Chapter 79
Seeing Hailey’s traction, that person dared not ask any further. The school bell rang, and everyone quickly returned to their
When the morning classes ended, Selena, smiling friendly but with eyes gleaming with blatant pride and arrogance, called out to Hailey. “Hailey, let’s have lunch together.”
Hailey replied, raising an eyebrow slightly, “Sure” Then the two of them walked side by side toward the cafeteria.
Selena smiled and said. “I bet you must be wondering how I became the author of “Thrilling Suspense.” Hailey was silent.
“The night before last, I went to the old house. I specifically entered your room and found the manuscript on your computer. I transferred everything to my USB drive and deleted all the documents from your computer,” said Selena, looking proud of herself as if she had achieved something remarkable.
“Hailey, you’re really amazing. Thrilling Suspense‘ is an amazing work, and it’s actually your work. Now that it has been stolen, how do you feel?” Selena whispered into her ear, her tone full of smugness and satisfaction. “It must be terrible, right? This is what happens when you go against me.”
Hailey raised her head slightly, her expression indifferent. “Are you done talking?” she asked.
Selena was momentarily stunned. “You didn’t record this, did you?” she asked. She seemed to have been traumatized by the past incident.
Hailey found it amusing and said. “Do I even need to?”
“You!”
“Do you really think it’s that simple?” Hailey asked, chuckling. “Do you honestly believe just by stealing my manuscript, and hiring a few internet trolls and media outlets to stir up some hype, you can become the true author of Thrilling Suspense?”
“Thrilling Suspense” had been completed, with no new content coming out. That was the reason Selena dared to pull such a stunt. Otherwise, she would not have dared to do this because she did not have the talent or capability.
Selena, thinking that Hailey was talking about her pen name and website, continued, “You may not know this yet. I’ve bribed the website where you published your work, and your pen name, ‘River, now belongs to me.”
Selena thought what she had done was impeccable, considering and covering every possible angle. Yet, Hailey still looked completely unfazed and just let out a faint “Oh.”
“What do you mean by that?” Selena frowned and asked. Something is wrong. Why is Hailey still so calm? Shouldn’t she be furious by now?” Selena thought.
“Nothing at all,” Hailey responded, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Why? Are you disappointed that I’m not mad?”
Selena pursed her lips. She had gone through all this trouble and wanted to see Hailey lose her temper, enraged, and lose control. “But now, why isn’t she angry? She thought, unable to understand.
“Oh yes, Selena,” Hailey said indifferently, “you’ll probably receive a court summons tomorrow.”
“What?” Selena was momentarily stunned.
“According to Article 216 of the Criminal Law, those who impersonate another’s patent and commit serious offenses can be sentenced to up to three years in prison,” Hailey said lazily and casually. “Enjoy the admiration of others while you can Selena, because your good days are about to end.”
With that. Hailey walked straight toward the cafeteria. Selena stood frozen, her expression stiff, cold sweat forming on her
forehead.
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Impossible. I’ve deleted everything. I’ve even spent a fortune to buy the pen name. There’s no way for Hailey to get hold of any evidence to sue me, Selena thought.
She took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm, and thought. Hailey is probably just bluffing, trying to confuse me Just then, her phone rang in her pocket. She quickly stepped aside to take the call
The call was from Jeanie. “Hello? Jeanie, what’s up?” Selena answered the call.
“Do you know that ‘River‘ has an editor working with her all this while? Her name is Suzanne Heywood, Jeanie asked.
Selena was stunned and said, “I don’t know that.”
“Idiot! This Suzanne knows the real identity of River. Moreover, she’s the one who handles all the copyright matters of all the works of River. It’s a common knowledge in the industry. If we don’t get Suzanne on our side, your fake identity will be exposed easily.”
Selena was panicked. “What should I do now? Jeanie, you must help me! It’s on the trending searches now. Everyone believes I’m River
“I knew it! You’re unreliable. Don’t worry. I’ve already found Suzanne and scheduled a meeting with her this afternoon. Come with me. Ill send you the address and time.”
Selena let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness I have you, Jeanie,” she said. Then, with a hint of caution in her voice, she added. “By the way, Hailey just mentioned that she’s planning to sue me. She even said I’ll receive a court summons tomorrow. Do you think she really has any evidence or any other manuscripts?”
“Are you sure you deleted everything from her computer?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I checked it three times and was sure I deleted all the manuscripts on her computer. I even emptied the trash.”
Jeanie, still worried, said, “Find a way to steal her computer and destroy it.”
Selena bit his lip and said, “Okay.”
“As long as we win over Suzanne, your identity as the author will be secured. No matter what Hailey says, it’ll be useless,” Jeanie sneered and said.
Selena smiled and said, “I owe you one, Jeanie.”
Jeanie narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, and said, “Alright, I’m hanging up.”After ending the call, Jeanie sent Selena the meeting time and location.
Selena gripped her phone tightly, then went to the office to apply for a leave of absence before leaving the school. Meanwhile, Hailey had just gotten her meal when she received a call from Suzanne.
“They’ve scheduled a meeting with me, Suzanne said from the other end.
“Where is it?” Hailey asked.
“At Morning Haven, a coffee house under the Gibbs Group.
“Got it. Make sure to bring bodyguards, the smart ones. I’m worried they may harm you.”
Suzzane chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not that stupid. If they want to bribe me, I’ll just go along, and make some money from them.”
Hailey smiled and said, “Don’t go overboard.”
Suzanne was quick–witted, and Hailey had confidence in her. “I know,” said Suzanne, pausing before she jokingly asked,
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“Aren’t you afraid I might betray you?”
Hailey simply responded with four words, “I trust my people.”
Suzzane laughed and said, “Alright, I’ll update you later.”
“Yeah.”
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Suzanne arrived at Morning Haven at 2:00 p.m… She dressed in a black–and–white business outfit, looking both elegant and mature. Her figure was stunning and drew attention even in modest clothing.
A waiter led her to private room number one. Inside, Jeanie and Selena had been waiting. “Ms. Heywood, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Jeanie, remained seated and said lazily without standing up.
Suzanne entered the room, narrowing her eyes slightly as she examined them. She curled her lips into a smirk and said, “Miss Gibbs and Miss Dalton, I’ve heard a lot about you too.
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