
Once the information broke, it went viral.
Now, the real question was who was the one who
one who deserved to be condemned?
It was clear that Margot had inserted herself into someone else’s marriage, which had led to the divorce.
As they saw Joanna stand her ground with such confidence, it wasn’t hard for the publi
public to figure out who the real culprit was
Soon, all attention sluifted away from the plagiarism and focused on the affair. Society still had little tolerance for mistresses.
Within hours, Margot’s skeletons were being pulled out of the closet. Her cosmetic surgery, her diva behavior, and a whole list of negative rumors came to light
People were shocked. Comments poured in, condemning her for her lack of morals and claiming she didn’t deserve to be a dancer. Meanwhile, Margot, at home, had d been grinning from car to car as she saw the report trending
Everyone was attacking Joanna, calling her a plagiarist, accusing her of disrespecting lowell, and saying she had cheated. This was exactly the outcome she had been hoping for.
Now, Margot was convinced that Joanna was fished–publicly shamed, rejected by everyone,
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Chapter 14
She wasn’t worried about Howell taking Joanna back. After all, with Joanna in such an embarrassing position, she thought, Who would want her?
Feeling satisfied, Margot kept scrolling through her phone, planning to spend more money to keep the drama going.
And then suddenly–her own name appeared in the trending section
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