Chapter 6

A plagiarism scandal erupted on the Internet, and the accused were none other than Callie and Talulah, who were hosting art exhibitions that day. When Callie looked at the color comparison charts posted by keen netizens, her heart sank. The two paintings in question were nearly identical in content, composition, and color. Soon, the hashtag #RookieArtistCallieSuspectedofPlagiarism shot to the top of trending topics and sparked heated debate. Her friends who had gathered around her were in a frenzy. "There's no way Callie plagiarized! That uniform in the painting is from our high school. Are they blind?" "Exactly! The girl in the painting is Callie. We can all vouch for it!" "Talulah is the one who plagiarized. How shameless can she be?" Callie, though shaken, tried to stay calm. She rushed home, hoping to find her original sketches and prove her innocence. Her mind was in turmoil as she recalled the scene when she first painted that piece. It was when she was 18. Spencer had stopped picking her up from school by then. That day, she had rushed home with her exam paper, excited to show him her excellent results and make him proud. However, the house had been quiet. Spencer had been asleep at his desk, the golden rays of the setting sun highlighting his face and casting an ethereal glow on him. In her youthful impulsiveness, Callie had placed her exam paper over his face and softly kissed him. Spencer had woken with a start and scolded her, but she hadn't cared. Instead, she had captured that moment on canvas and stored the painting away for years. Now, after letting go of her feelings for Spencer and in need of money, Callie had included the painting in her exhibition. Who could have known it would now become the focal point of a scandal? Upon returning home, Callie turned the house upside down in search of the original sketches but came up empty-handed. Panic started to creep in as she tried to recall any place she hadn't yet checked. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A friend had sent her a link, urging her to take a look. When she clicked on it, Talulah's face appeared on screen, framed by the words "Press Conference" behind her. Callie's heart sank. In the live broadcast, Talulah wore a serious expression as she addressed the plagiarism accusations, vividly describing her process of creating the painting. She then produced a set of sketches, displaying them to the gathered reporters and cameras. "I know Callie personally. She's young, and I believe she didn't mean any harm. She just made a mistake. I don't hold it against her." With that statement, the online narrative shifted sharply in Talulah's favor. A flood of hate comments surged toward Callie's social media accounts with countless abusive messages. As if that weren't enough, another headline began trending. "The Mackie Family Heiress and Blair Corporation's CEO in Romantic Embrace: Wedding Bells Soon?" The accompanying video was on autoplay. Spencer was seen pulling up in a sports car at the press conference. Talulah beamed and ran into his arms. Then, the two embraced before slipping into the car's back seat. Just before the privacy partition rose, the camera caught a brief but passionate kiss between them. Their relationship had been public for a while, drawing a large following of devoted fans. Under the video, comments started pouring in. "Oh my gosh, they're so sweet!!" "Why the privacy screen? There's nothing we haven't seen." "Isn't Spencer Callie's uncle? Now that she and Talulah are caught up in this scandal, Spencer immediately backed Talulah up. Doesn't that just confirm Callie's guilt?" Callie numbly closed the video. The notification count for new comments on her posts was skyrocketing. She clicked in, only to find that the hate-filled messages had gotten worse. People were attacking her character, her talent, and even her family. One comment in particular made her freeze. "She's got no morals, no talent, and probably no parents to educate her." Callie trembled, and tears fell onto her phone screen, blurring the text but not the pain in her heart. In the end, she dialed Spencer's number.