Chapter 1401: Chapter 1401: Proven Plagiarism
After Florienna Ellis finished speaking, the comments in the live-stream turned into a unified front, pointing the blame directly at Charlotte Thompson.
It seemed that the accusation of Charlotte plagiarizing had already been confirmed!
"Where are those people who were saying it was all a deliberate publicity stunt? Why aren’t they speaking up now?"
"Oh my God, how can there be someone so shameless? I used to admire Charlotte Thompson so much, but I didn’t expect her to be this despicable!"
"No wonder Riley Group has declined so much recently. It seems this all started after Charlotte Thompson joined their company, right?"
"What kind of benefits can a designer who only plagiarizes bring to a company? But it’s because Justin Battleson protects her that she’s been able to act so arrogantly until now."
"A woman this shameless is completely unworthy of Mr. Battleson! How does Charlotte Thompson have the audacity to call herself a designer?"
The frenzied flood of comments in the live-stream almost made Charlotte’s eyes sting and turn red.
She set her phone aside, rubbed her temples, attempting to relieve her current fatigue.
While Florienna Ellis had gone live to respond to the online accusations, ultimately, it was only Florienna who had spoken out.
To some netizens, it was still just one-sided testimony from Florienna, so there were still people choosing to support Charlotte.
After all, Charlotte was already internationally renowned as the designer Joy; there was no need for her to suddenly plagiarize an ordinary designer.
For now, the mixed opinions from strangers filled the comments section, but most people were waiting for Charlotte to make her response.
Charlotte’s side, however, remained completely silent.
Conversely, the Worsen brand immediately pulled their new teaser trailer released earlier that afternoon and announced they’d be conducting a joint investigation of the matter with Riley Group.
The actions taken by Worsen brand seemed to suggest that they had quietly made their choice.
"Does Worsen have any updates?" Charlotte asked curiously, glancing at Justin Battleson as he hung up the phone.
"Though they’ve made a public statement about investigating the issue, the head of Worsen brand has already reached out to me to initiate termination talks. Before long, news of the termination will likely be officially announced."
Justin said this with an indifferent expression.
It seemed that this public backlash and forced contract termination were, to Justin, nothing more than trivial matters.
"Once Worsen brand announces the termination, it’ll probably cement the idea that I plagiarized," Charlotte remarked lazily, leaning into the sofa with an apathetic tone.
Just then, there was a knock on the door to the study.
When Charlotte looked up, she saw several children rushing in one after another, their faces filled with concern.
"Mommy, the news online is saying you plagiarized. What’s going on?" Grace Thompson was the first to reach Charlotte, her tone riddled with urgency.
"Yeah, yeah, and who’s this Florienna Ellis person anyway?"
"She said she’s a designer at Daddy’s company. What’s really going on here?"
The barrage of questions from the children left Charlotte momentarily unsure of where to begin her explanation.
But seeing the concern on their faces, Charlotte offered them a comforting smile.
"Don’t worry, your Daddy and I already have a plan to handle this properly. You don’t need to be anxious about it."
"But..." Grace hesitated, her words trailing off.