Filed To Story: Snatched a Billionaire to be My Husband Book (Cora & Byron)
Cora had taken a few steps and suddenly stopped.
“Though I know it won’t change anything, I still want to clarify the inspiration for my work. Dream Home was the old mansion of the Lane family. No matter how creative Dr. Yoris might be, she couldn’t possibly carve out the old Lane family mansion like mine.”
Arnold’s eyes visibly flickered in shock.
“Jane plagiarized from you?”
The truth hit Arnold like a bolt from the blue.
In his impression, Jane was always a rule-abiding girl. That was why he stamped her work, believing she didn’t copy.
But if what Cora said was true, and Jane’s work was merely a replication of the old Lane Mansion, then the answer became evident.
“Whether I plagiarized or not, just look at the 3D model of the old Lane Mansion when it auctioned. I’ve lived there for twenty years, and nobody knows every nook and cranny better than me. Dr. Yoris could never know all the details of every flower and tree,”
Cora continued, refusing to turn her back.
Thus, Cora couldn’t see the shock on Arnold’s face.
This revelation was something Arnold had never expected. At this moment, Arnold was almost sure that Jane was the one who plagiarized.
Despite Arnold pressuring Cora to safeguard Jane’s reputation, it ended up severing the teacher-
student bond between them.
“Enough. I had hoped to experience some warmth here on Christmas Eve, but it seems it was just a dream,”
Cora said, departing with a lackluster demeanor.
Watching Cora’s lonely and resolute silhouette, Arnold felt a piercing pain in his heart. It was as if something precious was slipping away from his life.
He wanted to go after Cora, to hold her back, but he couldn’t find the right words to say. He was unsure how to face her now.
Just then, Jane learned from the other members of the Woodcarving Association that Arnold was on the top floor of the exhibition center. She grabbed her coat and went up to find him.
“Grandpa, it’s windy tonight. Why are you standing here alone?”
Jane went upstairs and saw Arnold standing alone. She let out a sigh of relief.
As she approached, Jane intended to put the coat on Arnold, but to her surprise, Arnold turned and slapped her.
“Grandpa?”
Jane was caught off guard by Arnold’s sudden action. She looked at him in bewilderment.
Arnold had always doted on Jane since she was a child. She was his only granddaughter among all his descendants.
He provided her with the best in everything. Even in Arnold’s will, he allocated to Jane twice as much as his other grandchildren.
Moreover, he had never laid a finger on her.
Whenever Jane faced difficulties, Arnold would ask her cousins to stand up for her.
Jane couldn’t fathom that Arnold, who cherished her like a precious gem, would one day raise his hand against her.
But Arnold seemed to have no complicated emotions. Instead, he questioned her angrily,
“Why did you do this, you wretch?”
Jane was taken aback and thought Arnold was furious because she had dragged himself into this mess. After all, Cora hadn’t presented any evidence to prove Jane’s innocence.
“Grandpa, I had no choice. I didn’t want my work to be labeled as plagiarism, bringing shame to you and our family,”
Jane explained.
“You still don’t realize where you went wrong?”
Arnold looked at Jane, almost heartbroken.
“Did you believe Dr. Lane’s words, thinking I plagiarized her? I didn’t! Though I didn’t show you the finished work, I wanted to surprise you and let you see the result of my hard work. If you believe Dr.
Lane’s one-sided words and convict me, wouldn’t that be unfair?”
Jane thought that since Cora couldn’t prove her innocence, Arnold would still suspect Cora as long as she didn’t admit to plagiarizing.
With the addition of that slap, Arnold would undoubtedly regret his actions towards Jane today.
Jane’s careful plans crumbled as Arnold unexpectedly hurled his phone at her.
“Take a good look! Cora carved the old Lane Mansion, every detail so lifelike. You’ve never been there, so how could you imagine it without copying?”
Arnold’s voice boomed, leaving Jane stunned.
“The old Lane Mansion?”
Jane quickly picked up the phone Arnold had thrown, and on the screen was the 3D model of the old
Lane Mansion that had been auctioned.
The Lane family ancestors were prominent in New York, and their old mansion was exquisitely designed with intricate courtyards and majestic structures. The carvings on the doors were stunningly beautiful.
The old mansion faced a considerable price decline during the auction. But it was eventually sold for an impressive 33 million dollars, proving its value.
To Jane’s surprise, Cora had sculpted her work with the theme of Dream Home turned out to be the exact replica of the old Lane Mansion.
In the beginning, Jane utilized Darren’s relation to Sara to pressure the organizers into borrowing
Cora’s work for a whole day. She then enlisted several woodcarving enthusiasts to help create a piece that bore an eighty percent resemblance.
Time was tight, so she didn’t have the luxury to investigate whether Cora’s work was a depiction of a real place or not. Unfortunately, this hasty decision led to a huge mistake, which Arnold eventually discovered later.
At that moment, Jane was panicked, fearing that Arnold might dislike her.
Many heiresses had become pawns in their families’ commercial alliances due to a lack of favor at home.
She didn’t want to fall into such a miserable situation!
“Grandpa, I know I was wrong. But you must understand, I had my reasons,”
Jane knelt before Arnold, tears streaming down her face, and pleaded.
“Even with your reasons, you shouldn’t resort to such deceitful acts! It’s a matter of integrity!”
Arnold still refused to look Jane in the eye, his voice stern and unyielding.
Jane crawled to Arnold’s side, holding his hand and crying.
“Grandpa, I know it’s wrong to use deceitful tactics that hurt others and yourself, but I had no choice.
Dr. Lane has been secretly seeing Byron behind my back, and Byron has been staying overnight at her place all this time. When you thought Byron was greeting me just now, he was actually exchanging flirtatious glances with Dr. Lane. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I’ve never experienced such a great injustice before…”
“Is this true?”
Arnold was surprised by the revelation.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask around. It’s clear that I met Byron first, and we were even planning to get engaged. Dr. Lane interfered in our relationship at this critical moment, and I felt so wronged and couldn’t find anywhere to turn, so I resorted to such extreme measures.”
Seeing Jane crying in the cold wind, almost in despair, Arnold sighed softly,
“Get up and go back home for now. I’ll investigate the matter thoroughly.”
Jane stood up, hesitated momentarily, and then draped her coat over Arnold’s shoulders.
“Grandpa, please don’t stay out here in the cold. I can bear anything else, but I can’t bear losing you. I want you to live a long and healthy life.”
Her words struck a chord in Arnold’s heart, instantly melting his resolve.
“Alright, let’s go home together.”
With Jane’s support, Arnold quickly left the exhibition center.
After meeting Arnold, Cora walked alone on the street.
There were very few pedestrians. Everyone had probably gone home to reunite with their families.
Perhaps due to the lack of people on the street or some other reason, Cora felt extremely lonely.
At that moment, the phone in her coat pocket vibrated again.
She hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone to check.
There were several missed calls from Byron.
Remembering his indifferent expression, Cora didn’t want to see him right away.
Thus, she skipped his missed calls and checked the message from Tyler instead.
[Cora, are you coming over?]
Only then did Cora recall that she had promised Tyler to go to the Cooper Villa for a Christmas Eve dinner.
However, ever since Tyler found out about her affair with Byron during a drunken incident, he had been avoiding her.
She thought he must have looked down on her behavior and ended their friendship unilaterally.
Yet, she figured that was for the best. She thought lowly of herself as well, so she understood his cold treatment of her.
It was unexpected that Tyler would send her a message on Christmas Eve.
Before she replied to his text, he called her.
“Cora, where are you? I’ll give you a ride. It’s difficult finding a taxi on Christmas Eve.”
Tyler sounded as enthusiastic as ever while talking to her over the phone.
At that moment, Cora felt she was on the verge of tears.
“But Tyler, you know I…”
She was with Byron, even when it was widely rumored that he and Jane were a couple.
Moreover, she was aware that Tyler had feelings for her and had been trying to get closer to her.
Thus, her being with Byron was a humiliation for Tyler, like a slap on his face.
But he never acted out. On the contrary, he even invited her enthusiastically to have Christmas Eve dinner at his home, which made her feel even more guilty.
Before she could lament about it, Tyler interrupted her,
“There’s nothing to worry about! Come on. My grandfather wants you at our place! I’m going to get you if you don’t come.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.