After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 111: An Artisan’s Disgrace

Rachel Yates let out a cry, hysterical and brimming with indignation.

In an instant, all eyes were on her.

As all heads turned her way, Rachel Yates’s breath hitched, and her eyes instantly welled up.

Then, Rachel Yates bit her lower lip and glared at Anson Lawson. She looked heartbroken, but her eyes held a clear warning.

"Anson Lawson, I’ve always treated you well. Why are you conspiring with outsiders to frame me?"

Frame her?

With that one word, she was completely denying the video clips and audio recordings that had just been played.

Faced with Rachel Yates’s accusation, Anson Lawson’s grip on the microphone tightened. She stared straight back at her for a good seven or eight seconds, as if steeling her resolve. She shut her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, both her expression and her voice were firm. "I’m not lying. Since the year before last, my master has been entering my work into competitions under her name. She’s been holding me down at the company, manipulating and gaslighting me."

As she spoke, Anson Lawson pointed to the jewelry box Rachel Yates had used in the first round. "That piece is my work."

Anson Lawson’s statement sent a new wave of commotion through the venue.

This wasn’t just about Rachel Yates anymore. Hex Farrell’s company and his entire team were about to get dragged into the mess.

After all, Hex Farrell had signed a declaration guaranteeing the authenticity of Rachel Yates’s work for this competition.

"Using her apprentice’s work? And then forbidding her from competing herself?"

"This Rachel Yates has really shown me a new low."

"I’m afraid Mr. Farrell’s company is in for it now..."

"The company’s reputation taking a hit is one thing. They have Mr. Farrell and so many other master-level lacquer artists. The ones I feel sorry for are the up-and-coming lacquer masters at the company who haven’t made a name for themselves yet. If they get banned from competitions, even for a short while, what happens to their career paths...?"

In any profession, the prospect of advancement is what drives people to work hard.

Dedication to one’s craft is noble, but you have to be able to put food on the table first.

The idea of just burying your head and working hard without recognition was discarded decades ago.

Even the lacquerware industry is all about keeping up with the times now.

The venue was in an uproar when suddenly, the eldest judge on the panel spoke. "Young lady, how can you prove this piece is your creation?"

Anson Lawson took a deep breath. "On every piece of lacquerware I make, I carve the initial of my last name, ’L,’ in an inconspicuous spot. If the honorable judges don’t believe me, you can look for yourselves."

As soon as Anson Lawson finished, the elderly judge gestured to the host with his eyes.

The host understood, walked over to Rachel Yates’s entry, and picked up the jewelry box. Just as he was about to examine it, Rachel Yates blurted out in a panic, "Anson Lawson, I can’t believe you’re this kind of person! You know I’ve always had a habit of carving my boyfriend’s initial on my work! My boyfriend’s last name also starts with an L! You..."

Rachel spoke with frantic emotion, but Anson Lawson cut her off, her lips pursed. "Master, I never carved my surname onto the lacquerware."

Rachel Yates was speechless.

At this point, even a fool could see who was right and who was wrong.

Hearing Anson Lawson’s words, Rachel Yates looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She stumbled back several steps.

Luckily, a security guard beside her caught her, helping her regain her balance.

"I didn’t. I didn’t do it."

"I’ve been framed."

Even now, Rachel Yates continued to deny everything, her voice choked with sobs and her face a mask of wronged innocence.

But it was no use. Everyone attending this competition had clawed their way up from the bottom. They were all intimately familiar with the industry’s little schemes and dirty secrets.

No matter how convincing her performance, no one was buying it. More importantly, no one felt any sympathy.

The lacquerware trade isn’t like other fields. Most people get into it out of pure passion.

A lacquerware artisan studies painstakingly for years, all in the hope of one day graduating from their apprenticeship.

But because of people like Rachel Yates, countless apprentices like Anson Lawson never get a chance to make a name for themselves.

The final result was that Rachel Yates was disqualified from the competition, and Hex Farrell’s team was banned from all competitions for three years.

As the competition ended, contestants and audience members began to file out. Flora Rhodes, her face stern, was indignant on Moira Sloan’s behalf.

"Seriously? That’s it?"

"She got off way too easy."

Moira Sloan’s expression was calm, her glistening eyes half-lidded, betraying no emotion. "The punishment fits the crime. After today, Rachel Yates will be completely blacklisted from this circle."

Flora Rhodes said, "She’s a disgrace to the world of artisans."

A wry smile touched Moira Sloan’s lips. "There are people like her in every field. And there are more of them than you’d think."

With that, Moira Sloan stood up. "Let’s go."

The moment Moira Sloan left, two figures emerged from the shadows.

Miles Murray said teasingly, "Your woman plays for keeps, huh? Now Rachel Yates and her ex-boyfriend, Shane Jennings, are going to be pariahs that everyone wants a piece of."

Connor Quinn’s voice was cold and severe. "She was the victim."

Miles Murray just clicked his tongue. "Tsk."

Connor Quinn looked at him, his face impassive. "Want a tattoo?"