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623words
He didn't set foot in his studio once.
Now, he was pretentiously taking a microphone, holding court in front of reporters.
"I believe that in the art world," he declared, "plagiarists are the absolute bottom-feeders."
Amelia stood by his side, gazing at him with pure admiration.
But then a reporter's question cut through the air, sharp and direct.
"Ms. Amelia Lowe, by coming forward to testify against your own husband, were you and Mr. Hansen involved in an inappropriate relationship?"
Amelia's brow furrowed in feigned offense.
"Please show some respect. My relationship with Connor is completely professional."
"I only stand on the side of justice."
I could only scoff.
Amelia looked back at Connor, her eyes softening.
The reporter then turned the spotlight back on Connor.
"You've been making the media rounds nonstop. Aren't you concerned about being unprepared for the competition?"
Connor waved a hand, oozing false modesty.
"Not at all! That's the privilege of genius! Genius isn't afraid of some pathetic clown!"
This interview quickly went viral.
It sparked fierce debate online, with one side heaping praise on Connor and the other hurling insults at me.
"True genius doesn't need preparetion! Connor has this in the bag!"
"Vincent must have a hide thicker than bronze. How does he even show his face? It's embarrassing."
"He should have been blacklisted ages ago. Scum like him doesn't deserve to be called an artist!"
Although some rational voices questioned， "Isn't Connor being overly confident? What if he chokes?"
But these were quickly drowned out by the roaring tide of support.
Connor, reading these comments online, was already celebrating as if he'd won.
Then I saw his expression freeze for a second before bursting into ecstatic joy.
I knew it. His cheat system had just delivered the copy of my final piece.
His cheat system was bizarrely limited, it could only able copy my work and falsify creation timestamps.
Connor turned to Amelia, suggesting eagerly,
"Let's go to my studio! I want to show you my new piece!"
Of course, he couldn't wait to show off.
Amelia frowned slightly, a bit confused.
"But you've been with me every day. When did you find the time to sculpt?"
Connor dodged the question smoothly.
"burned the midnight oil, just to maximize my time with you during the day."
Amelia was instantly touched, looking at him with delight. They left for the studio, arm in arm.
They soon arrived. Connor eagerly led Amelia towards the newly finished statue.
"This is my latest work. What do you think?"
Amelia's initial reaction was one of surprise.
"This... this is breathtaking!"
But then her eyes narrowed slightly in recognition.
"But this... I think I've seen this before!"
My spirit tensed up.
"This looks like the design sketches Vincent showed me! He said all his goddess sculptures were inspired by my silhouette..."
I hadn't expected her to remember.
Connor's face darken, and he quickly cut her off.
"Don't you remember? Vincent stole a lot of my preliminary designs. You promised to help me get justice, but so far..."
Amelia's expression instantly cloued with guilty.
"I'm sorry... I failed you."
Connor breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee and slipped a ring onto Amelia's finger.
"Let's not talk about that anymore."
"The reason I brought you here today is to ask you something."
"Amelia, will you marry me?"
"These years have been hard on you."
"After I publicly defeat Vincent, we can be together properly, out in the open."
Amelia looked at Connor but didn't answer directly. Instead, she seemed to drift away, her expression blank.
Connor's face darkened.
