Chapter 361: Who Exactly Is the Shameless One?
Meanwhile, on the very same day, the organizers of the perfume competition issued a direct announcement. Following a "self-report" from Thea Sherwood, they were investigating suspicions that the perfume formula and sample submitted by contestant Thea Sherwood were plagiarized from another’s work.
At the same time, all of the competition’s judges were investigated. While Thea Sherwood had not bribed anyone during the finals, it was discovered that she had used connections and was suspected of bribing judges to advance through the preliminary rounds. Therefore, her third-place award was revoked.
Thea Sherwood was furious when she saw the news. ’What do they mean, self-report?’
She had just misspoken, that wasn’t what happened at all!
Just two days ago, when the list of winners was announced, she had already been showing off on Weibo. She had even paid for a lot of her own promotion, hiring marketing accounts to keep hyping her up with the title of "perfumery prodigy."
This global perfume competition was the most prestigious in their field, known for being fair and impartial. Winning an award was proof of her skills.
But before the award was even warm in her hands, she was being investigated for fraud on multiple fronts.
She had worked so hard to get that award, and with this one announcement, she had become a laughingstock again. She was being flamed all over the internet, and there was no way to clear her name.
Numerous media outlets were calling to ask for comments, but Thea Sherwood didn’t even dare to answer her phone.
’How could this happen? It’s all that Ivy Sherwood’s fault!’
’Ivy must have sabotaged me. She must be the one who told them the perfume for the finals was hers!’
She was supposed to be here today to accept her award. Now, everything was gone, and she was a joke.
Ivy Sherwood and Quentin Blackwood first went backstage at the awards ceremony and met Mr. Sam. Mr. Sam came over to shake Ivy’s hand, and then Quentin’s.
"You must be President Blackwood. We couldn’t have done it without your help."
Ivy Sherwood was confused. ’Mr. Sam knows Quentin Blackwood? And Quentin helped?’
"If it weren’t for Mr. Blackwood’s help in finding evidence, we wouldn’t have uncovered what Thea Sherwood did so quickly."
Ivy Sherwood looked at him in surprise. ’So Quentin had a hand in this?’
"Don’t mention it. Upholding fairness and justice is something everyone should do," Quentin Blackwood replied magnanimously.
"Alright, I’ll let you two be. I have some other things to attend to, so I’ll get back to it."
Mr. Sam quickly bustled off. Ivy Sherwood looked at Quentin Blackwood in astonishment. "You knew about all this?"
Quentin Blackwood nodded. "I did."
"But what happened in the office that day was so private. There were only a few people there. How did you find out?"
"There weren’t many people, but it was a mixed crowd, including several from other domestic companies. Plus, with a secret as big as Iris’s true identity, the news that you’re Iris has already spread."
Ivy Sherwood: "..."
She hadn’t been online yet, so she had no idea.
"Is there anything you *don’t* know?" Ivy Sherwood marveled.
Quentin Blackwood really did seem omnipotent. It felt like he knew everything and could find out anything one step ahead of everyone else.
"I’m just a normal person, not all-powerful. There are still plenty of things I don’t know."
"Like what?" Ivy Sherwood asked, curious. She felt like Quentin Blackwood knew everything, that he could even anticipate what others would anticipate.
Quentin Blackwood said, "Before all this, I didn’t know my girlfriend had such an impressive identity."
Ivy Sherwood felt a little embarrassed. Compared to all of Quentin Blackwood’s titles, hers was nothing special.
"It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve loved perfumery since I was little, so when I heard about this competition, I decided to enter on a whim. I was stunned when I won first place. After that, I entered every year. Mr. Sam is a great person and never exposed my identity."
Ivy Sherwood simply wanted to compete; she never intended to use her identity as Iris to drive traffic to her own company.
Even though her identity was now exposed, Ivy Sherwood still didn’t feel any different. While she was Iris, she only wanted to use her identity as Ivy Sherwood to lead Iris well.
"You’re already more outstanding than most people."
"But I want to be like you."
Quentin Blackwood looked at her, his eyes deep. "Don’t think so highly of me. My abilities are limited, too. For example, when it comes to perfumery, I know nothing."
Even though she knew Quentin Blackwood was just saying that to make her happy, Ivy Sherwood was happy nonetheless.
She went to accept her award, and Mr. Sam presented all of her previous awards to her at once.
This was the first time Iris had ever appeared in person to accept an award, and the foreign media was in a frenzy, snapping photos.
On the stage, Ivy Sherwood was radiant. She seemed to possess a light that made it impossible for people to look away.
She was confident and bold. Even though she was hiding her true appearance behind an ordinary face, she carried herself with a sense of pride.
Watching from a distance, Quentin Blackwood couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
He knew she was someone who was always striving to better herself. She would never retreat from anything, and even knowing the path ahead was difficult, she would still cut through the thorns.
She was different from everyone else. That was why he was so drawn to her.
There were too many trophies; Ivy Sherwood couldn’t hold them all.
In the end, Ivy Sherwood held four, and Quentin Blackwood carried another four for her.
Because Thea Sherwood’s third-place finish was nullified, the award was passed down to the next contestant in line.
Thea Sherwood was furious and was still causing a scene outside.
Her eyes turned red with jealousy, especially when she saw Ivy Sherwood coming out holding so many trophies.
She couldn’t get inside, so she had no choice but to wait outside to block Ivy Sherwood’s path.
"Ivy Sherwood!" She charged straight at Ivy, but before she could even get close, Quentin Blackwood blocked her.
Quentin Blackwood’s eyes were terrifyingly cold, filled with a sharp glare.
"Scram." The man uttered a single word, yet it was filled with immense pressure.
When Thea Sherwood saw Quentin Blackwood, she was first surprised, then frightened by his gaze.
"You two..." Although Thea Sherwood had heard that Ivy Sherwood and Quentin Blackwood were on good terms, this was the first time she had seen him protect her like this. "You shameless pair! No wonder Ivy wanted to break off the engagement. So she was hooking up with you all along! The uncle and his nephew’s fiancée... you’re both utterly shameless!"
As Thea Sherwood hurled these insults, displeasure was already showing on Quentin Blackwood’s face.
Never mind the fact that Ivy Sherwood and Silas Blackwood only had a verbal engagement agreement. Furthermore, they weren’t even a couple and had yet to be married. His relationship with Ivy was completely open and aboveboard.
Before Quentin Blackwood could get angry, Ivy Sherwood stepped forward. "Thea Sherwood, who’s the shameless one here?"
"It’s not your place to comment on my relationship with Quentin Blackwood. But you, on the other hand... Isn’t Charlie Rhodes your mother’s godfather? Does climbing into his bed make you shameless? If word of this got out, I’m sure a lot more people would love this piece of gossip."
"You can even stomach a man that old. Thea Sherwood, in that regard, no one is more impressive than you. I’m truly impressed."
Ivy Sherwood had struck Thea Sherwood’s deepest sore spot. She was so angry she couldn’t even form a word. "You... you..."