"What do you all think?" she asked calmly.

"There must be a plagiarist between you two." Nevaeh sneered. “But given Shirley's established fame and broader reputation, she has no need to copy your work. So that leaves you, Lilah. You've accused others of plagiarism before, and now you're the plagiarist. What a stain on our industry."

Joseph's disappointment was as clear as his anger. "This is unacceptable, Miss Phillips. The headquarters will hear of this."

The other designers’ faces said what their Lips didn't. They were let down, too.

“But that's impossible!" Phoebe was the only one to defend Lilah, her protest emphatic. "Miss Phillips wouldn't need to plagiarize. She's more than capable. Are we accusing her just because Shirley is more renowned?"

Nevaeh's retort was filled with scorn. “Shirley released her designs yesterday, and Lilah's came today. Regardless of the truth, the timing is incriminating! Had I not found this, Aurora Jewelers' reputation would've been in shreds!"

Joseph exhaled deeply, the weight of the decision evident in his features. "This issue requires consultation with the headquarters. In the meantime, Lilah, consider yourself suspended."

The room's atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension. Phoebe looked on, fists clenched, a word of protest teetering on her lips, while Nevaeh lounged back, a look of contemptuous triumph in her eyes.

"I don't accept that," Lilah declared, her voice steady.

Joseph's face hardened at her defiance. "You may be from the headquarters, Lilah, but here, I am the CEO. When there's a breach this grave, I have every right to enforce this suspension!"

"What exactly have I done wrong?" Lilah challenged, her striking eyes glinting with a touch of sarcasm. "I've dedicated myself to this company, yet you choose to trust an outsider without question? Mr. Merritt, has Aurora Jewelers’ core philosophy been forgotten?"

Unity above all, that was the creed of Aurora Jewelers.

Joseph's lips parted, but words failed him. Nevaeh, however, was quick to interject, "You stand accused of plagiarism, and you dare invoke the company's values? Do you wish to see us bankrupt?"

Lilah's icy gaze swung to Nevaeh, causing her to involuntarily recoil.

“And your proof?" Lilah inquired coolly.

"Proof? It's obvious. Shirley has no reason to copy you. You're the plagiarist here!" Nevaeh asserted with conviction.

"So, if I were to pass your design to a more famous designer and they release it first, you'd be the plagiarist?" Lilah countered sharply.

Snapped out of his temporary muteness, Joseph spoke with a stern expression. “Enough. The burden of proof is on you, Lilah. Show us you didn't copy the design."

"Very well." Without hesitation, Lilah opened her Laptop. Her slender fingers danced across the keys, and soon, a surveillance video flickered to life on the screen, which she then turned for all to see.

“This is from the security camera in my office."

Whispers of surprise rustled through the onlookers, but it was Nevaeh who seemed to turn to stone, beads of cold sweat forming on her skin.

How could this be? Since when was there a camera in Lilah's office?

The footage was unmistakable. It showed Lilah exiting her office at the end of the day, followed by a figure who slipped inside and suspiciously Lingered at the computer.

The figure was undeniably recognizable to the colleagues gathered.