One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 46: There is no plagiarism involved

Lena

I stood there smiling, my lips curved in a calm expression that completely betrayed the storm raging inside me. My eyes, however, were far from calm. They glared daggers at my so-called family seated a few rows away. If looks could kill, they would have been long buried by now.

One of the judges, who had remained silent throughout the chaos, finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"Miss Smith," he began, adjusting his glasses, "I must say, your work and its level of detail are impeccable. It is unique, innovative, and completely different from every other design presented here today."

The hall grew quiet.

"After a thorough investigation," he continued,

"Your design has come out clean. There was no plagiarism involved. We sincerely apologize for the earlier insinuations and the distress it caused you."

A soft murmur swept through the audience.

"After much deliberation," the judge concluded,

"the company has decided to compensate you for the trouble you were put through, if that is acceptable to you."

My gaze drifted instinctively to Raymond. He had been sitting quietly the entire time, making no move, his presence alone commanding respect. Our eyes met. He gave me a small nod, subtle but firm, and I immediately understood what he meant.

"I agreed to the compensation." I replied

With my head held high, I walked down the stage with Sylvia back to our seats, deliberately ignoring the clowns who called themselves my family. As I passed them, I noticed my father’s jaw clenching and unclenching in barely restrained anger.

My eyes dimmed.

Why does he hate me this much? I wondered, the question stabbing deeper than I cared to admit.

Security soon escorted them out of the hall. They all looked embarrassed, humiliated, and small. Yet my mind never fully left Ashley’s face. I couldn’t stop wondering what had happened to her. A faint memory surfaced, a chilling voice giving the command to cut her face. My head throbbed as I tried to recall who gave that order or where it happened, but the memory slipped away like smoke.

I sighed softly and forced myself to focus.

The bidding went on and on. By the time the last person presented, exhaustion weighed heavily on me. Soon, the hall became rowdy, filled with excited chatter as people began whispering and picking their likely winners.

I sat quietly, my heart clenched tightly in my chest as the judges discussed in hushed tones. My eyes drifted to Raymond. He sat among them like a god among mortals, calm, composed, untouchable.

Before long, a decision was made.

Raymond rose from his seat and walked toward

the stage, and the entire hall erupted into murmurs. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece black suit, his hair neatly slicked back. His expression was stoic, devoid of a smile, yet powerful enough to command the room.

"I want to thank everyone who took their time to participate in this bidding," he said.

His strong baritone voice boomed through the hall, pulling me in effortlessly. I glanced around and saw most of the women gawking at him dreamily, and it annoyed me more than it should have.

Why must he be this handsome? I sighed inwardly, reminding myself that I had no right over him.

"If you are not announced as the winner of today’s bidding," Raymond continued, "do not be discouraged. It does not mean you did not do well. It simply means someone did better today. There will be more opportunities like this in the future for everyone interested in working with Hyacinth Hove."

His words drew applause and cheers.

"We have come to the end of this program," he said finally, "and there can only be one winner."

He picked up a card and glanced at it. Then his lips curved upward, just slightly. Many might not have noticed it, but I did.

I knew he was smiling.

And the winner of today’s bidding is Smith enterprise"

The hall erupted into applause.

The rest of the process blurred together. Paperwork was completed, hands were shaken, congratulations exchanged. I took pictures with the directors, judges and also Raymond. Soon after, I left with Sylvia. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

We decided to celebrate and went to a bar. I had a few drinks, laughed a little, and for a moment allowed myself to feel proud. Eventually, I waved goodbye to Sylvia and headed home. For some reason, all I wanted was to be there.

Sullivan drove me back.

The moment the car stopped, I jumped out and ran upstairs, hoping to see Raymond. He wasn’t around. I checked his office, empty. I called his line, but it was unreachable.

I dropped onto the sofa in the sitting room, my earlier happiness slowly fading away.

Where did he go?

A sudden idea struck me. I decided I would go to his office and look for him. Today, I was definitely celebrating with him, passionately. I giggled softly at the thought.

When I told Sullivan my plan, his words shattered my excitement.

"Mr. Black has already left for Vegas City," he said gently. "He was supposed to leave earlier today, but he wanted to stay for your presentation."

"What?" My head buzzed. "Why didn’t he tell me?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Maybe he forgot," Sullivan replied.

I scoffed bitterly. "Maybe he didn’t."

I ran back inside, hiding the tears already forming in my eyes. How could he just leave like that, without telling me? I sent him a text, then another, but he neither replied nor read them.

Frustrated and hurt, I decided to carry on with my day, little by little, clinging to the belief that he would surely call.

******

Ashley and Evans got into a heated argument the moment they were thrown out of the bidding auditorium. The embarrassment from inside followed them like a shadow, clinging to their skin as murmurs and curious stares trailed behind.

"Evans, what do you mean by this?" Ashley demanded, her voice shaking with suppressed rage and hurt. "You refused to come see me in the hospital even when you knew I was sick." She looked at him exasperatedly, disbelief written all over her face.

"What is there to come to the hospital for," Evans snapped coldly, "when you were already doing well?"

Ashley froze, her chest tightening. "Is it because of Lena that you’re treating me this way?"

Evans tried to evade her, turning to walk away, but each time he moved, she stepped in front of him, blocking his path stubbornly.

"Can you move aside?" Evans barked, irritation seeping into every word. "What is wrong with you?" His eyes flicked to the bandage on her face, and somehow that only worsened his mood.

"I won’t move," Ashley replied firmly. "Evans, you promised me that if we took the company from Lena, you would be with me." Her eyes shone with longing, desperation clinging to her voice.

Evans scoffed. "But we never did, Ashley, did we? Instead, we only made everything worse. Every single one of your plans has backfired." He paused, then added cruelly, "I’m beginning to think I made a mistake choosing you over Lena."

Ashley’s mouth dropped open.

"Take that back!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, drawing attention from passersby.

Evans’ face hardened. "From today henceforth, never appear in front of me again. I don’t want to ever see you again." His voice was sharp and merciless. "Apart from bringing me out to be embarrassed like today, there is nothing else I have gained since I met you. In fact, I’ve lost more than I bargained for. So I can only say one thing, you are bad luck."

"Isn’t that too harsh, Evans?" Selena finally spoke up, stepping forward. "Remember, everything Ashley does, she does for you."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Evans burst out laughing menacingly. "Selena, who called you into this conversation?" He sneered. "Last time I checked, you’re not related to Ashley, so zip it."

He turned back to Ashley, his eyes devoid of warmth. "I don’t want you to do anything for me again. All of you can go to hell for all I care."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

Ashley collapsed in place, bursting into tears, crying her heart out as if something inside her had completely shattered. Selena struggled to calm her down and eventually managed to coax her into a taxi. They left Hyacinth Hove and headed for the hospital.

Mr. Smith had been standing there the entire time, listening but never inserting himself into the argument. He did not join them. Instead, he took a different taxi and went God knows where, his eyes dark and chilling as he disappeared into the crowd.

Ashley could hardly believe her ears. So this was how all her hard work came crumbling down.

She remembered seeing Lena at Hyacinth Hove how glamorous she had become, how confident she looked. Ashley’s fingers dug into her palms until blood came out, yet she felt no pain. She had deliberately taken everything from Lena, including her fiancé, hoping to leave her empty and without status. But instead of falling, Lena only kept rising higher.

Ashley viciously chewed the inside of her mouth until it bled. Her eyes were bloodshot as a twisted smile curved her lips, her face looking almost crooked.

If that was the case, then the next step was clear.

She would eliminate Lena.

And this time, she would aim higher for Mr. Black. She would take him for herself once Lena was out of the way.

Selena looked at Ashley but said nothing. The hatred consuming Ashley had grown so deep that she could no longer think clearly anymore.