Chapter 7
Instead of directly responding to the plagiarism accusations, I instructed everyone at So’She not to release
any statements.
Half a day later, damaging information about Gabriel started popping up online.
Since the same YouTubers were involved, even those who suspected So’She was behind it were drowned
out by the new wave of speculation that Gabriel was orchestrating his own publicity.
Gabriel had been so proud when he left with nothing in the divorce.
And while his plagiarism accusations had earned him decent money, it was nowhere near enough to
outbid me by tenfold for counter–articles.
Besides, unlik ternet followers, people in elite circles don’t scatter at the first sign of scandal.
So She had been in the jewelry business for generations. Despite being damaged by rumors, our foundation remained solid, with connections and relationships to spare.
No one would dare disrespect So’She before we truly fell.
One word from me could convince every media outlet to refuse Gabriel’s business.
But that alone wasn’t satisfying enough.
Gabriel struck first, so I hit back harder.
While the controversy was still hot, I seized the momentum by revealing how he had stolen a So’She necklace to impress his old flame.
This bombshell rocked not just the jewelry world but the entertainment industry too.
Overnight, rising star Skylar Montgomery was labeled a homewrecker, with hate comments flooding her
social media.
Paparazzi jumped on the story, releasing over a dozen intimate photos–even more than I had.
The previously one–sided public opinion slowly began to shift in my favor:
[What a cheater! And he has the nerve to call himself devoted? His wife really hit the jackpot in reverse with him!]
[Previewing the necklace before launch? That’s literally leaking company secrets!]
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Seven Years Together… And I Was Just His Plan B
15.5%
Chapter 7
[We’re talking billions in potential losses, and Ms. Gray handled it without even disrupting the Saint Vivienne collaboration. Absolute queen behavior!]
Internet users went back and forth, increasingly acknowledging my strength and So’She’s power. Yet some still clung to the plagiarism rumors.
As the online chaos reached its peak, my phone buzzed with two messages.
One from Alex, finally making contact: “Ms. Gray, I’ll address the plagiarism allegations myself.”
Another from the CEO of Skylar’s management company: “Ms. Gray, would you be available for dinner in the next few days?”
I smiled and agreed to both.
Two days later Alex went live to clear things up.
In front of thousands of viewers, he opened his design folder. He displayed the sketches chronologically.
And there it was–the exact design Gabriel had used as evidence, dated March 17th.
Gabriel, who had just joined the livestream, immediately commented: “My design is in your possession, and you still deny copying me?”
“Call me a cheating dog or a kept man if you want, but don’t question my art!”
His righteous tone made him sound like a Spartan warrior. Many viewers were swayed, filling the comment section with heated debates.
But Alex ignored everyone, calmly zooming in on the design. He highlighted a nearly invisible detail in the lower right corner of the necklace with a red circle.
Then, tracing the pattern inside the circle, he carefully outlined two letters: AX.
The moment those letters appeared, the previously chaotic livestream fell completely silent.
Alex put down his pen and looked straight into the camera.
“So I’d like to ask Mr. Rivers–why does your design have my signature on it?”
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