He Took My Design, I Revealed the Truth

Chapter 3

The campus forum exploded the next day.

An anonymous post accused me of stealing a confidential Warren Group resort concept and entering it in the Global Destination Design Awards under my own name.

The attached photos, taken over several years, showed me entering and leaving the greenhouse at Warren Villa.

The headline was vicious.

"The Groundskeeper's Daughter Steals From the Warrens, Plays the Victim to Rise above Her Station."

The post was flooded with mocking comments.

A: [No wonder she turned down Warren Group's job offer. She wanted to enter the project under her own name and take all the credit.]

B: [She grew up on their estate, benefited from their generosity, and then stabbed them in the back. People like that are terrifying.]

C: [Mr. Warren was already more than generous. He even offered her a job, and that still wasn't enough for her.]

I sat in my dorm and read the comments until my fingers went cold.

My roommate Willow Stout slammed her mouse down in a rage.

"Who posted this? This is disgusting. I watched you build that entire project from the first sketch. Warren Group didn't contribute a damn thing!"

Before I could answer, the dorm room door opened.

My other roommate, Julia Carlson, walked in carrying a box of her belongings, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Zoey, the faculty advisor wants to see you in his office."

As I reached the doorway, she spoke in a low voice.

"Please don't blame me."

My heart sank.

When I arrived at my advisor's office, my model was sitting on the conference table.

Two of the glass conservatory's support columns had been snapped in half.

The word "THIEF" had been scrawled in red marker across the timber-framed ceremony pavilion beside the conservatory.

My thesis advisor looked grim.

"Zoey, someone has filed an academic misconduct complaint against you."

He pushed a folder toward me. "The complaint includes images of a similar concept that Warren Group claims it developed, along with photographs documenting your access to the greenhouse at Warren Villa over the years. The university has no choice but to investigate the complaint. Until the investigation is complete, your work will be removed from the thesis exhibition. Campus security has already photographed the damage, and your model and supporting materials will be kept in secure storage until the review is complete."

For a long moment, I could only stare at the damaged model.

I had built it over countless sleepless nights.

Every transparent roof panel and miniature rose held a piece of the love I had never dared confess.

I had secretly measured Vincent's stride so I could adjust the distance between the conservatory and the ceremony pavilion after he once complained that sprawling wedding venues made him walk too far.

I had redesigned the main floral arrangements using flowers that barely had a scent because he once said the scent of white roses gave him headaches.

I had even carved two tiny names into the underside of one of the pavilion beams, Zoey & Vincent.

Now the miniature beam with our names carved into it had been snapped in two, as if whoever had done it were mocking every year I had wasted loving him like a fool.

When I left the office, I ran straight into Madison.

She held a cup of coffee in one hand, her smile flawless.

"Ms. Cline, are you all right?"

I looked at her.

"Were you behind that post?"

Madison's eyes widened slightly.

"How could you think that of me?"

She stepped closer, lowering her voice until only I could hear.

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for, Zoey. And smart girls should know better than to reach for things that don't belong to them."

The next second, Vincent appeared at the end of the hallway.

Madison's eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Vincent, I was only trying to convince her to drop this before she made things worse. I think she misunderstood me."

Vincent turned to me with a frown.

"Zoey, apologize."

I stared at him.

"You're not even going to ask what happened?"

His voice turned impatient.

"Madison would never do something like that. And you haven't been yourself since you entered that competition."

So this was what it felt like to be condemned before anyone bothered to hear the truth. The truth did not matter.

I lowered my head and let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

"Vincent, have you ever believed me, even once?"

For a beat, he said nothing.

Madison tugged lightly at his sleeve.

His expression hardened at once.

"Drop the act. Zoey, enough. You've taken this too far."

I did not try to explain myself again.

There was no dignity in begging to be believed by someone who had already decided I was lying.

By the time I returned to the dorm, it was already dark.

Willow was still on the campus forum, defending me against every new accusation, but I could not bring myself to speak.

Screenshots of the post had already spread beyond campus. On my phone, Xavier had sent me a message.

Xavier: I heard about what happened on your campus.

I stared at the screen, dread tightening in my chest.

The accusations online had already turned vicious. He must have seen the screenshots too.

Zoey: If this creates complications for Bluewater Design Group, I understand if you need to reconsider the invitation.

There was no reply for several seconds.

Then his response appeared.

Xavier: What concerns me is seeing an original designer falsely accused of stealing her own work.

Xavier: Zoey, do you have records of the entire design process, from your first sketches to the finished model?

My fingers went still above the screen.

Zoey: I do. I have the sketches, 3D model files, receipts for the materials, file metadata, and a complete revision history.

Xavier: Preserve everything.

Xavier: If you decide to stay in the competition, Bluewater Design Group's legal team is prepared to review your documentation and advise you on your options. Whether you respond publicly or take legal action is entirely up to you.

I stared at the words entirely up to you, and my eyes suddenly stung.

Vincent had always made decisions for me.

He decided where I would work, when I had to stay silent, and whether my feelings were allowed to matter.

Xavier simply offered me a way forward and let me choose for myself.

After a long moment, I replied.

Zoey: Mr. Haley, I'd like to accept your invitation. Once I've taken care of things here tomorrow, I can come to New York.