Married to the Cold CEO

Chapter Nine

After Scarlett finished her tasks, Maxwell emerged from the shower. Wrapped in a towel and shirtless, his lean, sculpted body was unmistakable—each of his eight-pack abs defined perfectly, a physique that looked as impressive out of clothes as it did in them.

Scarlett’s eyes caught the droplets of water glistening on his abs through the towel; she blushed and quickly averted her gaze, too embarrassed to watch any longer.

Maxwell strode over and stood beside her. “All done?” he asked in a low, measured tone.

Scarlett kept her head down, her voice barely above a whisper, “Yes, it’s finished.”

Maxwell continued, “And are you satisfied with the gift I gave you?”

Immediately, Scarlett nodded, “Yes, very useful.”

“Then let’s get some sleep,” Maxwell declared.

Scarlett’s face flared even redder as she jerked her head up in alarm, “Ah—!”

Maxwell immediately perceived her nervous hesitation. Gently, he cupped her cheek with his hand and murmured, “Don’t worry. Until you’ve had your revenge, I won’t do anything more than sleep with you.”

Mortified, Scarlett bowed her head further, her cheeks burning. Maxwell found her reaction oddly amusing. Suddenly, he bent down, his whole body exuding raw magnetism as he wrapped his arms around her, teasing, “What? Are you really that excited?”

Scarlett’s eyes shot upward in shock, and she stuttered indignantly, “I’m not!”

Maxwell laughed softly and turned toward the bedside. “Let’s just shower and sleep, alright?” he said. He recalled that the night before, holding her close had granted him a deep, restful sleep—a welcome change from his previous nights filled with only five hours of sleep even with sleeping pills.

Later, after Scarlett finished her shower and slipped under the covers, Maxwell carried her effortlessly into bed.

The next morning, when Scarlett woke, she found Maxwell, as usual, watching the financial news in the living room.

She approached hesitantly and asked, “How did you sleep last night?”

Maxwell glanced at her and replied with a slight smirk, “Better than you’d think!”

Scarlett’s cheeks reddened further, and she fell silent.

After breakfast, Maxwell offered to drive Scarlett to the office, but she declined, “I’m not going to the office today.”

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, and left.

Not long after his departure, Scarlett received a screenshot from a friend with the caption, “Here’s what you wanted!”

The screenshot showed Tiffany’s scanned design file submission for the Century Jewelry Competition at 7:30 PM the previous night.

At 8:30 in the morning—before many companies had even started work—a sensational story broke online. The headline shocked everyone: the design entered in Sterling Jewels’ Century Jewelry Competition was identical to one submitted to the Star Brilliance Jewelry Competition.

Judges furiously condemned the act, shouting that plagiarism was disgraceful and that such designers should be expelled from the industry—so as not to pollute its purity.

Within ten minutes, the scandal exploded online. Social media exploded with heated comments and hashtags like:

#ScarlettThePlagiarist

#PlagiaristFamilyDie

#ScarlettApologizeToTiffany

Raging posts poured in, some even dredging up ancestors in vicious curses. As the news gained unstoppable momentum, it wasn’t long before the identities behind the identical design were revealed—the culprits were none other than the OceanSky Jewelers designers, Tiffany and Scarlett.

Tiffany, with her multiple awards and undeniable talent, drew far fewer criticisms. The majority of the online community was furious with Scarlett, calling her a plagiarist without mercy.

Sitting on the hotel sofa, Scarlett stared blankly at her phone. Her expression was eerily calm, as if the barrage of insults and condemnations wasn’t meant for her at all. She waited silently, watching as the controversy simmered.

By 9:00 AM, another trending topic ignited:

#TiffanySuesScarlett

According to a legal notice circulating online, Tiffany claimed that Scarlett was her half-sister. Although Tiffany was deeply hurt by Scarlett’s actions, she had offered a way out—if Scarlett publicly apologized, admitted to plagiarism, and formally apologized to both the Century Jewelry Competition and Star Brilliance Jewelry Competition organizers while forfeiting her entry, Tiffany would forgive her and drop the lawsuit.

Comments poured in below the trending topic. Many remarked that Tiffany was too soft-hearted, that she valued family above all else, and that Scarlett didn’t deserve to be a designer at all.

And so, as the scandal continued to escalate, Scarlett remained seated, her face expressionless as she watched the world condemn her, waiting for the fallout to fully develop.