CHAPTER 175: CHAPTER 175 COMPENSATION

Serena’s POV

"Look at this," I said, taking the designs and examining Celeste’s work first. I knew her style intimately—her signature and stroke patterns were distinctive and familiar to me.

After studying the paper for a moment, I spotted the problem immediately.

"This signature... it’s been stamped on, not signed by hand." I passed the paper to Ethan. "Mr. Quinn, take a look."

Ethan’s expression darkened as he examined it. His jaw tightened visibly.

Lucy leaned in closer, squinting at the paper. "She’s right! It’s definitely stamped, not handwritten. The technique is good, I’ll give them that, but it’s definitely not authentic."

"Mr. Quinn, I personally handed the original drafts to your assistant," Lucy insisted, her voice firm with conviction. "After receiving them from Maya, I delivered them directly. No one else touched those documents. There’s absolutely no way they could have been switched."

The tension in the room was palpable. Ethan’s brow furrowed deeply as he processed this information.

Not wanting to put Ethan in an awkward position, I suggested the most obvious solution. "Why don’t we check the security footage? That should settle whether anything was tampered with."

Ethan nodded, seeming relieved at the suggestion. "Good idea. Let’s go to my office."

"Lead the way," I said, following him out with Lucy close behind.

Minutes later, we were reviewing the security footage from that day. The high-definition camera captured Lucy entering with the document folder, handing it to Eliza, exchanging a few words, then leaving.

We watched as Eliza returned to her desk with our folder, setting it aside without immediately reviewing it. The three of us stared intently at the screen, not wanting to miss anything.

Suddenly, Eliza stood up, took a sip of water, then turned her back completely to the camera.

A moment later, she grabbed her purse and walked out of frame. The folder remained on the desk, but something about it looked... different.

"Pause it," I said quickly, gesturing for Lucy to look closer. "Is that the same folder you gave her?"

Ethan helpfully maximized the image. Thankfully, the studio’s high-quality cameras meant the enlarged image remained relatively clear.

Lucy gasped loudly. "That’s not it! The folders look similar, but our Dreamland Studio folders have our logo embossed on them. This one doesn’t—it’s clearly fake!"

Ethan turned to me, doubt creeping into his eyes. "Is she telling the truth?"

I nodded firmly. "Lucy’s right. Those folders were custom-made by Maya specifically to leave a stronger impression with clients."

"Mr. Quinn," I said carefully, "it seems your assistant hasn’t been entirely truthful."

Ethan’s expression hardened instantly. He picked up his office phone, his voice tight with controlled anger.

"Send Eliza to my office immediately."

"Yes, sir," came the reply from the other end.

Within moments, Eliza appeared at the door, her smile strained and her eyes darting nervously around the room.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Quinn?"

"Where are the original Dreamland Studio designs?" Ethan demanded without preamble. "Hand them over now! What exactly is going on here?"

Eliza’s composure cracked. She forced an awkward laugh. "Sir, I don’t understand why you’re—"

"The security footage shows everything," Ethan cut her off sharply. "You switched the files. That’s a fact. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Eliza’s face paled as she lowered her head, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

Sensing this was about to become an internal company matter, I stepped back. "Ethan, I should go. I’ll have another set of originals sent over right away. We have copies at the studio, so it won’t delay the timeline."

"Thank God Celeste noticed the issue," I added. "Otherwise, we might have wasted days before realizing what happened."

"I’ll assign someone else to work with Dreamland Studio from now on," Ethan assured me, his professional demeanor firmly back in place despite his obvious anger. "And Serena, if you encounter any other issues, call me directly."

As he walked me toward the elevator, Ethan’s professional mask slipped a bit. "I’m really sorry about this," he said, his voice softening. "I should have been more careful about who I trusted with this project."

"Don’t worry about it," I squeezed his arm reassuringly. "These things happen."

Ryan, who had been quiet throughout this exchange, suddenly stepped closer, sliding his arm possessively around my waist.

"I hope this incident won’t affect our companies’ collaboration," he said smoothly, though his grip tightened slightly around me. His message couldn’t have been clearer—he was marking his territory.

Ethan’s eyes flickered briefly to Ryan’s hand on my waist before he smiled diplomatically. "Of course not. Dreamland Studio’s reputation speaks for itself."

As we left the LUXE Jewelry building, Ryan’s posture remained rigid. Once we were in the car, he finally spoke. "You and Ethan seem quite... familiar."

"We’re just friends who happen to click," I said, keeping my tone even. "There’s something familiar about him—our last names are even the same. Maybe we used to know each other before I lost my memory. And Ryan, could you not look at me like that? You’re picking a fight."

Ryan’s jaw tightened. "You know that’s not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" I challenged.

After a moment of tense silence, his expression softened slightly. "You know, you owe me compensation."

"Compensation?" I repeated, confused.

"Yes," he nodded seriously, though I could see the playful glint returning to his eyes. "First, for suspecting I had anything to do with the sabotage. And second, for making me miss out on dinner. I’m starving."

I couldn’t help but laugh. "And what kind of compensation did you have in mind?"