The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet

Next to her, Zoey grew anxious and quickly said, "Mr. Sinclair, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. I absolutely did not copy Thalassa's designs!"

Since her design was identical to Thalassa's, Lysander's accusation of copying was clearly directed at her, wasn't it? Being labeled a plagiarist would be a stain she could never wash away.

Zoey was a bundle of nerves.

From the corner of his eye, Payton glanced at her and said, "The truth doesn't matter. What matters is that Thalassa shouldn't even be here."

With that, he gave a knowing look to his bodyguard behind him.

The bodyguard promptly got the hint and passed a file to Payton, who started flipping through it. "Thalassa, you dropped out after your sophomore year and didn't even finish college. Though you were studying jewelry design, you minored in administrative assistant studies, but the highest position you ever held was as a secretary. Someone without a college degree participating in an international jewelry competition is quite the joke, isn't it?" He closed the file with a snap and handed it to Thalassa.

Thalassa just glanced at the file before fixing a stern look on Payton.

His lips curled into a cold sneer, his gaze sharp and filled with animosity.

Thalassa could tell that Payton harbored deep resentment towards her, all because of Leopold!

Payton was Leopold's father. The man had only ever had one son, and after Leopold's heartbreak turned him down a path of self-destruction, Payton, like Amelia, blamed Thalassa for everything.

So, this was his form of retaliation.

Thalassa retorted, "I might not have graduated back then, but later, I got into Starhaven College for a master's in jewelry design and properly completed my three-year course, graduating this year. Did Mr. Sinclair miss these details, or did you choose to ignore them on purpose?"

She had faced enough criticism over her educational background in the past.

But she had smartened up, pursued a graduate degree, and there was no longer a question mark hanging over her qualifications.

Payton, aiming to belittle her using her education, would find his plans thwarted.

Payton held the file out to Thalassa for a while, but she didn't take it. Without showing annoyance, he snapped back to reality and handed the file back to his bodyguard.

He took the cigarette Wyatt had just given him and put it between his lips. Wyatt, ever so eager to please, immediately stepped forward with a lighter to ignite Payton's cigarette.

With the cigarette lit, Payton took a drag and exhaled a ring of smoke, seemingly nonchalant as he told Thalassa "So what? A designer

who's jumped on the bandwag

mid-way can't possibly match up to those who've been in the field for years with a portfolio of work. To win, you've stooped pretty low, resorting to copying."

Zoey, overhearing this, let out a huge sigh of relief.

But Thalassa was furious, "Mr. Sinclair, without evidence, your accusation is slander!"

"What need is there for evidence?

I'm the top dog here; my word is

law!" Payton's tone grew forceful, his gaze shifting to Lysander in a

challenging manner, "Isn't that right, my dear cousin? The business world

operates on such rules. Whoever

pays the piper calls the tune."

||

Lysander's eyes were cold and piercing as he stared down Payton; his deep voice filled with authority "That might be the case in front of sycophants like Wyatt, where your word is gospel. But in front of me, your words hold no water.

"Is that so? Then how do you propose to prove her innocence?" Payton sneered, took a deep inhale from his cigarette, and deliberately exhaled the smoke towards Lysander.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

The smoke swirled in front of Lysander's stoic face, adding a layer of tension to the already charged atmosphere.