Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 327

Chapter 329: Crying the Loudest Doesn’t Make You Innocent
Aside from the color, they were exactly the same.

Selina’s gown was black, but every other detail—from the cut to the pattern—was identical to Angelica’s.

“How can there be two identical dresses?”

“This… someone obviously copied the other! Who’s the one copying?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It has to be Selina copying Angelica. The nerve to plagiarize so openly in a competition—does she really think no one can hold her accountable?”

The judges glared, furious.

“Unbelievable. Plagiarism?!”

“Does she think we’re blind? Who gave her the audacity to copy?”

“I suggest disqualifying Selina immediately and posting a public explanation on the official site and Twitter. Set an example!”

“Mr. Rowan, what do you say we do about this?”

Angelica’s aunt from the Morris side shrieked, practically jabbing her finger in Selina’s face. “Angelica stuck her neck out for you, asked the judges to give you another chance, and this is how you repay her?! Huh?!”

Joe hesitated, his gaze turning disappointedly toward Selina.

Kyle opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again.

If Selina had really plagiarized… then he had even more reason to cut ties with her. Yes. A daughter of the Morris Family could never be a fraud. Only Angelica deserved to be the true heiress.

All the noise and accusations swirled around, but Selina remained calm. She let out a cold laugh.

“Two identical dresses—and you immediately assume I’m the one who copied? Why not consider the possibility that Angelica copied me?”

The entire venue fell into stunned silence.

She was… bold. Way too bold. How dare she?

Angelica was Morris Group’s lead designer, one of Star’s students, with numerous acclaimed works.

Selina? Hardly a reputation, no portfolio, accused of faking a connection to Star…

How could anyone believe Angelica copied her?

Rigel was livid. “Absurd! Angelica plagiarized you? Look at yourself—are you even worthy of that claim? The proof is right here, and you still deny it? You have no business being in this competition!”

Logan’s fingers tightened around his teacup.

The plagiarist was basking in glory, while the real designer was being crucified.

Mrs. Reid said she wanted to handle it herself. Fine. But some people still needed to be taught a lesson.

As Rigel’s words rang out, Angelica swayed like she’d taken a hit, her voice trembling. “Selina… how could you…”

“Hmph! She’s desperate to win and thinks being your sister means you’ll cover for her. That’s why she’s this shameless,” Rigel sneered.

Tears welled in Angelica’s eyes. She looked down, devastated. “Forget it. I won’t say another word. Mr. Rigel, do whatever you must. Don’t worry about sparing my feelings.”

Rigel’s tone turned harsh. “Since Angelica herself has spoken, I hereby declare that Selina plagiarized her design in this competition. Her actions were disgraceful, and therefore—”

“Mr. Rigel.”

Selina suddenly looked up. Her expression was icy, every word cutting clear.

“I said Angelica copied me. Didn’t you hear?”

Her words echoed through the hall.

—”I said Angelica copied me. Didn’t you hear?”

!!

Rigel was outraged. He slammed his hand down and stood up, barking at her.

“Lies! Get her out of here! Angelica did everything she could to protect you, and this is how you repay her, you ungrateful—”

“The theme of this competition is ‘Light.'”

Selina ignored Rigel’s outrage, calmly took the microphone, and began to speak at an even pace.

“My black gown features a skirt shaped like butterfly wings. The sheer black fabric reacts differently under various lighting conditions.”

Everyone instinctively looked over.

Under the lights of the hall, the changes in the dark wings weren’t obvious. But when Selina turned on her phone flashlight and swept it across the gown, the crowd gasped—the black wings shimmered to life, sparkling like water under moonlight.

Angelica suddenly understood, her face draining of all color. “Selina—”

Selina didn’t give her the chance to speak. “The reason for this effect is that I embedded tiny diamonds into the black tulle.”

The diamonds were minuscule, but under strong light, they reflected dazzling hues.

“The theme is ‘Light,’ so I designed this gown to give all its beauty to light. It only becomes beautiful when there’s light. In darkness, it’s just a plain black dress.”

After Selina’s explanation, the room was silent for a moment. The designers in the audience were the first to nod in agreement—her concept made perfect sense.

While others had focused on using the dress to represent light, Selina used light itself to reveal the dress.

Rigel’s face twisted, and Selina sneered.

“So, Angelica,” she said coolly, “how exactly does your gown reflect the theme of ‘Light’? Is it just because it’s white? If that’s the case, why the butterfly-shaped skirt? What do butterflies have to do with light?”

Each question made Angelica’s face turn a shade paler.

Two dresses—one black, one white—with the exact same design. But only one matched the theme.

Selina’s gown had purpose, layers, and meaning. Angelica’s was beautiful, yes, but soulless—and completely unrelated to the theme.

Suspicious stares began turning toward Angelica.

Joe looked uncertain. He trusted his daughter, but what Selina said didn’t sound like a lie. What was really going on?

Angelica bit her lip, looking lost and helpless. “Selina, I admit your concept is well thought out. But that dress is mine. I designed it. I don’t know how you got my sketches, maybe modified them into something better, but you stole my structure—”

“Oh?” Selina smiled. “Then tell me—how exactly did I steal it?”

Angelica’s eyes brimmed with tears. She shook her head desperately. “I don’t know… I really don’t know. I just know that the dress I worked so hard on… suddenly became someone else’s…”

Rigel slammed his hand on the table. “Selina! After Angelica finished her sketch, you must have found a way to steal it! Who knows what you did—maybe you bribed a staff member!”

Selina laughed. “Angelica has way more connections with the committee than I do. If I could bribe someone, wouldn’t it be even easier for her?”

Rigel turned red. “That’s baseless speculation!”

Selina’s gaze darkened. She knew Angelica wouldn’t admit anything without solid proof.

Fine.

“Angelica,” Selina said evenly, “that line about ‘a dress you worked so hard on suddenly becoming someone else’s’—I’m giving that right back to you.”

She turned to Rowan. “Mr. Rowan, since Mr. Rigel believes I bribed staff to steal designs, can you please provide the surveillance footage of both my and Angelica’s design rooms?”

—If someone plagiarized, wouldn’t the truth be obvious in the video?