Chapter 532: Estelle: Yeah, She’s So Scared

Chapter 532: Chapter 532: Estelle: Yeah, She’s So Scared

Estelle Lockwood watched leisurely, her gaze sweeping over the Yeats. Seeing Zion Yeats’s righteous demeanor and absolute trust in Claire Yeats, she found it hilarious.

On the stage, Claire’s hands couldn’t stop trembling.

"What’s wrong, Miss Yeats? Are you afraid?" Ms. Foster asked with a smile.

Claire swallowed hard and said hoarsely, "I just... I just don’t think it’s right to hold everyone up."

"It’s fine. The rankings have been announced, and the champion has been chosen. I don’t think anyone will mind." Ms. Foster paused. "Besides, how much time could it take to simply log into an account?"

"Yeah, Miss Yeats. You’re wasting more time by dragging this out," someone sneered.

Claire’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat, her hands clenched into fists. "Ms. Foster, there is something you don’t understand... I... I really don’t want to log into this account for personal reasons. I’m truly sorry..."

"You don’t want to log in?" Ms. Foster looked surprised. "But Miss Yeats, didn’t you send an email to the judging panel last night?

"At the time, all the judges—well, except for the ones who have already been fired—saw that email. You logged in yesterday, but today you say you don’t want to. Isn’t that a bit strange?

"Besides, it’s just a facial scan or a fingerprint check. It takes less than two seconds. What are you resisting, Miss Yeats? Could it be that they guessed right... you simply don’t dare to?"

Claire panicked, "What?! Sent an email?! Is Ember still alive... How is that possible? How could she be! It must be a bluff!"

"Miss Yeats," Ms. Foster’s soft and gentle voice drove her into a corner, "do you want to know what Ember said?"

Claire’s face instantly turned deathly pale. "I—"

Ms. Foster raised her hand, and the contents of the email Ember sent yesterday appeared on the big screen.

"She said she was very curious as to how a woman she didn’t know managed to impersonate her, and how the competition organizers failed to notice it at all."

The crowd immediately looked up! It was Ember... Ember had sent the email herself! Claire was hemming and hawing, refusing to log into the account because she couldn’t! And the only one who could log in was the real Ember! It was Ember who had questioned the design competition!

Ms. Foster sighed. "We have apologized to Miss Ember. Because of your composure, Miss Yeats, and how openly you claimed to be Ember—along with the Yeats Family backing you... Who would have thought the eldest young lady of the Yeats would tell such a monstrous lie? So, we believed you.

"We were indeed wrong about this, completely wrong. We have formally apologized to Miss Ember, but what about you, Miss Yeats?"

Ms. Foster smiled. "Impersonating her, stealing her work, and ruining her reputation. Miss Yeats, don’t you think you owe her an apology?"

Claire stumbled back, her head spinning dizzily. She screamed internally, "Ember... that bitch! Bitch! I am the dignified eldest daughter of the Yeats Family! If I take a fancy to an identity, a lowly commoner like Ember should obediently hand it over on a silver platter! What do I do now? What do I do..."

[Holy crap!! Claire Yeats really is a fake!!]

[How dare she? Impersonating Miss Ember! Doesn’t she have any shame?]

[Claire’s fans, come take a look! This is your ’beautiful and kind-hearted’ Claire, the one who was ’bound to win the championship.’ Ha! Her identity as a champion is fake, her entry is plagiarized, and her reputation is stolen. What else does she even have?]

[Oh, how could I forget? She still has her identity as the ’eldest young lady of the Yeats Family’~]

[Is there something wrong with the Yeats? They always try to prop up this useless deadbeat. It’s exhausting just watching it.]

Zion’s face flushed red as he bore the strange looks from the crowd. Unable to say anything else, he could only repeat, "No, it’s not like that..."

"It’s not like that..." On stage, Claire echoed the same words. She shook her head desperately, knowing that if she couldn’t offer an explanation, she would be completely ruined!

Tears welled up in Claire’s eyes and streamed down her small face, making her look incredibly pitiful.

"Miss Ember, why are you doing this? You were the one who asked me to attend in your place. You told me to use your identity publicly so that everyone would think I was you. I wanted to learn design from you, and your condition for taking me on as a student was that I had to impersonate you...

"Although I didn’t understand it, I did as you asked. You even gave me your design sketches and let me use them as I pleased... Why are you now saying that I deliberately impersonated you?"

Old Mrs. Yeats suddenly realized what was happening and started cursing loudly, "You little bitch! Our Claire was doing this for your own good! She was afraid you wouldn’t have any disciples, and she thought you were treating her sincerely. But look at you! Aren’t you despicable!"

[Wait? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand Claire’s logic?]

[Ah, Claire is saying that she’s actually Ember’s disciple, and Ember asked her to use her identity in public, but now Ember is denying it?]

Claire shook her head tearfully. "No, I believe Miss Ember must have been manipulated by someone. She taught me and took me in as her disciple for my own good. I’ve learned so much by her side over the years; we were both master and apprentice, as well as friends.

"For the past three years, she has silently supported me. She even encouraged me to enter this competition. I don’t understand why she would backstab me at the last moment. She must have listened to someone else’s slander."

Claire silently glanced at Estelle, then quickly looked away.

Ms. Foster was so angry she laughed.

Estelle, however, remained unhurried. "Why are you looking at me, Miss Yeats? Do you think I’m the one who went behind your back and gossiped to Ember?"

Claire gritted her teeth. "Estelle... anyone can tell from your designs that you also admire Ember’s work. Your designs bear a strong resemblance to her style."

The crowd nodded. That was true. Unlike most conventional designers on the market who strictly adhered to the rules, Estelle’s designs weren’t as rigid. They were indeed similar to Ember’s style.

Claire’s face was streaked with tears. "I think Miss Ember must have taken you on as her student as well. Perhaps... my talent isn’t as great as yours, so she favors you more. I can accept all of that. As a student, failing to earn my teacher’s favor is my own shortcoming.

"But, I cannot accept another person gossiping in front of my teacher!

"It was clearly something my teacher asked me to do, yet now it’s being twisted into me impersonating her and stealing her work. I am completely innocent in this!"

Shedding bitter tears, Claire suddenly looked into the camera and shook her head, crying. "Miss Ember, I don’t know if you’re watching, but the entire Yeats Family knows about our bond as master and apprentice. I hope you won’t sentence me to death just by listening to Estelle’s one-sided story!"

Estelle narrowed her eyes. She thought, "The way she phrased that... she is using the Yeats Family to threaten Ember. She is implying that the Yeats Family is aware of this, and if Ember insists on making their eldest daughter lose face, the Yeats Family will absolutely not let her off the hook. Is that what she means? Oh my, I am so terrified."