Chapter 5 Plagiarists are Thieves

"For the sake of fairness, we have decided to temporarily withhold the top three prizes until further investigation," announced the host.

Liam, along with everyone else, was taken aback by this decision. "Why postpone? This is unfair to everyone!"

"Yes, since there is controversy, both of these companies should be disqualified!" added another participant.

"Tell us which two companies they are!" demanded the crowd.

The journalists, especially, were brimming with excitement. Initially expecting a routine competition, they now found themselves with a juicy story for tomorrow's headlines.

Confident in his innocence, Liam stepped forward and declared, "You're absolutely right. Given the circumstances, it's only fair for the organizing committee to announce the results here. I believe the representatives of these two companies are present, and with so many colleagues as witnesses, the truth will be even more convincing."

As the lively scene unfolded on the screen, Samuel's attention was solely fixed on the woman before him. She held a glass of wine but refrained from sipping, maintaining a cold smile on her lips. After years of anticipation, she was finally his. He had waited three long years, and someone like Liam didn't deserve Evelyn.

If Evelyn truly intended to marry Liam, Samuel would never agree. However, now that something had gone wrong with their relationship, it made Samuel's life much easier.

Nonetheless, Samuel still desired to punish her, to ensure she remained his wife for life. It was her fault for not recognizing Samuel sooner.

Several years had passed. She had grown timid and wary, her voice barely above a whisper. However, at this moment, as she stood there, the gleam of confidence in her eyes betrayed her unchanged nature. She remained that unknown yet proud girl.

"I'm going to go out now," Evelyn said, placing the glass down and turning to look at Samuel.

Samuel nodded. "I support you."

Even though she didn't plan on having Samuel take action personally, his words still reassured her. Gratefully, she nodded and opened the door to the VIP room, walking out.

…

The venue was still chaotic. Liam had become the center of attention, shouting loudly.

Vivian felt extremely proud. Never before had she felt like this, standing by Liam's side as if she had become the focus of the entire room.

The host's expression turned serious until someone ran up to the stage and whispered a few words in his ear. He relaxed his brow and turned to Liam, saying, "Initially, the organizing committee wanted to preserve the dignity of the plagiarists out of humanitarian considerations. However, since there is strong demand, the organizing committee has decided to publicly reveal the two companies and their entries."

"Plagiarists are thieves. Thieves shouldn't have dignity!" Liam was excited, feeling that he was definitely not the one involved in this plagiarism incident.

Since then, he surely had to strike the other party hard. After tomorrow's press release, the popularity of Liavian Perfumes would increase, and its reputation would greatly improve. He seemed to already see a bright future and countless wealth.

The host glanced at him and adjusted the microphone, saying, "In this competition, two companies submitted the same perfume. The name of this perfume is 'First Love' for both."

Upon hearing this, Vivian was stunned. Liam looked shocked. "First Love? First Love is the entry from our company, Liavian Perfumes. Which other company has the exact same product? How coincidental!"

He looked around, seemingly trying to identify that person among the crowd.

Continuing, the host said, "Yes, one of the companies that submitted the same product is Liavian Perfumes. The other company is Neogenito Fragrances."

"Neogenito Fragrances?" Liam looked puzzled. "Neogenito Fragrances is... which company? I haven't heard of it."

He appeared humble, but inside he was ecstatic. Although he didn't know which small company Neogenito Fragrances was, as long as it could bring him success, it was all that mattered.

"Neogenito Fragrances? Isn't it a subsidiary of the Seraphian Group, established just last year?" Someone familiar with the industry immediately thought of it.

"Yes, I've heard of it too. Although Neogenito Fragrances is newly established, it still belongs to the Seraphian Group and is quite powerful."

"I see. Is the person in charge of Neogenito Fragrances here? I want to know how they got hold of our 'First Love', which our company worked hard for over three months to develop."

By saying this, Liam was indirectly accusing the other party of plagiarism.

At this moment, a refined and elegant man walked up to the stage. "Good evening, everyone. I am Mason Carter, the public relations manager of Neogenito Fragrances. Tonight's incident was also unexpected for us. We didn't anticipate that our company's product would have such a high resemblance to another company's product.

"Initially, we were willing to respect the organizers' opinion and resolve the matter privately. However, since the other company didn't agree and an on-site identification was also proposed, we complied," he spoke politely yet assertively, garnering nods from most present, their reverence for the Seraphian Group evident.

Liam appeared uneasy as he stated bluntly, "I wholeheartedly support on-site authentication. Despite Liavian Perfumes being small, we have conducted ourselves properly and should withstand scrutiny."

"Exactly! I personally formulated First Love. I'm eager to understand why there's a counterfeit version," Vivian chimed in earnestly, her expression reflecting her sincerity.

For a moment, everyone found it challenging to distinguish between the genuine and fake, turning their attention towards the host.

Mason remained calm and composed. "Regarding the formulation and development data records of the entries, as well as their characteristics, we have already provided them to the judges. I believe they will make a fair judgment."

"We have also submitted our information. I absolutely trust that the professional judges will be able to identify the plagiarist," Liam confidently said with a scornful laugh.

"In fact, the judges already have a result," the host said after receiving an envelope and looking at Liam. "Mr. Scott, I heard that First Love, this fragrance, was personally formulated and developed by your company's product director, Ms. Reed, is that correct?"

"Of course." Liam nodded affirmatively. "Ms. Reed is our company's most outstanding perfume formulator and is also well-known in the industry. The best-selling fragrances our company has produced were also created by her."

The host nodded and then looked at Mason. "Mr. Carter, may I ask who developed this fragrance for your company?"

Mason smiled. "Coincidentally, the creator of First Love is also here today. We are honored to introduce her to everyone."

With his inviting gesture, a person walked slowly out from the back of the venue.