Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 361 - 360 dirty water, accusing: Sussie Lopez is not innocent (2 updates)

Chapter 361: 360 dirty water, accusing: Sussie Lopez is not innocent (2 updates)

In an instant, Declan Saunders became the focus of the entire audience. Finn Hale’s talent had already been recognized openly; everyone witnessed it and believed he wasn’t the one who plagiarized. Moreover...

Tim Payne had already given corroborative evidence!

Several months ago, he had received design drawings from Finn Hale.

While Declan Saunders’ draft was only recently completed.

Who plagiarized was obvious.

Declan Saunders was completely dumbfounded.

He guarded against everything, always worried that Finn Hale or someone from M & R would jump out to accuse him, but it never crossed his mind that it would be Tim Payne.

He had never anticipated that this unpublished design draft was actually made for the Payne Family.

No wonder Finn Hale wasn’t worried at all.

Under the scrutinizing gaze of everyone, his scalp tingled, his body tensed up, and he wished he could just crawl into a hole.

"I told you, this design has the style of a master. If he truly had such talent, he shouldn’t have remained unnoticed until now."

"To plagiarize Mr. Hale takes guts."

"Mr. Hale really has a good temperament, he must have seen through it long ago but said nothing. Probably he didn’t want to embarrass him publicly, truly shameless."

"Plagiarizing dog, get out!"

...

In any circle, plagiarizing someone else’s work would provoke outrage.

Some people roared loudly, whipping up a frenzy of emotion.

Even Michale Shaw, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, sat up straight.

Wow—

There was a spectacle to watch.

Wyatt Hale instantly jumped up, "This trash, daring to plagiarize my uncle! Does he think our family has no one to defend us?"

Michale Shaw laughed out loud.

Yet it was Finn Hale who was utterly calm, leaving Tim Payne speechless.

Although Tim disliked Finn, he despised plagiarism even more.

So...

When Finn Hale remained silent, he could not tolerate a plagiarizer standing on the award platform!

He took a stand for him, and that guy acted as if he was an outsider, even leaning back in his chair, beginning to enjoy the chaos.

Watching the design on the screen, Sussie Lopez, through the exposition of her senior colleague, finally understood where that familiar feeling came from, but she never imagined her colleague would plagiarize Finn Hale.

She had seen the Payne Family’s collection hall since it was under construction and covered with partitions; one couldn’t see the clear model.

"Brother Saunders, shouldn’t you explain this?"

"I..." Declan Saunders’ mind went blank.

"What’s there to explain about plagiarism? It’s just jealousy, vanity, fakery. Did you think you could rest easy because this work hadn’t been published?" Wyatt Hale jumped out.

Daring to mess with his uncle!

Finn Hale raised an eyebrow; this kid... where did he pop out from?

"I, I didn’t." His face was pale as frost.

"Are you saying you didn’t rest easy, or you didn’t plagiarize?"

"I didn’t plagiarize!"

He tried to argue.

"Well, then show your revision records!" Wyatt Hale might be foolhardy, but he wasn’t actually stupid.

He had watched his uncle draw designs from a young age and knew almost all designers would keep their drafts, and it was easy to check a file’s creation and revision history on a computer.

He could argue, but the computer wouldn’t lie!

These words from Wyatt stunned Declan Saunders.

"See, speechless now, plagiarizing dog!" Wyatt Hale scoffed.

"Northern Architecture is really losing face this time."

"To plagiarize Mr. Hale, someone really wants fame, such daring."

"The risk is high, but if successful, to be recognized as the creator of this work, the profit is tangible."

...

The crowd murmured and gossiped, until finally, someone whispered, "But how did he access Mr. Hale’s work?"

Every designer cherishes their own work and wouldn’t flaunt it carelessly.

Declan Saunders knew that after tonight, he probably wouldn’t be able to continue in this industry. It was a moment of madness; what should he do now?

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Sussie Lopez!

Right!

Drag her down with him.

Tim Payne and Finn Hale both had a special relationship with her; they wouldn’t let her get into trouble.

Shift the blame onto her.

Declan Saunders suddenly jumped up from his seat, turned to Sussie Lopez with an indignant face: "Lopez, why did you do this to me."

Sussie Lopez was stunned.

What’s going on?

She had even been thinking just now:

Gosh, how can someone cause such a big mess.

Did Declan Saunders get kicked in the head by a donkey?

But they work in the same studio, and he usually takes good care of her. He was bound to be under attack from his peers later. Should she help him and cover for him to leave through the back door?

But then...

The fire had spread to her.

"Brother Saunders, what are you talking about?" Sussie Lopez frowned.

"The design drawings were given to me by you. I didn’t know that was Mr. Hale’s design, so I took some inspiration from it."

Sussie Lopez was completely stunned.

Even Wyatt Hale, who had just jumped up to scold Declan Saunders, was dumbstruck, looking at his uncle:

What do we do?

What’s up with auntie?

Tim Payne’s eyes immediately sharpened, and he shot a direct look at Declan Saunders: "Mr. Saunders, think carefully before you speak."

"What I’m saying is the truth. I’ve only met Mr. Hale once, and I normally don’t have contact with him at all. How could I have seen his design drawings without some divine power?"

"Sussie Lopez has recently been staying at your place, and Mr. Hale often visits the Payne Family."

"Only she would have had the opportunity to steal the design drawings."

...

Declan Saunders’s explanation almost made sense.

Zoe Payne blinked and looked at her husband, "Mr. Hale, you tell me, how can someone be so shameless?"

She couldn’t believe that Sussie Lopez would steal her uncle’s design.

William Hale said in a deep voice, "Soon, you’ll see someone even more shameless."

Sussie Lopez wasn’t stupid. Declan Saunders was trying to drag her down with him. She slowly rose from her seat, her eyes as cold as autumn water, and under the light, she looked as stunning as gathered moonlit snow, beautiful enough to take one’s breath away, yet her face no longer bore its usual smile.

"Declan Saunders, you’re saying it was me who stole Mr. Hale’s design drawings and gave them to you?"

"Yes!"

"When did I give them to you?"

"Just a few days ago, at a coffee shop near the Payne residence... that day..." Declan Saunders’s gaze shifted, and he pointed at Michale Shaw, "On that day, Young Master Shaw saw it too."

Michale Shaw could only think of swear words at this moment:

Idiot!

Such a big idiot.

What does this have to do with me.

The way he spoke, it was like he was a witness to it all.

"Sir, you should be careful what you say. I just happened to pass by and saw you two together. As for what you did, I have no idea."

Declan Saunders sneered, "I figured you’d say that."

"You’re pursuing her, so of course, you’d speak in her defense."

Wyatt Hale looked at Michale Shaw in astonishment, "Bro, are you crazy?"

How dare he chase after his aunt!

It was the first time Michale Shaw was just casually spectating drama, only to become the subject of it.

But he was curious - since when was it crazy to want to pursue Sussie Lopez?

Was Wyatt Hale reading himself into idiocy?

Everyone thought this was a plagiarism drama, but as they delved into it, it turned into something about a love issue.

"Does Young Master Shaw want to deny that you like Sussie Lopez?" Declan Saunders felt that as long as he wasn’t the focus of attention, he could get by unnoticed, so he tried to drag more people into the mess.

"What relationship I have with her, do I need to report to you? You might as well explain your plagiarism properly."

Michale Shaw had a businessman’s quick wit.

"You’re saying that Miss Lopez stole the manuscript for you and that’s why you used it."

"Then that means you knowingly committed the offense!"

"Don’t tell me she told you to copy it. If she told you to kill someone, would you dare to do it?"

"You’re clearly just being greedy and trying to drag others down with you, really fucking shameless."

Michale Shaw’s few words managed to turn the attention back on Declan Saunders.

Declan Saunders was fuming.

As Michale Shaw said, he was deliberately dragging others down, causing many present to start questioning the truthfulness of his previous statements. Declan Saunders was panicking.

Just when he thought he was done for, someone gave him an assist.

"I can prove that Sussie Lopez is not innocent."

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice.

The speaker...

Turned out to be Finn Hale’s assistant.

It was only then that Finn Hale, who had remained calm throughout, slowly straightened up.