Miss Yonder Studio in Rosemont City released a piece of news:
"[We solemnly declare that our contracted designer Maria’s work, The Angry Bug, did not copy Yaen Studio’s work! Tonight at eight o’clock, our studio will broadcast live on Twitter to prove our innocence!]"
The moment the news was released, it caused an uproar.
Netizens were all discussing:
"[Yaen Studio? Isn’t that the one that made a huge fuss a year ago and couldn’t even recognize Miss Yonder’s work? Hasn’t it closed down yet?]"
"[Why are they asking for trouble? I’ll wait to see what happens tonight.]"
Gia looked at these trending topics with a dark expression.
She thought, "Could it be that Maria really has evidence to prove her innocence? If that’s the case, my studio will be finished... I have to prepare for the worst."
She called her assistant over and whispered, "Be prepared. If Miss Yonder Studio can really prove Maria didn’t plagiarize, blame Lily and say she deceived the company."
Her assistant said, "Okay."
Gia thought for a moment and added, "That’s not good enough. Go find Lily and ask her how she plagiarized. Record it, just in case."
Her assistant nodded and went out.
At eight o’clock that night, Miss Yonder Studio went online as promised and began the livestream. Over 10 million people entered the broadcast room. Someone sharp-eyed noticed:
"[Look, Zayn is online.]"
"[Luna is also watching! Looks like the relationship between these two families is really good.]"
With Zayn and Luna’s influence, the livestream’s popularity surged again.
Soon, a woman wearing a butterfly mask appeared on screen. Her half-exposed face and delicate features were striking.
"Good evening, everyone." Her voice was gentle and polite, putting viewers at ease. "I’m Miss Yonder. I’ll prove Maria’s innocence live."
"[Oh my god! Miss Yonder?]"
All the netizens were shocked.
"[Why didn’t you tell us in advance she would appear? We almost missed it!]"
"[Miss Yonder is so beautiful and gentle! Just her voice alone drives me crazy.]"
"[This is the second time Miss Yonder has stood up for Maria. What’s their relationship?]"
Miss Yonder didn’t ramble. She picked up her phone and played a video. She said calmly, "A year ago, Maria gave me a stack of design drafts and asked for feedback. I picked a few and told her they were well-designed and that she could use them to apply to any design company.
"I know how serious plagiarism is in this industry. I feared she might suffer from false accusations later, so I recorded the design drafts with my phone.
"Through slow-motion playback, everyone can compare and see if Maria’s past designs resemble her current works—or the ones released by Yaen Studio. Are the core design and creative styles similar?
"One more thing: in the video, there’s a computer on the desk showing the official national television website, with that day’s date visible. It cannot be faked."
Someone sharp-eyed commented:
"[The background in the video looks like a study or bedroom. Do Miss Yonder and Maria live together?]"
"[I saw their shoes—they’re wearing home slippers.]"
"[Miss Yonder, what exactly is your relationship with Maria?]"
Miss Yonder smiled and replied, "We’re family."
The entire broadcast room was stunned.
She continued, "We’ll post this video permanently on our studio’s Twitter for public verification. As for Yaen Studio’s lawsuit, we’ve entrusted Ryan to handle it."
"[Ryan? Yaen Studio is in real trouble now...]"
"[Yaen worked as a makeup artist and stylist for Immortal Heroes. That show was a massive hit. Tons of celebrities wanted to hire her. Now she’s ruined her reputation again.]"
Amid countless comments, Miss Yonder smiled and said, "The livestream ends here. Thank you all for spending your precious time watching. Thank you, and goodbye."
The livestream ended, but the uproar it caused continued.
When Gia saw the scene, she felt both hatred and sadness. Tears ran down her face.
She hated the Carter family for once again bringing her to ruin.
And she grieved that all her hard work over the past year had been wasted once more. She didn’t know when she’d get another chance to succeed...
There was a knock at the door.
Her assistant came in. "Many clients have called for refunds. Scheduled events and social engagements have also been canceled. What do we do now?"
Gia wiped her tears and said, "Talk to Lily nicely. As long as she’s willing to take the blame, we’ll compensate her."
Yaen Studio issued an apology to Maria on their official Twitter, stating they had been deceived by their designer Lily and had misunderstood Maria, wrongly accusing her of plagiarism. They also announced that they had apologized to Maria and withdrawn all disputed works.
The tweet included a video. In it, Lily bowed repeatedly and cried, "I deliberately misled the studio for the sake of performance, making them believe Maria plagiarized me. I take full responsibility and apologize to Maria and the studio!"
"[Yaen Studio really found a scapegoat designer? How shameless.]"
The Murphy couple read the news with grim expressions.
They had invested over $20 million in Gia’s studio, yet the studio hadn’t made a cent—and now its reputation was in tatters.
"She’s useless!" Regina said angrily. "She lost over $20 million in just one year. If this goes on, how much more will she lose?"
"Don’t speak of her like that," Isaac replied. "She’s working hard. When she faces setbacks, we should support her..."
"Haven’t I supported her enough?" Regina said. "But she has lost too much money. Andrew spent a lot too, but at least he earns money as a celebrity. With more endorsements and ads, we’ll get our investment back."
She sighed. "Honestly, I think Gia should focus on men. The sooner she marries into a wealthy family, the better it will be for her—and us."
Isaac said, "That’s not wrong. It’s just that Lucas is too unreliable."
Gia, who had just reached the stairs, heard their conversation. Angrily, she turned around and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
She thought, "Do they despise me now? If they push me too far, I’ll take the Murphy family down with me!"