Chapter 6

Someone had exposed a plagiarism incident online. The people involved were none other than Adonis and Nicholas, who were holding their art exhibition that day. Adonis compared the images of the two paintings on his phone. From composition and color scheme to subject matter, they were nearly identical. Soon, the hashtag "New Artist Adonis Suspected Of Plagiarism" shot to the top of the trending list. This plagiarism scandal sparked widespread debate online. Adonis' friends crowded around him and spoke up in his defense anxiously. "There's no way Adonis copied someone else's work! The school uniform in that painting is from our high school. Are these people blind?" "Exactly! That boy in the painting is Adonis himself. We can all vouch for it!" "It's obvious that Nicholas was the one who copied Adonis' painting. How dare he steal and still have the nerve to accuse Adonis of plagiarizing." Despite the chaos, Adonis managed to keep a grip on his rationality and rushed home. He was determined to retrieve the original draft to prove his innocence. As he ran home, his mind was in a chaotic mess. Scenes from when he had painted the piece flooded his memory. Adonis was 18 that year, and Meredith had stopped picking him up from school. He had come home with his results slip, which indicated that he'd placed first in his year. Adonis could remember clearly that he'd excitedly charged into her study, wanting to show it to her and make her proud. The room had been silent. Meredith had been asleep at her desk, and Adonis had carefully walked up to her. The setting sun's golden light cast a soft glow on her brow and lashes, making her look like a celestial being beyond a mortal man's reach. Even so, Adonis had been determined to be the one to pull her down from that pedestal. He had placed his results slip over her face and gently kissed her. Upon being startled awake by Adonis' bold move, Meredith had given him a thorough scolding afterward. Adonis hadn't taken her scathing words to heart. Instead, he painted that scene and preserved the painting. He had held on to the painting, cherishing it for years. Now that he'd finally decided to let go of Meredith and was in need of money, he had included that painting in his exhibition. He hadn't expected it to become the source of a scandal that would smear his name. Once Adonis got home, he turned the entire house upside down and searched every nook and cranny. To his dismay, he couldn't find any trace of the original draft. Panic set in immediately. He racked his brain, trying to think of any place he might have overlooked. Suddenly, his phone chimed. One of his friends sent him a link, urging him to check it out. He tapped it open, and Nicholas' face appeared on the screen. The moment he caught sight of the words "Press Conference" in the background, his heart sank. On the live broadcast, Nicholas wore a serious expression as he addressed the accusations of plagiarism. He went on to describe the entire painting process in vivid detail. Then, he pulled out a sketch and showed it to the reporters and cameras while saying, "I'm acquainted with Adonis Solheim, the other artist in question. He's young, and I'm sure he didn't do this intentionally—he's just lost his way for a moment. I don't blame him." As soon as the press conference aired, public opinion online shifted drastically and instantly. Many people swarmed into Adonis' social media and bombarded him with insults. Within a short amount of time, over 100 thousand disparaging comments showed up on Adonis' page. Meanwhile, another hashtag began soaring up the trending news. And that was none other than "The Heir of the Kerr Family and the CEO of Irving Corporation Share a Sweet Kiss. Wedding Bells Going Off?" Under the trending topic, a video started playing automatically. Meredith had arrived at the press conference in a sports car. Nicholas ran up to her with a grin and pulled her into his arms. The couple embraced as they got into the back seat. Just before the car window rose, the camera captured them kissing. Their relationship had long been exposed on the internet. Somehow, their coupling drew in a large number of fans. Under the video, supporters of their relationship flooded the comments. "They're so sweet! I'm dying from the cuteness!" "Why did the car window go up? I'm their top fan! Is there anything I can't see?" "I heard Meredith is Adonis' sister-in-law. He and Nicholas are both caught up in this plagiarism scandal, yet Meredith shows up right away to support Nicholas. Doesn't that confirm that Adonis was the plagiarizer?" Adonis stared blankly at his phone. As the number of comments skyrocketed, he tapped into his social media account to find everyone cursing him. Some said he was a failure who'd been lazy since childhood. Others accused him of being immoral and unethical. There were some who said he lacked talent and skills in art. Some even dragged his family into it, calling him uneducated and claiming that he was a terrible person. His finger paused over that particular comment, and his whole body trembled. Tears fell, drop by drop, onto the screen. They blurred the words but couldn't numb the searing pain in Adonis' heart. He dialed Meredith's number.