The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 438

The place went nuts in an instant.

Marian's face turned ashen in a flash, and she grabbed the mic, ready to defend herself, "No, that's not it, I..."

But before she could finish, Brandon cut in, all high and mighty, "Ms. Barlow's been caught red-handed plagiarizing others' work, and to weasel her way out, she's gone and faked a paternity test report, trying to strong-arm the Frost family into vouching for her. The Frost family is well-known in the West district for their integrity. Are they really gonna cover for a plagiarist?"

As he spoke, Brandon's gaze was locked on Martin, sharp as a knife.

Martin gave him a complex look and reluctantly picked up the mic, turning to the audience, "I'm truly sorry for the miscommunication between Ms. Barlow and myself, which led her to believe that the Frost family estate was going to use her design drawing. It was my failure to communicate properly, and I apologize for the misunderstanding it caused for both parties. But from the start to the end, it was Ms. Yearwood's design that the Frost family admired. It's just that Ms. Barlow failed to clarify, and we didn't catch the mix-up in time, leading to Ms. Yearwood's work being mistaken for Ms. Barlow's. This has caused significant damage to Ms. Yearwood's reputation, and for that, I, on behalf of the entire Frost family, offer my sincere apologies to Ms. Yearwood."

With that, Martin bowed deeply to Sophia, his eyes and attitude filled with sincerity.

Sophia looked back at Martin, her eyes also filled with mixed emotions, and she kept silent.

"We will also make sure the compensation is properly paid out."

With that, Martin fired up the projector again, and on the displayed image of the estate, the words "Chief Designer: Sophia" were emblazoned in large, clear letters. The reporters below were furiously snapping photos.

Sophia waited until the flashes finally stopped before signaling Martin for the mic.

One of the reporters quickly passed it over to her.

Sophia turned on the mic, gave it a tap to check the sound, then lifted it to her lips and spoke softly, "Thank you, Mr. Frost, for setting the record straight about the work. But everything started with Ms. Barlow, and I hope she can give a clear explanation to me and to the public."

With that said, Sophia's gaze shifted to Marian.

Marian was pale as a ghost, and the topic had circled back to whether she had plagiarized, something not even Yolanda could fix.

Sophia's point was clear: she wanted Marian to spell out whether she had harbored any intention of plagiarism, rather than letting Martin smooth things over with excuses of miscommunication.

Brandon, too, turned to Marian, his eyes cold as he looked at her.

Martin glanced at Brandon with a complex expression and also turned to Marian, choosing not to speak on her behalf.

Louis was still standing below, looking at Marian with disappointment in his eyes.

Marian caught the disappointment in Louis' gaze, which startled her to the core, and she didn't dare to keep upping the ante.

Her throat tightening, she picked up the mic, choking back tears, and bowed deeply to Sophia, "Sophia, I'm sorry. The moment my grandfather was dazzled by your work, I was scared of admitting it wasn't mine for fear of disappointing my grandparents, and I did entertain the thought of just going along with the mistake. Because I really wanted the recognition from my grandfather and the Frost family. So, I wavered and chose not to clarify. When I found out it was your work, I thought about quickly designing a new proposal to replace yours, but I didn't expect that Martin had already submitted it. I panicked but didn't have the guts to admit it wasn't my work, and I let it slide until today."