Chapter 3 Shameful Plagiarism

Harlee's eyes swept over the guests surrounding her. Most of them appeared to watch the situation unfold with interest, more eager to voice their opinions than uncover the truth. Eventually, Harlee's gaze landed on Adelina, who donned a smug face.

Harlee had actually gone through this particular sketchbook. On Adelina's very first day back home, she had taken it out during dinner, sketching dramatically in front of everyone, eager to show off her talent for fashion design.

Not satisfied yet, Adelina aimed to boost her own reputation as a design genius by misleading the guests into believing Harlee had stolen her sketchbook.

Harlee scoffed. Did Adelina really not see who she was imitating, or was she just that foolish?

Adelina's sketchbook held over two hundred designs, but the funniest thing was that the fifty best ones were outright copies of the latest collections from top brands.

Adelina had taken beautiful, high-end designs and twisted them into complicated, tasteless mixtures, robbing them of their original grace and simplicity. Instead of couture, it resembled homework wrapped up in haste from some design major students.

Worse, Harlee even spotted some of her own designs that she had previously shared online. Clearly, Adelina had been living in a fantasy for so long that she might have started to believe herself to be a design genius.

Harlee's lips curled into a sarcastic smile, and her intense gaze locked onto Adelina, seeing through her antics. At Harlee's charming smile, an unshakeable feeling of unease washed over Adelina.

"The design on the third page? That's a knock-off of Nora Burke's Moonlit Dream collection. The frilly dress on page ten? That came from CL's spring 2024 line. The sixteenth page..." Harlee named ten different outfits in the sketchbook, pinpointing which designers had been plagiarized.

Harlee's calm demeanor caused many of the previously entertained guests to instinctively flip through the sketchbook to check her claims. Indeed, the first design was a copy. The second design? Also a copy. The third? Same situation.

One by one, all ten designs mentioned by Harlee were revealed to have been plagiarized.

The guests found the situation utterly ridiculous. Wasn't Adelina a design prodigy like the rumors had painted her? Why were those ten designs in her sketchbook not her own work?

Most of the guests were Liam's business associates and seasoned professionals in the fashion world. They knew each season's new releases well, and as they flipped through the pages, it became obvious Harlee was right.

In a flash, everyone started murmuring to share their disbelief.

"No way! Is this the collection the Gill Group is about to release? While we all know the Gill Group mainly collaborates with Moonlight, the genius designer from overseas, instead of running its own design department, Adelina's outright copying is too much! And the Gill family intends to make Adelina a director for her design capabilities? Gee!"

"Totally ridiculous, I agree! I can't believe the Gill family has stooped to this low! And the nerve of them singing praises of their so-called genius designer daughter Adelina over and over again! Turns out, she is nothing but a shameless copycat!"

Liam and Averie caught the whispers clearly and turned to gaze at Adelina, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief and their words stuck in their throats.

Adelina's face had turned pale, as if she had been laid bare before everyone.

Neither Liam nor Averie knew much about design. The family business had thrived mainly because of Liam's mother, Laura Gill, who had a sharp eye for fashion.

After Laura stepped back, the famous designer Moonlight had reached the Gills, and Liam and Averie had left the creative side to the professionals.

Liam and Averie hadn't expected Adelina's supposedly great design talent to be just a collection of stolen ideas.

At that moment, Liam felt completely let down and frustrated as the Gill family's reputation had just been dragged through the mud.

Harlee was done with the drama. She casually slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to walk away.

The guests observed Harlee's straight-backed and composed figure as she departed, and the room buzzed with hushed conversation.

"Well, it seems Harlee really understood fashion design. Compared to Adelina the plagiarist, Harlee is clearly way ahead."

"It seems like the Gills swapped a diamond for a rock. Here's a joke for you: Adelina Gill, the genius designer."

The guests' comments were like daggers, each one cutting into Adelina's heart, leaving painful wounds that throbbed with every word spoken.