Chapter 215

The next day, Madeline was on edge, pacing around her office.

'What's going on? Why can't I get ahold of Odette?' she thought, her worry growing by the minute.

Since Odette left yesterday, Madeline hadn't heard a peep from her. Her phone was off, like she had vanished into thin air.

Madeline checked her watch. The competition results were about to be announced. Their plan was about to go down.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Bianca.

"How's everything going?" Bianca asked.

Madeline took a deep breath. "Everything's set. The reporters are ready. As soon as they announce Isabella as the winner, the reporters will swarm her. Then, I'll step in and accuse her of plagiarism. But..."

Madeline trailed off.

Bianca, who had been pleased with the update, caught the hesitation in her voice.

"What's the problem? Are you getting cold feet? Remember everything you've sacrificed to get rid of Isabella? Remember how sickening that old man was?" Bianca's words made Madeline's stomach churn.

Madeline's fists tightened, a flash of humiliation in her eyes. She had sacrificed not just money, but her dignity to bring Isabella down.

"That's enough. I'm in too deep to back out now. What's bothering me is that my assistant has been missing since yesterday," Madeline said, her concern evident.

Bianca was quiet for a moment. She knew about Odette and that she was in on all of Madeline's plans.

"Do you think your assistant would betray you?" Bianca asked.

Madeline shook her head. "She has no reason to."

Bianca let out a sigh of relief. "Then what's the big deal? Maybe she's just caught up in something or had an accident. Either way, a missing person is the cops' problem, not yours. Focus on the task at hand."

Madeline clenched her fists and gave a reluctant nod. She figured she'd deal with the Odette mess later. Today was all about taking Isabella down.

After a few more words with Bianca, Madeline hung up.

She stood by the window, watching Isabella step out of her car, smiling and completely unaware of what was coming.

Madeline's lips curled into a sneer. "Enjoy your last moments of happiness; today is your downfall."

When Isabella walked into the company, her colleagues were unusually enthusiastic, showering her with congratulations.

"Ms. Taylor, wow! You won first place?! That's awesome!"

"Ms. Taylor, you're incredible! I'm so inspired by you!"

"You're officially my hero!"

"Ms. Taylor, you're gorgeous and incredibly talented!"

Isabella accepted the congratulations with a faint smile.

Just then, Madeline stepped out of her office and joined in. "Congrats, Ms. Taylor, on winning first place again!"

Madeline then motioned towards the door, and a flood of reporters poured in.

"Ms. Taylor, how does it feel to win the most prestigious design award in the country?"

"Ms. Taylor, do you have any words for the competitors you beat?"

"Ms. Taylor, some contestants think you didn't deserve to win first place. What's your take on that?"

The last question was pretty sharp, but Isabella just smiled and didn't say a word.

Madeline, sensing something was off, frowned. "Ms. Taylor, why aren't you answering? It's kind of rude to the reporters, don't you think?"

"Rude? I wasn't even in the competition! What's with all the questions? I'm clueless about this," Isabella said, looking at Madeline with a sudden smile.

Madeline was stunned, and the room went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

"What does she mean? Ms. Taylor says she didn't enter the competition. Then how did she win first place?" someone asked, clearly puzzled.

"That's a question for Ms. Eve," Dwayne said coldly, stepping out of his office with a file in hand.

"Isabella didn't enter this competition. Someone used her username to submit a design. Madeline, can you explain why Isabella's design looks so much like yours?" Dwayne laid out two design sketches, and the reporters went wild, snapping photos.

"Isabella must have stolen my design. She entered, I know she did! She's lying to those reporters!" Madeline blurted out, panic creeping into her voice.

Isabella stayed calm, her eyes locked on Madeline. "How long are you going to keep this up? You had Odette sneak into my office and plant a Trojan virus on my computer to submit the design in my name. You've been waiting for this moment to accuse me of plagiarism, weren't you?"

Madeline's face went pale, and she took a step back, a terrible thought crossing her mind: Odette had betrayed her.

The reporters smelled a big story and started snapping photos like crazy.

Isabella sighed and pulled out her phone. "Madeline, I gave you chances. But you kept throwing them away, driven by your jealousy."

She played a surveillance video from her office, clearly showing Odette inserting a USB drive into her computer and messing with it.

"If you think this isn't enough, let's hear from Odette herself," Isabella said, looking towards the door.

Two police officers walked in, escorting a handcuffed Odette.

The moment Madeline saw Odette, she felt dizzy and collapsed onto the floor.

Odette bit her lip, avoiding Madeline's gaze. With her eyes closed, she confessed, "It was all Madeline's doing. She told me to plant the virus on Isabella's computer. And Madeline conspired with Bianca; they bribed the competition judges to secure the first place."