He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 53: Counterattack 2

"Ms. Jacobs can’t answer that question because she didn’t design these clothes at all."

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Clara Jacobs’s face fell as she turned to the speaker, a person whose features were hidden by a hat and sunglasses.

"Who are you? Security! Get this troublemaker out of here!"

Nina Walsh pushed through the crowd, took off her sunglasses, and faced the reporters. "I am Nina Walsh, the head of Maelie. I am here to formally accuse Clara Jacobs of using her power to maliciously suppress my company, hiring online trolls to slander my name, and illegally stealing my design drafts."

"You’re talking nonsense! Who would want to plagiarize designs from a worthless company like yours?" Clara Jacobs denied.

"Then how do you explain this?"

As soon as she spoke, the large screen that had been playing a promotional video suddenly switched.

On the screen, the entire collection scrolled by. Then, the embroidery patterns on the clothes were individually extracted, enlarged, and seamlessly pieced together in the center of the screen to form a large, circular design. In the very middle of the design, the word ’Maelie’ was clearly displayed.

It wasn’t an abbreviation, but the company’s full name, cleverly hidden within the various embroidery patterns.

This was an anti-theft method her mother had taught her.

"Ms. Jacobs, please explain why your clothes are embroidered with Maelie’s name?" Nina Walsh looked at Clara Jacobs, her gaze sharp and intimidating.

Clara Jacobs looked flustered. Hearing this, the reporters all raised their cameras and aimed them at her. "Ms. Jacobs, why did you plagiarize someone else’s work? Do you not understand design at all? Is your perfect public image all just a marketing stunt?"

With ironclad evidence right in front of everyone, Clara Jacobs still stubbornly refused to admit it. "I didn’t plagiarize. Why would I need to? Her company is about to go bankrupt! She’s deliberately framing me."

Just then, several uniformed police officers parted the crowd and walked over. They took out official tape and sealed up Clara Jacobs’s shop.

"We’ve received a report of theft. Everything inside is considered evidence. No one is allowed to enter without authorization."

The arrival of the police was the final nail in the coffin for the plagiarism case. No matter how much Clara Jacobs tried to argue, it was useless.

"Are you Clara Jacobs? We’ve received a report accusing you of maliciously inciting assault and kidnapping. Please come with us."

As if that wasn’t enough, the police took out handcuffs and put Clara Jacobs in their patrol car right in front of the crowd.

A-list celebrity commits plagiarism, and on top of that, assault and kidnapping? This was a million times more explosive than any store opening!

The reporters’ eyes glinted. They immediately grabbed their cameras and, like vicious dogs that had caught the scent of meat, chased after the police car.

"No matter how powerful Aiden Sinclair is, Clara Jacobs can forget about ever working in the entertainment industry again!" Michelle Quinn said, patting Nina Walsh’s shoulder with deep satisfaction.

Only after speaking did she realize she had mentioned ’that man’s’ name.

Nina Walsh gave a small smile, put on her sunglasses, and walked toward her car.

"This is just the beginning. Aiden Sinclair is next."

Watching the woman’s cool, confident departure, Michelle Quinn’s heart soared. ’This is the Lemon I know.’

「 ... 」

Nina Walsh drove to Julian Sinclair’s manor. She didn’t need to be announced; the gate guard saw it was her and immediately let her in.

Nina Walsh found Julian Sinclair sunbathing on a lounge chair in the garden. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Sinclair."

Julian Sinclair opened his eyes and glanced at her. She stood there, back straight, head held high, looking quite confident and carefree.

Before, she had always been guarded when speaking to him. Now, she seemed much more natural.

Julian Sinclair closed his eyes again. "What’s there to thank me for? Today was all your own doing."

Nina Walsh said, "Thank you, Mr. Sinclair, for handling things for me online."

In the short time it had taken her to get here, news of Clara Jacobs’s plagiarism, assault, and kidnapping had already spread across the entire internet. While public opinion condemned Clara, it also quietly vindicated Nina.

At the same time, ALLBUY Mall had just called her to move their collaboration forward, releasing the pre-sale link for her clothes. In that short time, tens of thousands of pieces had already been sold.

’Who else besides Julian Sinclair would do all this for her?’

Hearing her say that, Julian Sinclair opened his eyes and sat up. "To be honest, I’m impressed. I thought you would at least hide away and cry for a few days."

Nina Walsh smiled. "Mr. Sinclair, you’ve helped me so many times. Let me repay you for once."

Julian Sinclair’s eyes narrowed slightly, showing his interest.

Nina Walsh took a photocopied document from her bag and handed it to him.

"Aiden Sinclair invited you to develop Selene Isle with him. He doesn’t actually want to share the profits. He wants to use Selene Isle as bait to lure you into a trap and tie up your capital!"

Julian Sinclair shot to his feet, grabbing the document from her hand and began to read.

"Where did you get this information?" His expression turned serious.

"You don’t need to worry about how I got it, Mr. Sinclair. Just be on your guard."

After speaking, Nina Walsh turned and left Julian Sinclair’s residence.

’This information was enough to repay her debt to Julian Sinclair.’

’And it was also something Aiden Sinclair owed her.’

「 ... 」

「 Aethel Group. 」

"Are the online trolls and media outlets I told you to prepare ready?" Aiden Sinclair asked.

Jay Keane nodded. "It’s been done as you instructed. The topic is trending. It’s just..."

’It’s just that he didn’t understand. Why spend so much money hiring trolls and bribing the media not to clear Ms. Jacobs’s name, but to fan the flames? What kind of move was this?’

’It was the same last time. Jay Keane remembered that the last time they suppressed a trending topic, it was also for that Nina Walsh.’

’He didn’t know who she had offended, but Nina Walsh was being trashed all over the internet. There were even posts calling her a murderer. If Mr. Sinclair hadn’t ordered them to suppress the trending topic, he couldn’t imagine how badly the keyboard warriors would have torn her apart.’

A sudden flash of insight struck Jay Keane. He glanced at Aiden Sinclair’s hand. ’Mr. Sinclair told them to fan the flames against Ms. Jacobs... was that also for Nina Walsh? Could it be that Mr. Sinclair actually likes...?’

Jay Keane’s face paled as he suddenly seemed to understand something.

’Didn’t Mr. Sinclair just see her as a bed partner to help with his insomnia?’

"What is it?" Aiden Sinclair noticed his strange expression.

"N-nothing, Mr. Sinclair. Mr. Young has requested a meeting several times. When would you like to see him?" Jay Keane changed the subject.

"Saturday night. Arrange a dinner for me with Mr. Young and Mr. Lawson."

Just then, the intercom rang. Jay Keane put it on speaker. "What is it?"

"Assistant Keane, there’s a Mr. Brian Sherman at the front desk who would like to see Mr. Sinclair. He says he has an important deal to discuss with him personally."

The pen in Aiden Sinclair’s hand paused as he signed a document. He nodded.

"Let him come up."

After hanging up, Jay Keane went out to bring the man in, then retreated to stand guard outside the door.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Sherman. What business did you want to discuss with me?" Aiden Sinclair’s polite tone was tinged with arrogance.

Brian Sherman, caring little for dignity at this point, got straight to the point. "I have a secret I’d like to trade with you, Mr. Sinclair. The condition is that you let the Sherman Group off the hook."

Aiden Sinclair smiled, then gestured toward the door.

"Mr. Sherman, we’re not friends or family. I’m not interested in your secrets. If there’s nothing else, you may leave."

Brian Sherman said anxiously, "It’s about you and Nina Walsh! Nina, she..."