Con

CHAPTER 52

Elijah’s POV

The morning after my meeting with Sophia and Trevis, I walked into the office with a clear goal in mind: investigate Julia’s plagiarism. It was the first thing on my to–do list, and I wanted it done. without delay. As I settled into my desk, I opened the file containing Julia’s designs and the alleged copied work of Sophia.

Just as I was making headway, Chris barged in, a stack of invitations in hand. He placed them on my desk with a flourish.

“Here are the invitations for the reception celebrating Julia’s return,” he announced with a grin. “Or rather, Sabrina’s return to the Baker family!”

Before I could respond, Julia swept into the room, her presence quite overbearing. I noticed how she linked her arm with Chris’s and grinned excitedly. “Thanks so much, my brother!” she gushed. Then turning to me, she sweetly smiled and said, “Elijah, you must come to the party!”

Before I could respond, though, I saw her glance down at the papers spread across my desk and frowned. “What are you looking at?”

I met her gaze, feeling both angry and disappointed. Julia, these are your designs, aren’t they?” I then pointed out what I’d noticed before and how it seemed like she was the one who did the copying, not the other way around.

She gasped, her eyes shining with tears. “I… uhm…. Elijah, I can explain.”

“You better!” I said, crossing my arms. “Because from where I’m sitting, this looks like blatant plagiarism. And we have strong evidence to support that.”

Julia’s face flushed. For a moment, she looked like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She glanced at Chris, who stood awkwardly by the door, before returning her attention to me. “I wasn’t copying,” she began, her bravado faltering. “I was… inspired by Craig’s proposal. I didn’t even know that he was Sophia’s partner! I was looking at his work, yes, but only for ideas. I didn’t mean to copy it so closely.”

“Inspired?” I repeated, my voice hard. “Julla, the elements are almost identical. Inspiration is one thing, but this… this is crossing a line.”

“I didn’t realize how much I had taken from his work, she admitted, her tone now genuinely embarrassed. “I should have been more careful. I was pressured to create something exceptional and

I guess I got carried away.”

I sighed, feeling a headache coming on. “Julia, you know how seriously we take originality here. This isn’t just about pressure. It’s about integrity.”

Chris stepped forward, trying to ease the tension. “Why don’t we give Julia a chance to make things right?” he suggested. “After all, this is just a small thing. You can simply assign a different project to her, right? Then everything will be okay.”

“It’s not a small thing, Chris,” I replied in an exasperated tone. “It’s plagiarism. We can’t just let it go

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like an insignificant mistake.” I couldn’t control the fury rising even more within my chest. “And did you know that Julia also accused Sophia of copying her work? She was trying to turn the tables to avoid getting into trouble.”

Julia bowed her head right after I saw a tear fall down her cheek. She took a few steps back, hiding behind Chris like a little girl. But I couldn’t make myself feel sorry for her. I couldn’t even reconcile the fact that she could really be Sabrina!

“Elijah,” Chris started, looking worried. “Why don’t you let Julia off the hook? I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose and she’s certainly going to be more careful next time. Come on, you can just blame it all on that architect,”

“No,” I said firmly. “I won’t do that. Craig is innocent, and throwing him under the bus isn’t going to solve anything. The truth must come out.”

“Elijah, listen,” Chris pleaded, his tone growing more desperate. “Julia doesn’t deserve this. She made a mistake, yes, but humiliating her and ruining her career over it is too much.”

Julia began to sob. “Please, Elijah! I didn’t mean it and it won’t happen again!” she begged.

I shook my head in disbelief. This wasn’t just about Julia’s mistake. It was about the integrity of Sinclair Realty.

“Elijah,” Chris interjected, stepping closer. “As a major shareholder of Sinclair Realty, I’m asking you t do this. Blame it on Craig. Julia’s been through so much and you know that! For years, she had to live like a different person. And now that she’s back in our family, you’re going to do this to her? What kind of best friend are you? She deserves another chance! T

He began pointing out too that his parents had long supported his company and that some members of the Baker clan are also shareholders. I frowned, knowing that he was feeling really desperate to do this sort of blackmailing.

Taking several deep breaths, I sat back on my chair, thinking hard. I felt like I had no choice, especially knowing that Chris has great influence over many of the shareholders. Eventually I nodded, though my heart was screaming in protest.

A few days later, I released the memo with the announcement about Architect Craig Miller. That same afternoon, Trevis went to see me. “What’s this?” he asked, waving the memo in front of me. “What happened?”

I told him the truth about Chris wanting to protect Julia because he believes that she’s his missing

sister.

“Oh, man,” Trevis whispered. “What a mess.”

“I know…”

Looking at me earnestly, he then said, “But knowing Sabrina as our friend before, I don’t think she could be capable of something like this.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I agreed. “Unless she really grew up in a harsh environment after she went missing and then simply changed.”

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“Or…” Trevis added, his eyes lighting up. “…unless Julla isn’t really Sabrina.”

My heart skipped a beat. He’d just echoed my sentiments.

A knock came at the door, followed by my assistant popping in. I motioned for Connor to come forward. “What is it?”

He glanced at Trevis hesitantly but I told him it didn’t matter if Trevis was there.

Connor looked at me seriously, taking a deep breath. “Mr. Sinclair, in my investigation of Craig Miller, I

found out that he’s very closely associated with Ms. Serena Foster.” 1

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