Married to the Cold CEO

Chapter Ten

Tiffany’s lawyer letter had taken the plagiarism scandal to a whole new level. In fact, the official statement from the Star Brilliance Jewelry Competition had permanently blacklisted Scarlett. Yet, over at the Century Jewelry Competition, there had been no reaction at all.

No sooner had Tiffany’s lawyer letter been issued than Alex’s phone rang. Scarlett answered impassively, recording the call.

“Scarlett, what the hell are you doing? Who told you to enter that design file in the competition?” Alex’s voice was seething with anger.

Scarlett’s tone remained flat. “It’s my design file—don’t I have the right to use it?”

Alex fumed, “But you never mentioned you were going to use it in a contest!”

Scarlett’s eyes flashed with determination. “I don’t recall ever agreeing to hand it over to Tiffany. Besides, it’s my design file, not hers. Don’t I have usage rights?”

Alex’s tone softened slightly. “Scarlett, listen to me—Tiffany’s value is far more important to OceanSky Jewelers than yours. What you’re doing could ruin the company!”

Scarlett let out a bitter laugh, thinking that perhaps it wasn’t about OceanSky at all, but rather about Alex himself.

Alex continued, pleading, “So here’s what we’ll do. At our press conference later, you admit you plagiarized, and I’ll get Tiffany to drop her lawsuit. Besides, since you’re going to be a full-time housewife, this won’t even affect you!”

Scarlett’s eyes flashed as she replied coolly, “Alright, I’ll be there at the office.”

Alex finally sighed in relief. “Don’t be late for the 10 o’clock press conference, Scarlett. I’m doing this for our future—you have to understand!”

Not wanting to listen to his nauseating words any longer, Scarlett simply said, “I’ll be there on time,” and then hung up.

Five minutes before the conference, a post featuring photographic and video evidence quietly surfaced online from the Sterling Jewels CEO’s office. An assistant looked up at our CEO, “Mr. Stone, Miss Scarlett just posted something!”

Maxwell rose and instructed, “One minute before the press conference, boost her post’s visibility and maintain the momentum! I’m stepping out for a moment.” He grabbed his jacket and left.

Backstage at the press conference, Alex once again emphasized to Scarlett, “Do you know what to say?”

Scarlett nodded calmly, “I know.”

Alex reached out to embrace her, but she dodged his attempt.

With a resigned sigh, Alex murmured, “I know you’ve been wronged this time. I’m sorry—trust me, it won’t happen again.”

Scarlett remained silent.

At exactly 10:00 AM, the press conference began.

A day later, Scarlett once again faced a barrage of pointed questions from reporters. A journalist in the front row asked sharply, “Miss Scarlett, regarding the plagiarism of Tiffany’s design file, how do you plan to apologize?”

Scarlett sneered, “So you’re saying you believe I plagiarized Tiffany’s work?”

Taken aback, the reporter quickly retorted, “Isn’t that obvious? Considering Tiffany’s talent, if she were to plagiarize you, wouldn’t that be a huge joke?”

Scarlett’s eyes flashed as she countered, “Then what if she plagiarizes me?”

Alex’s face darkened as he muttered, “Scarlett, what are you trying to do?”

Scarlett ignored him.

A bold reporter from the front shouted, “If Tiffany plagiarizes you, I’ll eat ten pounds of crap!” The room erupted in laughter.

Unfazed, Scarlett declared, “Then you’d better be prepared!” She then lowered her head to check her phone and discovered that her post had skyrocketed to trending status far quicker than she had expected—it was as if it had shot up like a rocket.

Her eyes gleamed as she instantly understood what had happened: it seemed that a certain big shot had taken pity on her and given her a boost.

Raising her head, she smiled sweetly at the assembled reporters, “Now, I’d like everyone to first look at the top trending post on social media. Once you’ve reviewed it, feel free to ask your questions!”