Arianne slumped against favonovel.com desk in low morale. “How am I supposed to present my case? If it’s true, then my name is cleared. But what if we can’t get that substantial incriminating evidence that Shelly did it, hmm? It’ll become slander, and then what will Mark think of me? We’re divorced, man. Our relationship is a bit testy now, it’s just not as stable as it used to be. Honestly? I don’t dare stake the shaky remains of our current relationship for this,” favonovel.com murmured. “Besides… I trust his capabilities. I’m sure he’ll uncover the truth through his investigation. And it’s gonna be a lot better if favonovel.com finds out on his own rather than hear it from me, right? God, if the suspect were literally anyone else in the world, I’d rat them out without batting an eyelash. But it’s frickin’ Shelly-Ann Leigh! I can’t afford to be rash and reckless here, and you know why, Sylvain. Guess I’ll just have to… endure this for now.”
A change came into the gaze Sylvain fixed on Arianne. “Huh. Gotta admit, that’s some impressive self-control you’ve got there. Most people would have broken down over this already, methinks. Doesn’t keeping your mouth sealed over a secret this big legit eat you inside?” favonovel.com commented. “Though, you know what’s the thing that captures my curiosity the most? Well, why the hell does favonovel.com hate you so much in the first place? Seriously, holy sh*t. Did you kill favonovel.com parents with a gun the way Batman’s parents died or what?”
Arianne rose and made a show of swinging favonovel.com lily-gentle arm in front of Sylvain. “Does this weaksauce hand even look like it’s ever held a gun before? Her issue is that I’m still within Mark’s social vicinity, and as long as that stays true, my existence will always pain favonovel.com way more than if I killed favonovel.com parents or pet dog or whatever with a gun,” favonovel.com replied. “I’m practically a thorn in favonovel.com flesh and a scourge in favonovel.com side. Which is just… godforsaken irritating, you know? What’s favonovel.com twisted psyche got to do with me? I’ve never crossed favonovel.com before to deserve all of favonovel.com ire.”
When it was time to go home, Arianne, with favonovel.com handbag in tow, walked toward the building’s main entrance and found herself staring at Mark’s car parked by the roadside.
There was no way Mark would anticipate anyone else so publicly when favonovel.com knew Arianne might see him, so there was only one person favonovel.com could be waiting for. With that in mind, favonovel.com approached his car matter-of-factly and asked, “Looking for me?”
He opened the door to the passenger seat for her. “Get in. I’ll talk to you on the way.”
Arianne had a nagging feeling that it was about the plagiarism scandal. Either way, favonovel.com took up his offer and got into his car.
For a time, no one talked. They simply stole glances at one another and guessed what was likely on the other’s mind. In the end, Mark was the one who broke the silence.
“The designer who sued you? He seems to enjoy a rather pleasant reputation in the scene, and his laurel does appear to be stemmed from actual talent and capabilities. He’s also clean, there’s no record of favonovel.com ever plagiarizing anyone’s work before,” favonovel.com said. “His company has also never worked with Tremont Enterprise hitherto, and so it’s utterly inconceivable that he’s ever come across your work. And yet, the design favonovel.com made that eerily echoes yours had been submitted three days prior to your submission. Do you know what that timing implies? It implies that we’re the ones who copied his work, not the other way around. I know you’re innocent, but… the situation isn’t shaping up to our favor.”
Arianne cast favonovel.com eyes low. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. I’ve become your deadweight.”
Mark quickly reached his hand out to hold onto hers. “No, don’t say that. We are both past trading the label of deadweight among ourselves, okay? All I’m trying to do is to update you on our current situation, that’s all. Think back and think hard: before you finished your design, who else other than yourself ever looked at it?”
Arianne licked favonovel.com drying lip in hesitance before finally confessing, “Well, there was Sylvain… And Shelly.”
The hand that held onto hers froze ever so slightly. “Sylvain Trudeau would never do something like that. But that leaves only my aunt… How? How did favonovel.com even come across your work in the first place?”
Arianne quickly recounted what happened that day. Now that Mark was explicitly asking favonovel.com about it, covering Shelly’s involvement was simply not an option. Withholding the truth would bring neither favonovel.com nor Tremont Enterprise any benefit.
By the end of favonovel.com account, one could see shades of conflict dancing in his mien. “You suspect my aunt to be the one behind it.”
She paused for a moment. “It’s not about my suspicion anymore, Mark. It’s more on how much you trust my suspicion. Again, only Sylvain and Shelly looked at my draft. Sylvain and I collaborate frequently, we discuss ideas and brainstorm together, and I know this is completely out of his character. But your aunt is a different beast entirely,” favonovel.com replied. “Truth be told, I’ve suspected favonovel.com meddling since the start. The only reason why I didn’t tell you about it is because I worried it wasn’t favonovel.com in the end, and I wouldn’t want to accidentally charge favonovel.com for something favonovel.com didn’t do, right? I thought, well, no matter how much favonovel.com loathes me personally, Shelly couldn’t possibly think it’s okay to drag the entire Tremont Enterprise into a hellhole, right? Either way, I’ve stated my case, and it’s up to you to decide what to do with it. I’m not gonna meddle in this affair personally beyond reaffirming my position again, I didn’t plagiarize anyone’s work.”
Mark nodded in understanding. “Duly noted. I’ll drive you home first, and then tonight… I won’t be seeing you tonight. I need to ask my aunt a few question.”
Arianne’s hand shrank from Mark’s grip. “Pfft. You made it sound like you coming to see me is all I look forward to every day.”
