Rural Belle & Three Heirs

Seeing Grant's attitude, Stanley didn't dare say another word.

Sophia was completely flustered, but she still clung to a glimmer of hope. She repeatedly recalled that before she submitted the piece, she had carefully examined it to ensure there were no signatures or markings from Chloe. Therefore, she was convinced that Chloe's claim that her name was on the work was just a bluff to scare her.

"Fine, go ahead and look, Mr. Martin. I stand by what I said I didn't plagiarize," her tone was resolute, but inside she was filled with anxiety and unease. She didn't dare to imagine what kind of humiliation and failure she would face if Chloe could actually prove her claim.

Seeing that Sophia was on the brink of disaster yet remained unrepentant, Chloe was so infuriated that she burst out laughing. She pointed to a spot on the design draft. "Look at this, my name is hidden right here.

I designed a butterfly about to take flight at the neckline of the skirt using my name... Sophia, are you still going to insist this is your work?"

Stanley and the other leaders from the Martin Group leaned in to closely examine the spot Chloe indicated.

Sure enough, the butterfly was crafted using Chloe's name.

"Sophia, are you actually using Chloe's work for the competition? Do you realize that this is illegal?"

"We thought this design was impressive and that you were a capable manager for the Martin Group, but it turns out you plagiarized?"

"Sophia, prepare to face legal consequences."

The leaders of the Martin Group berated Sophia, leaving her stunned. She wanted to defend herself a bit more, but the facts before her seemed to plunge her into an abyss.

Her mind went blank, and despite racking her brain, she couldn't come up with a suitable excuse to exonerate herself. She could only forcibly defend herself, saying, "No... I didn't completely copy it. I made some modifications. This belt here, I designed it myself... Mr. Martin, that belt is truly my design."

Her feeble excuse made everyone present burst into laughter, filled with irony and disdain. To everyone, her justification seemed like a clumsy attempt to escape reality.

Grant's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger. He had initially held high hopes for Sophia, believing she had potential as a designer, but her constant excuses and deceit had left him thoroughly disheartened.

The Martin Group had always emphasized honesty and integrity. The company could tolerate mistakes everyone makes them but it would never tolerate employees who fail to repent after making a mistake. This was the bottom line.

If he hadn't discovered this in time, the entire Martin Group might have been deceived by Sophia.

Grant sternly ordered his employees.

"Enough, Sophia. Stop making excuses. You all, follow company policy and punish Sophia accordingly."

"Apologize where necessary, disqualify her if needed. The Martin Group will not allow any employee to tarnish its reputation."

At that moment, Chloe's phone rang. She saw it was Michael calling.

Given that she had hit Michael the night before and the rumors that had surfaced in the media that morning, Chloe was reluctant to answer.

But Michael was persistent, calling repeatedly, so Chloe finally picked up.

She expected Michael to discuss how to handle the aftermath, perhaps asking her to clarify some things.

To her surprise, Michael said, "Chloe, I heard from the family driver that you're at the Martin Group?"

"Yeah, I won an award," Chloe replied honestly.

"I'm right outside the Martin Group. Come out, and I'll take you to lunch to celebrate," Michael said warmly, his tone surprised Chloe.

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"You're taking me to lunch?" Chloe repeated, not quite believing it.

Considering Michael's status as a major celebrity, his schedule was incredibly demanding. He was either on set or in makeup. In the few months she'd been at the Martin Mansion, she'd barely had a chance to dine with him. It was surprising, then, that he was so kindly offering to treat her to dinner today.

"Yeah, to celebrate your award. As your brother, I have to do something. Come on out." Michael hung up after speaking.

Chloe stared at her phone, bewildered. However, Grant had overheard her repeating Michael's words.

Grant frowned and asked, "Who's taking you to lunch? Is it that classmate of yours, Philip?"

Chloe answered honestly, "No, it's Michael."

Hearing it was Michael, Grant's mind buzzed.

Why was Michael suddenly taking Chloe to lunch? Could the rumors from today be true? Was Michael making a move on Chloe?

No way.

Michael had shown no interest in Chloe before. Why was he competing with him now?

If Michael became his rival, Grant wouldn't let it slide.

Grant's expression darkened, as if someone owed him money. "Why is he taking you to lunch?"

"He said it's to celebrate my award," Chloe explained.

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For some reason, seeing Grant's dark expression made Chloe nervous, like a child caught doing something wrong.

Grant was silent for a moment. Michael, being in the entertainment industry, certainly knew how to persue a girl.

Seeing Grant like this, Chloe didn't dare stay any longer. She was afraid that Grant, with his unpredictable and moody temperament, might make things difficult for her. So she hurried to leave.

"Grant, I'm off to lunch. Take your time handling this, no rush." With that, Chloe quickly ran off.

Grant watched her leave, his fists clenched tightly.

He had no interest in dealing with Sophia's issue now. His priority was stopping Michael from taking Chloe away.

He couldn't let that happen.

Stanley noticed Grant's displeasure and approached, asking, "Mr. Martin, is everything alright?"noveldrama

Grant replied coldly, "Nothing. Go find out where Michael is taking Chloe for lunch and arrange for some clients to 'accidentally' run into them.

Moreover, hasn't Michael been too idle lately? Contact some directors and tell them that the Martin group is willing to invest in their projects. Encourage them to cast Michael in their films, preferably ones that require shooting abroad and take about a year to complete."

Stanley's confusion grew.

What had Michael done to anger Grant?

A few minutes later, Chloe got into Michael's car. As soon as she was in, Michael handed her some of her favorite snacks...