The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 97: Chapter 97
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 97: Chapter 97. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
With a scoff, Ashley handed her phone to Graham. "Take a look at this," she said coolly. "If I hadn't already followed this artist, I might've been fooled too."
Graham accepted the phone and began comparing the images to Serena's draft.
His expression darkened. Without a word, he passed the phone around to the others.
In moments, doubt spread across the room, eyes turned to Serena, filled with hesitation.
The similarities weren't just superficial. The style, the detailing, and even the ornamental flourishes bore an uncanny resemblance. It was hard not to question whether Serena had copied the work.
"I've followed this designer for years," Ashley said, arms folded, her tone laced with satisfaction. "She's won plenty of awards.
"Graham, if we let someone like this stay in the company, who knows what problems she might bring? It's best to remove her from the team and report this to the CEO."
Serena stood silent, still trying to piece things together. Graham, though troubled by Ashley's words, passed the phone to her.
"Look," he said, frowning, "the resemblance is striking. Even if the execution isn't identical, the concept is clearly derived. That still counts as plagiarism."
He couldn't deny that Serena's version seemed more refined. Yet he couldn't understand how she'd ended up in this situation.
'What was she thinking?' he wondered.
Serena studied the image for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh.
She recognized the account Ashley had been following. It was Siren. This wasn't the first time the connection had caused her trouble. A new company, and yet the same questions had followed her here.
"Yes," she said at last, "this design does resemble mine."
She looked at Graham, catching a glimpse of Ashley's smug grin, and straightened her posture. Her eyes were steady.
"But I'm Siren," she said. "I drew that design years ago. It's mine."
Ashley immediately cut in. "Oh, really? Says who? You? Do you even know how many people are trying to work with someone like Siren? There's no way she'd be stuck here in an entry-level role."
She rolled her eyes and gave a derisive laugh, her tone sharp with disbelief. "Be serious."
Realizing that further explanation would only deepen suspicion, Serena calmly opened the design software and logged into the Siren account.
With experience on her side, the process was seamless. She pulled up the necessary proof and handed it to Graham. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed as he examined the evidence.
Only then did he make the connection. Siren and Serena weren't just similar in design, but also in name. He had been too focused on the sketches to notice it before.
"Wait... Serena is Siren? That's incredible."
"I've seen Siren's work before. The designs were so intricate. Even though she stopped posting years ago, her older work still holds up. People really loved it."
The quiet buzz of admiration made Serena a little self-conscious.
She offered a modest smile and addressed the group, "I'm part of the team now. Those past designs still had room for improvement. I hope you won't hesitate to offer your advice moving forward."
Her composure left an impression. She showed no resentment toward those who had doubted her, nor pride in their praise. Calm and unassuming, she won them over without trying.
Graham regarded her with newfound respect.
"All right," he said, casting a glance toward Ashley. "Serena's cleared things up. There's no need to dwell on it."
He turned to the rest of the team. "She may be new, but there's a lot you can learn from her work. Let's get back to it. Serena, take some time to get familiar with the place."
Ashley's glare lingered on Serena's back, but with the group already dispersing, she held her tongue.
By evening, Serena let out a quiet stretch at her desk.
The first day had flown by. There was so much to take in.
Graham, it seemed, had fully accepted her. He had sent over several key files for review, saving her from having to piece things together on her own.
Still, she had no intention of staying late tonight.
Shutting down her computer, Serena left the office. Her rideshare had just pulled up. Half an hour later, she arrived at the hospital.
"Seri? I didn't expect you today," Tiana said, pleasantly surprised. "Didn't you just start at a new company? I thought you'd be swamped."
She looked better, her complexion warm, her short hair the only trace of ongoing treatment. Serena's heart eased a little at the sight. She walked over and smiled.
"It's been busy," she admitted, "but everyone's been kind."
The weather outside was gentle and clear. With the doctor's approval, Serena wheeled Tiana outside for a walk.
As they moved slowly through the courtyard, Serena shared only the positive moments of her first day. Tiana listened, nodding with a smile, then gently patted her hand.
"You've always had a good heart," she said. "That's what I worry about, you being taken advantage of. But if you're doing well, that's all I need to hear."
Her hand was warm. Serena thought back on everything and smiled, her eyes soft. "I'm doing well," she said. "And the people I've met lately, they've been good to me."
Ever since meeting Alyssa and Keith, kindness seemed to follow her. With today's misunderstanding behind her, she felt genuinely at ease.
Not far away, Eliza had just picked up her prenatal test results and was exiting the hospital when she spotted Serena.
There she was, gently pushing a wheelchair and chatting with a frail, close-cropped figure, clearly someone undergoing long-term treatment. They held hands as they spoke, close and familiar.
"So that's what she's been up to," Eliza muttered, pulling out her phone.
She snapped a quick photo, a cold smile curling on her lips. "Didn't expect it to be this easy."
She sent the picture into several group chats, adding a feigned note of surprise. [Is that Ms. Gray? Getting awfully cozy with some old guy, isn't she?]
Responses came quickly, crude emojis, snide remarks. The comments grew nastier by the minute.
Pleased by the reaction, Eliza slipped her phone back into her bag, her smile laced with malice.
She thought smugly, 'She thinks she can compete with me for a man? Not a chance.'
Graham accepted the phone and began comparing the images to Serena's draft.
His expression darkened. Without a word, he passed the phone around to the others.
In moments, doubt spread across the room, eyes turned to Serena, filled with hesitation.
The similarities weren't just superficial. The style, the detailing, and even the ornamental flourishes bore an uncanny resemblance. It was hard not to question whether Serena had copied the work.
"I've followed this designer for years," Ashley said, arms folded, her tone laced with satisfaction. "She's won plenty of awards.
"Graham, if we let someone like this stay in the company, who knows what problems she might bring? It's best to remove her from the team and report this to the CEO."
Serena stood silent, still trying to piece things together. Graham, though troubled by Ashley's words, passed the phone to her.
"Look," he said, frowning, "the resemblance is striking. Even if the execution isn't identical, the concept is clearly derived. That still counts as plagiarism."
He couldn't deny that Serena's version seemed more refined. Yet he couldn't understand how she'd ended up in this situation.
'What was she thinking?' he wondered.
Serena studied the image for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh.
She recognized the account Ashley had been following. It was Siren. This wasn't the first time the connection had caused her trouble. A new company, and yet the same questions had followed her here.
"Yes," she said at last, "this design does resemble mine."
She looked at Graham, catching a glimpse of Ashley's smug grin, and straightened her posture. Her eyes were steady.
"But I'm Siren," she said. "I drew that design years ago. It's mine."
Ashley immediately cut in. "Oh, really? Says who? You? Do you even know how many people are trying to work with someone like Siren? There's no way she'd be stuck here in an entry-level role."
She rolled her eyes and gave a derisive laugh, her tone sharp with disbelief. "Be serious."
Realizing that further explanation would only deepen suspicion, Serena calmly opened the design software and logged into the Siren account.
With experience on her side, the process was seamless. She pulled up the necessary proof and handed it to Graham. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed as he examined the evidence.
Only then did he make the connection. Siren and Serena weren't just similar in design, but also in name. He had been too focused on the sketches to notice it before.
"Wait... Serena is Siren? That's incredible."
"I've seen Siren's work before. The designs were so intricate. Even though she stopped posting years ago, her older work still holds up. People really loved it."
The quiet buzz of admiration made Serena a little self-conscious.
She offered a modest smile and addressed the group, "I'm part of the team now. Those past designs still had room for improvement. I hope you won't hesitate to offer your advice moving forward."
Her composure left an impression. She showed no resentment toward those who had doubted her, nor pride in their praise. Calm and unassuming, she won them over without trying.
Graham regarded her with newfound respect.
"All right," he said, casting a glance toward Ashley. "Serena's cleared things up. There's no need to dwell on it."
He turned to the rest of the team. "She may be new, but there's a lot you can learn from her work. Let's get back to it. Serena, take some time to get familiar with the place."
Ashley's glare lingered on Serena's back, but with the group already dispersing, she held her tongue.
By evening, Serena let out a quiet stretch at her desk.
The first day had flown by. There was so much to take in.
Graham, it seemed, had fully accepted her. He had sent over several key files for review, saving her from having to piece things together on her own.
Still, she had no intention of staying late tonight.
Shutting down her computer, Serena left the office. Her rideshare had just pulled up. Half an hour later, she arrived at the hospital.
"Seri? I didn't expect you today," Tiana said, pleasantly surprised. "Didn't you just start at a new company? I thought you'd be swamped."
She looked better, her complexion warm, her short hair the only trace of ongoing treatment. Serena's heart eased a little at the sight. She walked over and smiled.
"It's been busy," she admitted, "but everyone's been kind."
The weather outside was gentle and clear. With the doctor's approval, Serena wheeled Tiana outside for a walk.
As they moved slowly through the courtyard, Serena shared only the positive moments of her first day. Tiana listened, nodding with a smile, then gently patted her hand.
"You've always had a good heart," she said. "That's what I worry about, you being taken advantage of. But if you're doing well, that's all I need to hear."
Her hand was warm. Serena thought back on everything and smiled, her eyes soft. "I'm doing well," she said. "And the people I've met lately, they've been good to me."
Ever since meeting Alyssa and Keith, kindness seemed to follow her. With today's misunderstanding behind her, she felt genuinely at ease.
Not far away, Eliza had just picked up her prenatal test results and was exiting the hospital when she spotted Serena.
There she was, gently pushing a wheelchair and chatting with a frail, close-cropped figure, clearly someone undergoing long-term treatment. They held hands as they spoke, close and familiar.
"So that's what she's been up to," Eliza muttered, pulling out her phone.
She snapped a quick photo, a cold smile curling on her lips. "Didn't expect it to be this easy."
She sent the picture into several group chats, adding a feigned note of surprise. [Is that Ms. Gray? Getting awfully cozy with some old guy, isn't she?]
Responses came quickly, crude emojis, snide remarks. The comments grew nastier by the minute.
Pleased by the reaction, Eliza slipped her phone back into her bag, her smile laced with malice.
She thought smugly, 'She thinks she can compete with me for a man? Not a chance.'
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