I couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh as I looked at him.
“Ethan, you speak of compassion and duty as though it were some great virtue. If that’s how you see it, then perhaps our engagement truly deserves a second thought.”
At my words, a flicker of panic crossed Ethan’s eyes. After all, much of the Miller Family’s reputation in the industry had been built on the unique designs created by the Carter Family.
I sneered, my voice soft yet cutting, each syllable deliberate.
“Ethan, tell me—does Chloe truly have nowhere to go, or is it simply that you’re eager to give her a home?”
Chloe’s sobbing hitched, her gaze darting in panic before she lowered her head again, shrinking behind Ethan as though I were some merciless executioner.
I lifted my chin, taking measured steps toward them.
Ethan faltered. Under the pressure of my advance, all he could do was retreat step by step.
My laughter was cold, wrapped in frost.
“You call me cruel, heartless.
But if I were truly as merciless as you claim, then the moment she stole my work years ago, I wouldn’t have shown leniency because she was a poor student. I would have dragged her through court until she was ruined—stripped of everything, disgraced beyond repair.
And now? She kneels here, putting on this pitiful act. What does she want? To stir guilt in me?”
My lips curved in derision as my gaze swept over her tearful eyes.
“Chloe, you play your part well. But unfortunately for you, I was never your audience.”
The room fell silent, so quiet a pin drop could be heard.
Ethan stood frozen, still shielding Chloe, but stiff as stone. Her sobbing stopped abruptly, leaving only the stubborn streaks of tears glistening on her cheeks beneath the harsh lights.
The news spread faster than I could have imagined.
In just three days, the entire U.S. architectural community was buzzing with headlines about Chloe Davis’s return.
It all began with an official statement posted on the Miller Group’s account:
“The Miller Group will partner with the Carter Studio to jointly undertake a Federal Landmark Architecture Project over the next five years. At the same time, architect Chloe Davis has been specially appointed to join the team, overseeing project development.”
Barely a few lines, but like a stone dropped into still water, they sent ripples crashing across the industry.
Everyone remembered how Chloe had been disgraced and expelled for plagiarizing my work. And yet here she was, returning boldly as an architect. Without the Miller Family’s support, who else would dare give her such a chance?
“A world-renowned architect forced to work alongside someone with a black mark on her record?”
“Isn’t this outright humiliation?”
“How could Sophia stomach working with the very woman who stole her work? Unless, of course, the story we know isn’t the whole truth…”
“Word is, the Carters were powerful back then. Maybe Chloe was silenced. Now that she’s made a comeback, perhaps Sophia’s family fears the past will be exposed—maybe that’s why she’s allowed back.”
Public opinion swelled and twisted. My name was mentioned again and again alongside Chloe’s, with some even daring to question whether my so-called international awards had been won honestly—or stolen.
I stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, a fresh newspaper clenched in my hand.
The headline on the front page blared:
“Genius Architect Feud? Former Classmates in the Design World Set for a Direct Showdown.”
