Chapter 5
I hadn’t received the termination of parental rights document, but instead, I got a lawyer’s letter from Rebecca.
She had filed a complaint against me for allegedly plagiarizing her design sketches and publicly condemned me online.
With her legion of fans, the backlash was immediate and explosive.
I recalled my earlier conversation with the lawyer who had reached out; I needed to protect my rights.
We arranged to meet at a café.
The man smiled at me as I entered, “Hello, Ms. Aniston.”
I nodded, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. “Have we met before?”
He chuckled as he took a seat. “This old–fashioned way of introduction was already outdated three years ago.”
I frowned, puzzled. “You know I’ve been in prison?”
“I’m Justin Joseph, your grandfather’s attorney. Three years ago, he consulted me about your case,” he said, his expression turning somber at the mention of my grandfather.
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He added, “It’s a shame Sir Aniston left us so suddenly.”
2/4
A sense of unease washed over me. There were so many things I
didn’t know.
Justin slid a document across the table. “Your grandfather left you 58 million dollars, along with a complete set of mahogany furniture from a manor, which is valued at around 30 million.”
“More than 100 million? My grandfather left me over 100 million?” I was taken aback.
Morton had always indulged my every whim–except when it came to marrying Jackson.
He had even ended up in the hospital out of anger before our wedding could take place.
In my memory, Morton was just an old man who loved tending to his plants.
I mused, “How could he suddenly have amassed such wealth?”
“Your grandfather had a passion for collecting rare items. It’s not surprising he had that kind of money,” Justin explained.
He then pulled out another document, adding, “This one is of little use now. Your grandfather could have posted bail to get you out, but he wanted to teach you a lesson and test Jackson. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see it through.”
I blinked, trying to process what he was saying. “Wait, bail? Are
Chapter 5
you saying that if there had been bail, I wouldn’t have had to serve time?”
“Exactly, yes.”
3/4
“Anyone could have posted that bail?” I asked, my heart racing.
Justin nodded. “In a way, yes.”
The weight of his words hit me like a ton of bricks. I gasped, struggling to catch my breath as the reality of my situation sank in.
I looked Justin square in the eye. “I want you to be my lawyer.”
At the press conference, Rebecca made a public statement. regarding the plagiarism claims.
“I believe in mercy, so let’s put this matter to rest,” she announced.
The audience erupted with praise. “Ms. Perez is so magnanimous; she’s not even pursuing the matter further!”
“After all, Ms. Perez has already submitted her new design, which is bound to win. That plagiarist really overstepped, thinking she could steal from Ms. Perez!”
“People like that should be permanently banned from the design world!”
Chapter 5
On the big screen, Rebecca’s award–winning design was showcased, and it was the same one I had created just days. carlier–right after Jackson and Barry had come to see me. Rebecca had submitted her new piece right after that.
4/4
I shouted, “Plagiarists should indeed be kicked out of the design industry forever!”
A flicker of panic crossed Rebecca’s face as she glanced at Jackson and Barry in the audience.
I continued, “The real plagiarist is Ms. Perez. Not just this time, but every time she’s won an award, those were my sketches.”
Jackson remained seated, and Rebecca seemed to take that as a green light.
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