7
Chapter 21
Elijah moved into the “employee residence” that Leon had arranged for her and her mother. Eternal Light Corp’s policy clearly allowed employees to bring family and pets.
From then on, she spent most of her days shuttling between school and the company, brimming with motivation and purpose.
Only during the rare moments of rest, when her mind drifted into stillness, would a fleeting thought arise. She hadn’t seen Ethan in a very long time.
The thought came and went so quickly, it left no trace behind.
Later, she overheard someone say that Ethan had suffered a concussion from a fall and had been
recovering ever since.
Naturally, his publicly announced girlfriend, Hannah, took frequent leave from school to care for
him.
Rumor had it, though, that their time together wasn’t going well that there had even been a series of explosive arguments between them.
Elijah thought nothing of it. After all, none of it had anything to do with her anymore.
Meanwhile, Eternal Light Corp had quietly signed three new contracts with the second- and third–place winners of the art exhibition and academy selection, as well as an unknown, almost
invisible newcomer.
No one paid any attention.
An unheard–of startup company, combined with three unfamiliar names, who would bother caring?
As for the much–hyped first–place winner, Hannah, she naturally signed with her own family
business, Lopez Group.
But just as the buzz around the exhibition began to fade, the name Eternal Light Corp suddenly
exploded across the internet, dragging everything back into the public eye.
[Eternal Light Corp sues Lopez Group and Hannah Lopez For plagiarism, misappropriation, and unlawful commercial exploitation]
[Using Elijah Watchmaker’s original painting ‘Mother’s Back‘ without authorization, Hannah
Chapter 21
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Certain they’ve won,never realizing they’ve just provoked the wrong woman, and she will make them pay
د
Lopez submitted the work under the altered title “The Back of a Working Woman‘ for competitions and commercial gain, severely infringing on both the artist’s rights and the company’s interests.]
Netizens who, just days ago, had showered Hannah Lopez with endless praise, now found themselves dumbfounded Social media instantly erupted into chaos:
No nay. That’s Loper Group’s young heiress! Why would she need to steal someone else’s
work?
[Stop spreading rumors. Don’t smear people’s reputations over clout. Who even is Eternal Light Corp? Or Elijah Watchmaker? Never heard of them. Sounds like another no–name trying to ride the Lopez name]
[Called it. Rich brats studying art for “aesthetic polish” aren’t actually talented. Another example of them leeching off hardworking artists. Disgusting.]
[The internet is full of drama and opportunists. Could be fake beef. Better wait until more fects
come out.]
[Hannah Lopez all the way! Sue them for defamation! Eternal Light who? Elijah what?]
The comment sections were an absolute warzone, flooded with accusations, defenses, and
speculation.
Most people sided with Hannah, especially since Lopez Group’s official account issued a thinly veiled jab about “unethical clout–chasing,” fueling public sympathy for her.
But in real life, Hannah Lopez took the fight offline and confronted Elijah directly at Eternal Light’s
offices.
Tears brimmed in her eyes as she pleaded.
“Elijah, what is this?! You went on that blind date with Leon Howards just to get to me, didn’t you? What did I ever do to you that you’d want to ruin me like this?!”
Elijah stared at her, utterly unamused.
“Ruin you?”
“I just took back what was mine, Hannah. That’s not ruining you. That’s just tearing off your mask
and putting you back where you belong.”
Hannah choked on a sob, lowering her voice like a fragile lamb.
Certain they’ve won,never realizing they’ve just provoked the wrong woman, and she will make them pay
“Why… why are you being like this? Elijah, I’ll pay you whatever you want. Name your price, and I’ll make this go away. Please… let it go. What good will any of this do you?”
Elijah’s expression didn’t so much as flicker.
“Keep your money. I don’t need a cent from you.”
“I already told you–I’m just taking back what’s mine.”
Hannah, seeing that her tears and pleas had no effect, fled the office in humiliation.
The very next day, Lopez Group’s official account released a carefully edited audio recording:
[We wanted to settle this privately, but the other side is leaving us no choice. We cannot allow our
heiress to suffer such malicious slander. To clear her name, we’re releasing the full context.]
In the recording, Hannah sounded pitiful and helpless, while Elijah was portrayed as an aggressive
manipulator, demanding payment to drop the lawsuit.
Shortly after, anonymous accounts began digging into Elijah’s background, claiming she was nothing more than the daughter of a Morgan family housekeeper, that Mrs. Morgan had generously
taken her in as a “goddaughter,” only for Elijah to allegedly “betray” that kindness by seducing her adoptive brother, Ethan.
Hannah, in this version of events, became the innocent victim of Elijah’s jealousy, “framed” and
“smeared” so Elijah could climb higher.
To make matters worse, Leon’s name got dragged into the drama when gossip accounts claimed he was Elijah’s secret backer, someone who had “fallen for her” during their blind date and “abused
his power” to give her a job at Eternal Light.
Within days, Elijah, Leon, and Eternal Light Corp were all trending across social media.
The smear campaigns were relentless, but ironically, Eternal Light’s name recognition
skyrocketed.
At the very least, now everyone knew exactly what kind of company it was, and that its core business involved managing and protecting valuable art assets.
