Chapter 52 Not Protected
“Please, believe me, Ms. Tanner. I didn’t plagiarize anything. Besides, this matter involves you and the company as much as it involves me.” Tensely and resolutely, Christina said, “I’ll apply for a leave today to settle this issue.”
With that, she left.
Gina hesitated about what to do for a moment before she called Nathaniel. In reality, she had always been his spy. Whenever something significant occurred in the company, she would be the first to report it to him.
After the call connected, she briefly explained the situation to him.
In response, Nathaniel said he would call the Public Relations Department.
Upon hanging up the phone, Gina sighed. I hope Christina’s doing the right thing instead of avoiding her responsibility.
When Christina exited Gina’s office, the chatter in the bullpen died down.
After she returned to her desk, she packed her things and was ready to leave.
Her actions caused everyone to think she had been fired. Gradually, the employees’ whispers grew louder.
“What an embarrassment. It’s her fault that Radiant Corporation’s reputation is now tarnished.”
“I’m surprised she’s not protected even though she’s Mr. Hadley’s girlfriend.”
“Is it possible that her other works have issues, too?”
No one in the office was on Christina’s side.
However, she didn’t mind. After she finished cleaning her desk, she left.
“I want a refund!”
“Get out of Radiant Corporation, Christina!”
“You’re a shameless thief?”
Just as Christina arrived at the entrance, she saw a group of people yelling in front of the building.
A few security guards were preventing them from charging in.
There’s already a public outrage? Christina furrowed her eyebrows.
The
protesters outside the company were all holding the t-shirt she designed while demanding a
refund.
She was startled as it was her first time seeing something like that.
One of the security guards recognized her and exclaimed, “Don’t come any closer! Leave quickly!” By the time she returned to her senses, someone in the crowd had already recognized her.
Amidst the chaos, someone threw a rock at her, which landed on her head.
She tried to dodge it, but it still hit her forehead. The smell of blood spread in the air as she experienced stinging pain. These people are like mindless beasts. If I stay, only trouble awaits me.
Hurriedly, she entered the elevator and left the company through the parking lot.
Christina then called for a taxi and went to the art gallery that sent the warning notice.
The gallery had a collection of famous paintings and works of up-and-coming painters.
At that moment, many were visiting the gallery as it was opening hours.
Christina waited around two minutes at the entrance before seeing a slender figure approaching her.
The man was wearing a clean, casual outfit with a shirt hanging on his shoulder. He appeared particularly dazzling under the sunlight.
“Why are you suddenly visiting me, Christina? Come in.” The man was the owner of the gallery, a rich scion, and Christina’s childhood friend. Hunter Smith.
Without delay, Christina showed him the warning letter. “Did you send this?”
When Hunter saw it, he furiously explained, “I did. Do you know what this bloody company did? They took your design, changed the color, and put it on a t-shirt before selling them!”
I wish I could give him a knock on the head right now. She was rendered speechless for a moment before explaining. “This is my company. It’s fine if they use my design!”
Some time ago, he had seen her design and thought it looked good, so he decided to let her display it in the gallery.
In reality, the copyright of that design still solely belonged to Christina.
Thus, there was no plagiarism involved.
Shocked, Hunter asked, “When did you start working at Radiant Corporation, Christina? Why did you choose to work at a company like that instead of my workshop? That’s not fair.”
Instead of derailing from the original topic, she said, “Just issue an apology now and remove my design. from your gallery. Otherwise, I can’t help you when Radiant Corporation resorts to legal measures.”
The situation had turned on its head. At that moment, Radiant Corporation could sue him instead.
After ending her sentence, Christina left.
It was already afternoon by the time she arrived home. Since Evelyn wasn’t in the house, she quickly treated the wound on her forehead. Thank goodness the rock didn’t hit me at any other spot. At least I can still cover it up with my hair,
Hastily, she turned on her computer to check the development of the controversy. Someone had filmed the crowd demanding a refund in front of the company and posted that video online. Thankfully, the commenters supported her and condemned those who acted violently.
Before the controversy blew up. Radiant Corporation issued a notice claiming that she didn’t plagiarize anything.
Thanks to that, the controversy was mostly suppressed.
However, she was still receiving a bunch of texts on her phone. Almost everyone in the company group chat on WhatsApp was talking about her plagiarism.
Even though the company had issued a statement, it didn’t mean all employees believed it.
In fact, someone demanded Christina provide an explanation.
If the issue wasn’t resolved by tomorrow, it would turn into a crisis, and she would be fired from Radiant Corporation.
Meanwhile, she ignored their questioning.
Turning off her phone, she grabbed her bathrobe and entered the bathroom.
The wound still hurt when it came in contact with water. After she dried her hair, she swiftly put a band-aid on her injury.
At eight in the evening, the gallery issued an apology on Twitter, which set off a heated discussion.
After that, Radiant Corporation apologized to Christina and pinned its statement on the main page of
its website.
For five hours, people continuously joined the discussion of the controversy.
Once the gallery apologized and proved Christina didn’t commit plagiarism, the mockery in the chat ceased.
A few minutes later, someone apologized to her before the others did. Their messages swiftly dominated her screen.
group
At that moment, her colleagues who were apologizing wished they could smash their heads into a wall. Wow, I’m still receiving messages telling me they’re sorry for doubting me. It’s a little surprising to see that they’re self-aware enough to know talking badly about people isn’t a good thing. I suppose I’ll give them some time to repent. I’m just glad that this whole situation has been resolved. Sighing, Christina lay on her comfy bed.
With that, the controversy came to an end.
When she woke up, she saw Hunter had sent her a message. He said he was sorry for what he did and promised to buy a cake for Evelyn when her birthday rolled around.
Smiling, she replied: Okay.
After changing her clothes, she went to her company and was promptly summoned to Gina’s office.
Gina was in a pretty great mood after leaving her meeting. “To compensate you for this misunderstanding, Mr. Sacchetti grants you two extra percent of the profits from this fashion line.”
Without delay, Christina did the calculation in her mind and realized that the bonus would be worth more than a couple of months of her salary. “Thank you, Ms. Tanner. I’m just glad the crisis was averted.”
“That’s all I have to say. You can leave now.”
“Okay,”
After Christina left the office, Anna and Pearl approached her. “You almost dragged us down, so I’m glad you’re innocent. Did Ms. Tanner give you a warning?”
Christina grinned. “Nope. In fact, my share of the profits has increased by two percent.”
