The old man suddenly swung open his study door and called for Liam without stepping out.
His tone didn't sound good at all.
"What's wrong, old man?"
When Liam stepped into the study, Emma thought she heard something crash to the floor. But that surprised her. The study's soundproofing was excellent—if she could hear something breaking, it must have been heavy.
Amelia shook her head.
"I'm not sure. I just remember when I came down from my nap, Dad was already sitting on the sofa, fuming. I don't know if he'd watched something on TV. Then he went back to his study and made a call. He seemed even more upset after that."
What was going on?
Even though Emma was watching TV with Amelia, her mind kept drifting to why the old man and Liam looked so grim.
She figured—aside from company matters—nothing else could make father and son react like this.
"Second brother, you're back?"
Amelia's sweet voice pulled Emma back to reality. She turned and greeted Benjamin.
Benjamin looked at Emma in surprise.
"Something this serious has happened at the company, and you're not comforting big brother? You're still in the mood to watch TV here?"
So Benjamin knew what was going on too.
Seeing Emma's confused expression, Benjamin wondered—didn't this woman go to the company with his elder brother every day? There was no way she didn't know.
"Sorry, I don't know what happened. Can you tell me?"
Emma was honest. She regretted taking that two-hour nap in the afternoon. Something must have happened during that time.
Otherwise, she was always by Liam's side. How could she not know?
"It's the Milan Fashion House brand. A clothing company called Evergreen Corporation sued Jameson, the chief designer of Milan Fashion House, claiming he copied the new winter clothing designs that Evergreen's designers had planned. It should have been impossible, but no one expected Jameson to admit it. And the other side had all kinds of evidence that was hard to deny. Now Milan Fashion House is facing a serious credibility crisis."
Benjamin told Emma the whole story. She stood up from the sofa in shock, her face full of disbelief.
"Evergreen? Is that a well-known clothing company? No, I've never heard of it before."
Emma, once the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, often borrowed clothes from famous brands. If Evergreen had any reputation, she would have remembered it.
"That company just opened recently. One of its biggest shareholders is William Thompson."
His next words made Emma think of William Thompson, whom she'd met at lunch.
No wonder he'd said what he did back then. It seemed he already knew something would happen to Milan Fashion House. But Jameson was an internationally renowned designer. How could he plagiarize? Had his talent run dry? And why would he so easily admit to copying someone else?
When Liam finally came out of the study, Emma wanted to comfort him. But Amelia was faster.
"Brother, we all know about what happened at your company. Don't worry. Is this going to be really serious?"
Amelia spoke with concern, saying exactly what Emma had wanted to say. Emma stood in place, looking at Liam with the same worry, but she didn't step forward.
Liam reached out and patted Amelia on the shoulder to reassure her. Then he looked up at Emma.
"Mr. White said dinner is almost ready. You must be hungry."
Emma clearly wanted to tell him that it would be okay. Milan Fashion House had been fine for so many years—this incident would surely pass too. But the words came out differently, which annoyed her a little.
A dark glint crossed Liam's eyes, and he nodded faintly.
It wasn't until after dinner, when they were back in the room alone, that Emma finally spoke.
"Is there any room to maneuver in this matter?"
"The timeline and evidence match. Jameson has admitted it. So this time, Milan Fashion House's winter collection can't be released."
Liam's words were disheartening. The lawsuit was clearly doomed.
But that would delay the launch of Milan Fashion House's winter wear. It was already too late. The most important thing was the huge impact this would have on the brand.
For clothing, originality was everything. It was also the foundation of customer trust. Now that trust was broken. Emma worried that Milan Fashion House might never regain its former glory.
"Actually, there is a way."
Emma spoke up.
"Oh? Tell me."
Liam looked at Emma calmly. Even though he already had countermeasures, he still wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Since Jameson admitted to plagiarism, the company will definitely terminate his contract. The winter conference hasn't been held yet. You can release news that the new season's winter styles need a new designer. Then find someone more talented to replace him."
"Jameson is one of the top designers in the world. Even he started relying on plagiarism. How many people do you think are qualified to be the chief designer of Milan Fashion House? Besides, those talented people abroad have long been snapped up by major brands. Finding someone competent in such a short time is like chasing a fantasy."
Liam's cold rebuttal deeply stung Emma.
"Do we have to use foreign designers? There are plenty of excellent ones in our country. I don't believe we can't find anyone."
"I'll give you a week to find someone capable. If you can't find anyone in a week, even if you insist on being my assistant for half a year, the promised company won't be handed over to you."
Liam's next words left Emma stunned. A week? How could she find someone in a week?
"Then you need to give me some suitable candidates so I can contact them."
"As my assistant, if you can't even handle this small task well, how can I trust you with other things in the future? Besides, you said there are many excellent designers in China. Since you're so confident, I believe you already have the right person in mind."
Liam was just trying to make things difficult for her. How was a week possible?
"Two weeks. One week is too short. I can't find someone that fast."
Emma could only brace herself. The man's indifferent gaze really got under her skin.